The art and architecture of the seventeenth century have been featured in several films. Perhaps you saw Angels and Demons recently? Think about all of the churches Tom Hanks ran through. They were ALL constructed in the seventeenth century.

Why is seventeenth-century art so popular in film? It was a period of high drama--both in life and in art. The Catholic Counter Reformation, the expansion of European power into the Americas and Asia (and the exotic specimens explorers brought back to Europe), new scientific discoveries, inventions, wars, and a host of other factors made this an exciting time. The art and architecture was characterized by dramatic chiaroscuro, dynamic shapes, gruesome martyrs' images, bombastic architecture, and over-the-top ornamentation. In short, the seventeenth century makes a great backdrop for a film!

In this class wiki, we will examine the representation of art, artists, architecture, and other forms of visual culture in four recent films: Artemisia, Nightwatching, Girl with a Pearl Earring, and Vatel. We will explore the objects and monuments pictured in the films and study the ideas and philosophies of art articulated by the artists and patrons. Our goal is principally to use the films as points of entry into the works, but also to consider how the films took their own artistic license in representing this era and its works.

We will watch the films together, then, working in groups, we will research the questions posed about each film. Each of the four week units--one dedicated to each film--ends with group presentations of the information uncovered.

Oh, no! I hate group work!
Almost everyone hates group work. However, with very few exceptions, you will spend the rest of your life working in one kind of a group or another. Furthermore, teachers and professors agree that the work produced by groups is almost always better-researched, better-written, less prone to include plagiarized information, more closely aligned to the assignment instructions, and generally just stronger all around.

Your grade in this class will come from group work and individual work. If you feel uncomfortable about this, drop the class now while you can still get a refund!

There are many resources for working in groups. Here are a few links:
http://www.auburn.edu/~burnsma/tips.html
http://www.iamnext.com/academics/grouproject.html
http://www.utoledo.edu/centers/ctl/teaching_resources/tips/Tips_for_Successful_Group_Work.html

What questions will we answer for each film?
The questions will vary by film and will be determined by the issues each addresses. For the first two films, Dr. Donahue-Wallace will provide most of the questions. For the last two films, the class will provide most of the questions.

How will we answer the questions?
For the first two films, we will have the questions in hand while we watch the films. We will periodically stop the film to discuss major issues. Groups will also take notes on how the film presents the information. This information will be compared to and augmented by the research the groups will complete.

The assigned readings will also help to answer the questions. These readings, selected by Dr. Donahue-Wallace, will give you a foundation to be able to appreciate and understand the film. We will also have several lectures for each unit that help to contextualize the film, the era, and the art. Your notes from the lectures and in-class discussions will be important resources for answering the questions.

The groups will also develop additional readings to answer the questions. To make this easier, Dr. Donahue-Wallace has put many, many books on reserve at the library. You will also find relevant articles (available in paper or through academic online databases). DO NOT USE WEBSITES. PERIOD. Content suspected of being taken from websites will be run through Turnitin.com and the entire group will fail the unit regardless of who used the website information.

What will we do with the answers?
The answers will be formulated as essays and placed on a page here in the wiki. This means that each film will have up to 10 or more wiki pages linked to it. The groups will also present the answers in a presentation before the entire class during the last week of each film's unit.

The essay and the presentation will be graded using a rubric distributed in class. A portion of the grade will come from Dr. Donahue-Wallace, a portion from the other groups, and a portion from your own group. This is called 360-degree evaluation and it assesses how well you work with all constituencies, not just your "supervisor" (the professor).

Finally, the answers to the questions, the lecture notes, and information from the assigned readings will form the content of the final examination. It is therefore important that you pay attention not only to what your group does, but what everyone in the class produces.