Italian Renaissance Art c1400-1600

Programme details

The course is broken down into 10 units over 10 weeks, each requiring approximately 10 hours of study time. The following topics are covered:

Unit 1: The Renaissance in Italy

Unit 2: The Production of Art

Unit 3: Materials and Processes

Unit 4: Patronage

Unit 5: Civic Power: Art on the streets

Unit 6: Institutional Devotion

Unit 7: Religious material culture

Unit 8: Art and the Home

Unit 9: Art and the Expression of Self

Unit 10: Contrasts and Comparisons

We strongly recommend that you try to find a little time each week to engage in the online conversations (at times that are convenient to you) as the forums are an integral, and very rewarding, part of the course and the online learning experience.

Level and demands

This course is open to all and no prior knowledge is required.

This course is offered at FHEQ level 4 (i.e. first year undergraduate level) and you will be expected to engage in independent study in preparation for your assignments. Our 10-week Short Online Courses come with an expected total commitment of 100 study hours.

English Language Requirements

We do not insist that applicants hold an English language certification, but warn that they may be at a disadvantage if their language skills are not of a comparable level to those qualifications listed on our website. If you are confident in your proficiency, please feel free to enrol. For more information regarding English language requirements please follow this link: https://www.conted.ox.ac.uk/about/english-language-requirements

Course aims

This course will enable you to:

• Increase your understanding of Italian art and culture, as well as the social, economic and geographic factors that made this period so unique.
• Improve your ability to express reasoned and critical analyses of works of art using a variety of methods and sources.
• Communicate your own ideas about the art of the period and widen your viewpoint through discussions with other students.

IT requirements

This course is delivered online; to participate you must to be familiar with using a computer for purposes such as sending email and searching the Internet. You will also need regular access to the Internet and a computer meeting our recommended minimum computer specification.

Programme details

The course is broken down into 10 units over 10 weeks, each requiring approximately 10 hours of study time. The following topics are covered:

Unit 1: The Renaissance in Italy

Unit 2: The Production of Art

Unit 3: Materials and Processes

Unit 4: Patronage

Unit 5: Civic Power: Art on the streets

Unit 6: Institutional Devotion

Unit 7: Religious material culture

Unit 8: Art and the Home

Unit 9: Art and the Expression of Self

Unit 10: Contrasts and Comparisons

We strongly recommend that you try to find a little time each week to engage in the online conversations (at times that are convenient to you) as the forums are an integral, and very rewarding, part of the course and the online learning experience.

Learning outcomes

By the end of this course students will be able to understand:

• The social, political and historical factors that gave rise to the flourishing of art in this period.
• The variety of different artistic styles current during the fifteenth and sixteenth centuries in Italy.
• The significance of so-called decorative art forms.

By the end of this course students will have gained the ability to:

• Evaluate a variety of sources.
• Communicate ideas and join in group discussions.
• Think critically about established historical traditions.

Assessment methods

You will be set two pieces of work for the course. The first of 500 words is due halfway through your course. This does not count towards your final outcome but preparing for it, and the feedback you are given, will help you prepare for your assessed piece of work of 1,500 words due at the end of the course. The assessed work is marked pass or fail.

Emma Rose Barber

Emma Rose Barber is an art historian who has been teaching and lecturing for over twenty years. She specialises in the art of the Renaissance: the Italian Renaissance and the northern Renaissance. Latterly, she has become a specialist in medieval art and culture, in particular illuminated manuscripts, as part of her PhD studies. She was the head of the art history department at the British Institute in Florence between 2002-2006. Currently she teaches at the Open University and SOAS as well as the University of Oxford’s Department for Continuing Education. She has also recently started a blog called The Shy Churchgoer, dedicated to celebrating the art and history of churches.

Assessment methods

You will be set two pieces of work for the course. The first of 500 words is due halfway through your course. This does not count towards your final outcome but preparing for it, and the feedback you are given, will help you prepare for your assessed piece of work of 1,500 words due at the end of the course. The assessed work is marked pass or fail.

Level and demands

This course is open to all and no prior knowledge is required.

This course is offered at FHEQ level 4 (i.e. first year undergraduate level) and you will be expected to engage in independent study in preparation for your assignments. Our 10-week Short Online Courses come with an expected total commitment of 100 study hours.

English Language Requirements

We do not insist that applicants hold an English language certification, but warn that they may be at a disadvantage if their language skills are not of a comparable level to those qualifications listed on our website. If you are confident in your proficiency, please feel free to enrol. For more information regarding English language requirements please follow this link: https://www.conted.ox.ac.uk/about/english-language-requirements

Fees

Please use the ‘Book now’ button on this page. Alternatively, please complete an enrolment form