74895 - Archaeology and History of Roman Art (1)

Academic Year 2020/2021

  • Teaching Mode: Traditional lectures
  • Campus: Bologna
  • Corso: First cycle degree programme (L) in Humanities (cod. 8850)

    Also valid for First cycle degree programme (L) in History (cod. 0962)

Learning outcomes

At the end of the module, the student, thanks to the presentation and discussion of the fundamental components and the main manifestations of Roman artistic, architectural and urban civilization and in its processes of cultural integration, develops a good capacity for orientation in the discipline, laying the foundation also for a capacity of defyinig historical and cultural problems The student is able to frame artistic productions in the correct social, political and economic context of reference and using them as useful sources for historical reconstruction. In addition, it acquires basic skills for an even autonomous use of scientific instruments and bibliography.

Course contents

Beginning: 24/03/2021

Wednesday, Thursday, Friday, 15 – 17 h, Via Zamboni 38, Aula VI.

At the end of the course a trip will be organised.

The course will be focussed on the principal themes of the discipline with particular attention to typologies, functions and significance of the roman monuments and artistic expressions with spots on history of reserches, methods and chronological questions.

Lessons will be accompained by a seminar (the participation is not mandatory).

A PLURAL WORLD:

Roman spaces and patterns, from the Archaic period to the Late Antiquity.

1 - Course introduction

2 - The origins: spaces and forms of power, worship and living

3 - Building culture: materials, technics, typologies

4 - Urbs: urbanistic and monumental evolution in Republican and Imperial age.

5 - Romanization: romanitas diffusion and assimilation. Urban models and monuments.

6 - Romans, Greeks and the others

7 - Artistic “languages”: Arte colta and arte plebea.

8 - The images world: sculptures, paintings, mosaics, furniture.

Readings/Bibliography

Students attending the course will have to study the following bibliography:

1. R. Bianchi Bandinelli, Roma. L'arte romana nel centro del potere. Dalle origini alla fine del II sec.d.C., Milano, 1969 and followiong editions.

2. R. Bianchi Bandinelli, Roma. La fine dell'arte antica, Milano 1970 and followiong editions (limited to the first chapter, mandatory, and two other chapters, which the student will select, in agreement with the teacher).

3. R. Bianchi Bandinelli, M. Torelli, L'arte dell'antichità classica. Etruria-Roma (just Roman section), Torino 1976 and followiong editions.

Students not attending the course will also have to read:

1. R. Bianchi Bandinelli, Roma. L'arte romana nel centro del potere. Dalle origini alla fine del II sec.d.C., Milano, 1969 and followiong editions.

2. R. Bianchi Bandinelli, Roma. La fine dell'arte antica, Milano 1970 and followiong editions

3. R. Bianchi Bandinelli, M. Torelli, L'arte dell'antichità classica. Etruria-Roma (just Roman section), Torino 1976 and followiong editions.

4. S. Settis, Un'arte al plurale. L'impero romano, i Greci e i posteri, in Storia di Roma, vol. 4, Caratteri e morfologie, a cura di E.Gabba e A. Schiavone, Torino 1989, pp. 827-868.

5. T. Hölscher, Il linguaggio dell'arte romana, Un sistema semantico, Torino, Piccola Biblioteca Einaudi Ns, 2002.

For foreign students, mandatory the reading of

M.Papini, Arte Romana. Mondadori, 2016, is mandatory.

Teaching methods

Frontal lessons, with use of images, and seminars.

Students will have the opportunity to prepare individual works, after deciding the theme with the professor. They must be handled to the professor in form of a short writing and they will be discussed and evaluated during the final exam.

A school trip is scheduled.

Assessment methods

The final exam will be an oral one, with questions aimed to verify the student's knowledge of the themes discussing during frontal lectures (only for attending students) as well as those treated in the program's texts.

Non-attending students will have to take an oral final exam about the themes treated in the program's texts.

The assessment will concentrate particularly on the skill displayed by the student in handling the sources and material in the exam bibliography and his ability to find and use information and examples to illustrate and correlate the various themes and problems addressed in the course.

The assessment will thus examine the student's:

- factual knowledge of the subject;
- ability to summarise and analyse themes and concepts;
- familiarity with the terminology associated with the subject and his ability to use it effectively.

Top marks will be awarded to a student displaying an overall understanding of the topics discussed during the lectures, combined with a critical approach to the material and a confident and effective use of the appropriate terminology.
Average marks will be awarded to a student who has memorized the main points of the material and is able to summarise them satisfactorily and provide an effective critical commentary, while failing to display a complete command of the appropriate terminology.
A student will be deemed to have failed the exam if he displays significant errors in his understanding and failure to grasp the overall outlines of the subject, together with a poor command of the appropriate terminology.An oral exam will verify the knowlege and comprehension of the course contents (lessons and mandatory readings).

In other terms, to the students will be asked to show their ability in synthesis and analysis with the help of a rich iconography.

During the exam the professor will verify:

  • historical and geographical knowledge of Roman civilization from the Archaic period to the Late Antiquity;
  • the ability in recognizing and describing architectural principals and monuments' typologies described during the course or in the mandatory readings, the ability in analysing the different cultural influences, technical and functional aspects, chronolagical evolution;
  • a correct use of specific language.

Individual works will be evaluated as well.

Foreign students can be evaluated in a written form instead of an oral discussion.

In this case, the exam will consist in four written questions about general themes and in recognizing works of art.

It is suggested to answer in Italian, but answers in English, French and Spanish are accepted.

The written exam will be discussed, after correction, in Italian.

Teaching tools

The videopresentations used during the course will be made available to students from the beginning of the lessons, in the appropriate University tool.

In some cases, for the purposes of enrichment of the educational offer, the teacher could be assisted by colleagues invited to present, by way of in-depth analysis, specific aspects of the program, already introduced by the teacher.

Office hours

See the website of Antonella Coralini

SDGs

Quality education Gender equality Sustainable cities Peace, justice and strong institutions

This teaching activity contributes to the achievement of the Sustainable Development Goals of the UN 2030 Agenda.