ARCH 101 — Quick Reference Notes

Course Format and Logistics

This semester uses an online format due to large enrollment, with lectures running about $1.\,5!0$ to $1.\,3!0$ hours in the traditional class length, equivalent to roughly one hour and twenty minutes per session. Enrollment is significantly higher than typical in-person classes, so the course relies on an online site and recorded lectures rather than in-person meetings.

Instructor Background and Philosophy

Darius Spieth has taught at LSU for $18$ years and has experience in the international art market and at the Fogg Art Museum. He holds a PhD in Art History and an MBA in Finance. His research focuses on art markets from financial and historical perspectives. He emphasizes that art should be appreciated beyond monetary terms, while acknowledging the role of economics in the art world. He is passionate about art from a young age and aims to share that enthusiasm and foster new insights through artworks.

Course Scope and Content

The course covers a wide field of art, including Western, European, American traditions and regions such as Africa, the Middle East, ancient Egypt, and Mesopotamia. It emphasizes art, materials, and world geography, and uses hundreds of artworks across ages. The class also addresses related topics like materials, geography, and contextual factors, establishing a broad foundation for understanding visual culture.

Online Platform and Materials

Materials are hosted on Moodle with seven modules representing the core content. There are two ways to engage: watch the recorded lectures or read the text written for each module. The site functions as the class textbook, and the two formats are complementary.

Assessment and Grading

There are three non-cumulative multiple-choice exams (each with $25$ questions: $5$ terminology and $20$ visual questions) worth $60\%$ of the grade. Each exam has a $40$-minute window, and different students receive different questions. Exams are open for a three-day period, and early completion is advised; the first window runs roughly from $Sept\;20$ to $Oct\;2$. Terminology questions derive from underlined terms in the lectures, while visual questions come from the essential-works PowerPoint at the end of each module.

In addition, seven short quizzes occur over the semester (one per module) and are automatically scored, contributing $20\%$ of the grade. The final piece is a visual analysis paper worth $20\%$, due in a window starting $Sept\;9$ at $7:00$ AM and closing $Sept\;16$ at $7:00$ PM. The paper must be two pages, double-spaced, with illustrations allowed but not counted toward length.

Visual Analysis Paper Details

The paper must address one of five topics (e.g., Ancient Egypt, peasant/rural life, the Ecole des Beaux-Arts, does art imitate nature, cities and urban experiences). You may choose your own artwork, monument, or structure as long as it fits the topic. No citation style is prescribed; the focus is on visual analysis and interpretation. The topic prompts provide guidance but are not exhaustive. The submission window is the end of the period listed, but early submission is encouraged.

Exam Structure and Schedule

Exams are structured by modules: Exam 1 covers modules 1–3, Exam 2 covers 4–5, and Exam 3 (the final) covers 6–7. The second exam is due on $Oct\;30$. Students should start early to ensure completion before the closing time (usually 7 PM). A sample exam may be posted later, and some questions may reappear on the actual exams.

Key Concepts and Terminology

Art is viewed as visual communication—it conveys ideas, even though artworks are mute objects. The course explores how context shapes meaning: historical, geographical, political, economic, and social factors. Marcel Duchamp’s urinal (armatte) marks a shift to conceptual art, where idea can matter more than execution. The class also considers whether anyone can be an artist, the evolving definitions of art, and the role of institutions (museums, schools) and the art market in shaping artistic practice.

Form, Content, and Context

Aesthetics, form vs. content, and iconography (the study of image content) are used to analyze artworks. Contexts include institutional (patrons, churches, museums, academies), social (propaganda, utopian movements, urbanization), and economic (patrons, markets) factors, as well as intellectual history and technology. The course also discusses site-specificity, space, and the social functions of art, including the role of visual rhetoric and propaganda in the 20th century and beyond.

Approaches to Studying Art

Two main approaches anchor the course: art history (chronological and geographical narrative) and aesthetics (philosophical inquiry into beauty). The material also highlights postmodern plurality, where multiple methods and genres coexist—ranging from highly figurative to abstract and conceptual practices.

Preparation and Study Tips

Focus on the central works and the underlined terms in lectures, as they often appear in exam terminology. Read the essential-works PowerPoint materials and review the topics list for the visual analysis paper. Engage with the idea that artworks communicate within specific historical, cultural, and institutional contexts, and be prepared to discuss both the formal properties and the depicted narratives of artworks.