Italian Renaissance Art c1400-1600

Level and demands

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

This course is offered at FHEQ level 4 (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 we 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 see here.

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 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 500 words are 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.

Mrs 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.

Certification

Credit Application Transfer Scheme (CATS) points 

Coursework is an integral part of all online courses and everyone enrolled will be expected to do coursework. All those enrolled on an online courses are registered for credit and will be awarded CATS points for completing work at the required standard.

See more information on CATS points

Digital credentials

All students who pass their final assignment will be eligible for a digital Certificate of Completion. Upon successful completion, you will receive a link to download a University of Oxford digital certificate. Information on how to access this digital certificate will be emailed to you after the end of the course. The certificate will show your name, the course title and the dates of the course you attended. You will be able to download your certificate or share it on social media if you choose to do so.

Fees

Funding

If you are in receipt of a UK state benefit, or are a care-leaver in the UK, you may be eligible for a reduction of 50% of tuition fees. Please see the below link for full details:
Concessionary fees for short courses

Textbooks

To participate in this course, you will need to have regular access to the Internet and you will need access to the following textbook –

• Campbell, Stephen J., and Cole, Michael, W., A New History of Italian Renaissance Art, London, Thames & Hudson, 2017

(The first edition of this textbook was published as Campbell, Stephen J., and Cole, Michael W., Italian Renaissance Art, London, Thames & Hudson, 2012)

Please ensure that you can access copies of any required textbooks before enrolling on a course. While cancellations are uncommon, courses may not run if enrolment is too low. The Department accepts no responsibility for books purchased in anticipation of a course running.

Module code: O26P486ARV

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