Art History 489: Neoclassicism in England and America
with Spring Break in London
Spring 2008
Tuesdays, 5-8 p.m., JMAC 6, Suite 22
Overview
This seminar introduces students to the discipline of architectural history by examining works beginning with ancient Greece and Rome to the Renaissance to English and American Neoclassical developments. Students will spend spring break in London, visiting sites, museums and galleries of architectural and historical significance. One fieldtrip to visit neo-classical monuments in Virginia is also a possibility.
Course Description
In this course, students will become familiar with the language of architecture, an essential tool for discerning and discussing issues of style, meaning and functionality as they relate to the built environment. Emphasis will be placed on the role of classicism and the classical tradition as the predominant ‘style’ in architecture, past and present. Periodically reacted to, yet continually re-interpreted over the course of history, the study of classicism in architecture provides a look into the ways in which style and form convey meaning and the way architecture can determine or influence patterns of use by the individual or collective. This seminar seeks to provide a framework for effectively questioning how and why we often underestimate the manner and degree to which our surroundings, or the built environment, control and/or affect us.
Costs
The Spring Break in London component of the course will cost approximately $1,500. This includes housing, all breakfasts and some additional group meals, entrance fees, local transportation and cultural guides. Students will be responsible for international airfare, most lunches and dinners, and any personal expenses.
Accommodations in London
Students will be housed in a double- or multiple-occupancy hotel room in the Bloomsbury district of London, with breakfast included each morning.
Enrollment
NO PREREQUISITES! This course is open to 10 students. Registration begins October 29 through e-Campus.
Tentative Itinerary
Spring Break (March 1-9, 2008) in London itinerary includes:
- In London
- City tour
- Robert Smirke’s British Museum
- Enlightenment Exhibition
- John Soane’s Museum
- St. Paul’s Cathedral with tour of gallery, Great Model, Grinling Gibbons’ library
- Great Houses
- The London Eye
- Trip to Bath
- Roman Baths
- No. 1 Royal Crescent
- Elder/Younger John Wood’s Crescent and Circus
- Boat trip to Greenwich
- Nicholas Hawksmoor’s St. Alfege’s Church
- Inigo Jones’ Queen’s House
- Christopher Wren’s Old Royal Naval Hospital Observatory
- AND MUCH MORE!
Faculty
Lee G. Sternberger
Office: JMAC 6, Suite 22
Office Hours: TBD
Phone: 540-568-7002
Email: sternblg@jmu.edu
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