Unit rationale, description and aim

This unit will introduce students to the art and architecture of the ancient and medieval periods as manifestations of the social, political and philosophical contexts of the day. Students will come to understand how art and architecture can embody values and principles: for example, exploring how the notion of an ordered universe or a desire to reach the heavens was expressed in the design and proportions of buildings. Students will also consider the enormous influence of classical art and architecture and its symbolism in the ancient world and throughout western history, particularly with regard to how classical notions, such as beauty and the virtues, were transformed by, and absorbed into, visual iconographies up to the medieval period.

The aim of this unit is for students to develop an understanding of the foundation of the western philosophical and iconographic traditions through the lens of the art and architecture of the periods.

2026 10

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  • Term Mode
  • Semester 1Campus Attendance

Prerequisites

Nil

Learning outcomes

To successfully complete this unit you will be able to demonstrate you have achieved the learning outcomes (LO) detailed in the below table.

Each outcome is informed by a number of graduate capabilities (GC) to ensure your work in this, and every unit, is part of a larger goal of graduating from ACU with the attributes of insight, empathy, imagination and impact.

Explore the graduate capabilities.

Describe the styles, practices and contexts associ...

Learning Outcome 01

Describe the styles, practices and contexts associated with classical and medieval art and architecture
Relevant Graduate Capabilities: GC1, GC3, GC7, GC8, GC9, GC11, GC12

Analyse the art and architecture of these periods ...

Learning Outcome 02

Analyse the art and architecture of these periods within their historical contexts
Relevant Graduate Capabilities: GC1, GC2, GC3, GC7, GC8, GC9, GC11, GC12

Communicate ideas and findings clearly in written ...

Learning Outcome 03

Communicate ideas and findings clearly in written and/or oral form
Relevant Graduate Capabilities: GC2, GC3, GC4, GC11, GC12

Use and appropriately reference a variety of prima...

Learning Outcome 04

Use and appropriately reference a variety of primary and secondary sources relevant to the study of classical and medieval art and architecture to develop an evidence-based narrative or argument
Relevant Graduate Capabilities: GC1, GC2, GC3, GC7, GC8, GC9

Apply critical reading and analytical skills to de...

Learning Outcome 05

Apply critical reading and analytical skills to deepen understanding of the art and architecture of the classical and medieval periods
Relevant Graduate Capabilities: GC1, GC2, GC3, GC7, GC8, GC9

Content

Topics will include: 

  • Major classical architecture: how space and proportion were used to convey the notions of citizenship, democracy and virtue. 
  • Architectural features of classical Greece.  
  • The reinvention of the built environment in Rome and how it reflected the values of the Republic and then the Roman Empire.  
  • Ancient sites such as Pompeii and Herculaneum: reflections of everyday life. 
  • The complex relationship between the classical world and the beginning of Christianity in the design of the Romanesque and Gothic styles.  
  • Byzantine and medieval styles: the highly decorative art of Italy and France, and other parts of Europe, such as the Celtic world. 
  • The influence of classical architecture and its symbolism in western culture to the present day.  
  • Normally, at least one field trip to the Chau Chak Wing museum and an exploration of ACU’s collection of art and artifacts. 

Assessment strategy and rationale

Assessments have also been constructed in a way that inspires good critical practice, develops analytical and research skills, and engages the imagination. Students will deliver a presentation accompanied by images of relevant art and architecture to demonstrate their knowledge of unit content and provide them with an opportunity to develop skills in visual analysis. Informed by feedback on this first assessment, students will undertake an in-class text that requires them to analyse works that have not been previously discussed or seen in class. Thirdly, students will write a research essay built around a master argument. This type of assessment draws together the knowledge and skills developed through the unit.

The assessment tasks for this unit have been designed to contribute to high-quality student learning by both helping students learn (assessment for learning) and by measuring explicit evidence of their learning (assessment of learning). Assessments have been developed to meet the unit learning outcomes and develop graduate attributes consistent with the University's assessment requirements. These have been designed so that they use a variety of tasks to measure the different learning outcomes at a level suitable for first-year students in the relevant subject area.

Overview of assessments

Assessment 1: Oral presentation focused...

Assessment 1: Oral presentation focused on a particular period or piece of work

Students will deliver a presentation accompanied by images of relevant art and architecture to demonstrate their knowledge of unit content and provide them with an opportunity to develop skills in visual analysis

Weighting

20%

Learning Outcomes LO1, LO2, LO3
Graduate Capabilities GC1, GC2, GC3, GC4, GC7, GC8, GC9, GC11, GC12

Assessment 2: Summative Task Slide test in which...

Assessment 2: Summative Task

Slide test in which students will analyse works that have not been previously discussed or seen to demonstrate their knowledge of the period

Weighting

30%

Learning Outcomes LO1, LO2, LO5
Graduate Capabilities GC1, GC2, GC3, GC7, GC8, GC9, GC11, GC12

Assessment 3: Research Essay This task requires ...

Assessment 3: Research Essay

This task requires students to write a long essay with a master argument and using knowledge and skills acquired or developed over the course of the unit.

Weighting

50%

Learning Outcomes LO1, LO2, LO3, LO4
Graduate Capabilities GC1, GC2, GC3, GC4, GC7, GC8, GC9, GC11, GC12

Learning and teaching strategy and rationale

This is a 10-credit point unit designed to ensure that the time needed to complete the required volume of learning to the requisite standard is approximately 150 hours in total across the semester. This unit operates as a Socratic circle where images of the art and architecture of the period under consideration are discussed and modes of visual analysis are modelled for students. Through questioning and discussion, students develop knowledge about the social contexts, styles and philosophy of the art and architecture of the classical and medieval periods. Via engagement with primary and secondary sources inside and outside of the classroom, students develop skills in visual analysis. These skills will then be applied in the context of not only analysing previously unseen images of relevant art and architecture, but also in the context of a field trip to the Chau Chak Wing museum and appropriate pieces from the ACU collection.

The small sizes of each class reinforce a more reflective and interactive style of teaching in which students participate in a direct way in their learning process and encourage the development of the Learning Outcomes in each student’s knowledge acquisition. Assessments are designed to develop and demonstrate Learning Outcomes for students. 

Representative texts and references

Representative texts and references

Alberti, L. B., Leon Battista Alberti: On Painting, trans. R. Sinisgalli. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 2012.

Beard, Mary and John Henderson, Classical Art from Greece to Rome. Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2001. 

Elsner, Jas, The Art of the Roman Empire. Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2018. 

Duits, Rembrandt and Angeliki Lymberopoulou, Byzantine Art and Renaissance Europe. London: Routledge, 2016. 

Golding, W. The Spire, London: Faber & Faber, 2021.

Konstan, David, Beauty: The Fortunes of an Ancient Greek Idea. Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2014.

Stokstad, Marilyn, Medieval Art. Taylor and Francis, 2018. 

Vasari, Giorgio, The Lives of the Most Excellent Painters, Sculptors, and Architects. London: Penguin, 2006.

Vitruvius, Ten Books on Architecture, trans M. H. Morgan. Cambridge, MA: Harvard University Press, 1914.

Wallace-Hadrill, Andrew, Houses and Society in Pompeii and Herculaneum. Princeton, NJ: Princeton University Press, 1994.

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