This class was pretty easy but Professor Cohen can be pretty boring at times. Her lectures she just goes off the PowerPoint but also her PowerPoints do not give a lot of information, it is only the (picture, time period, and location) for the meaning you really have to pay attention to what she is saying.

Class break down
Assessment 1 20% (in person)
Assessment 2 20% (in person)
Précis worksheets 25%
ArtTok project 25%
Section participation 10%

During discussion you have to complete a total of 5 precis worksheet which is basically a 1-2 page paper discussing the thesis and meaning of the art pieces. A textbook is required but if you do the section reading and go to lecture you really do not need the book.

For the midterm it is taken in the class during class time. It is multiple parts of (identifying images, vocabulary words, maps, and comparing & contrast of two images) it is pretty easy if you study and really know (the name, era, location, and meaning of the art). Professor Cohen provides a study guide of just images and you have to search for the meaning and names. After the in class test you have to do a take home test that is a "short essay" due by the next lecture.

For the final it is very similar the only difference is that on top of (identifying images, vocabulary words, maps, and comparing & contrast of two images) there is a short essay portion because the take home is the Arttok.

The arttok is a 5 min video you have to create based of a medieval item from the book for section readings that was not mentioned in lecture. It is pretty easy takes about 1 day to complete but do not wait till last minute.

The professor was a very good and engaging lecturer. However, I do have problems with the overall layout of this course.
The course itself is ostensibly focused on finding trends and patterns throughout medieval art history over time. However, due to the content of the midterm and final exam, there is a LOT of pressure put on pure memorization. By that I mean that if one had the names, dates, appearances, places, and terms memorized, that person would only have to study for 15 additional minutes total in order to ace the exams. There is barely any insight required in this class. Because of this, studying for the class is very frustrating. When the professor brings up an example of an artifact it just feels like "great, more stuff to memorize."
(By the way, this means you don't need the textbook. At all.)
Speaking of the exams, despite the professor promising that they were just like quizzes and that we shouldn't stress out about them, they are extremely unforgiving and brutally written. For example, for the technical terms, rather than being given terms to define, we have to provide the specific terms provided their definition, of which there are a lot, most of which are not even in English.
The assignments also don't give an opportunity to show off one's knowledge and insight, except for I guess the ArtTok project. There's also literally no reason whatsoever to do any of the readings that you aren't doing a precis worksheet on, because they don't help you at all in the class.
It's a shame because the professor really is good at making clear and interesting lectures, but I feel stopped from enjoying and learning from them due to the overall content of the course.
TLDR: I would recommend taking this class, if you're good at and want to memorize tons of names and dates, as well as technical terms. Otherwise, give it a pass.

Don't enroll in this class unless you are willing to spend most of your time memorizing dates and names. The midterm and finals were hard with both consisting of having to memorize more than 30 art pieces but only being quizzed on 2, vocab words, a map, and essay portions. Her slides are not very helpful, so I highly recommend attending/watching the lectures. She goes over a lot so it can be quite a drag but she uploads her lectures on bruin cast. Also, the book isn't necessary. Overall, this is not an easy GE, so I only recommend taking it if you are highly interested in art.

The professor was a very good and engaging lecturer. However, I do have problems with the overall layout of this course.
The course itself is ostensibly focused on finding trends and patterns throughout medieval art history over time. However, due to the content of the midterm and final exam, there is a LOT of pressure put on pure memorization. By that I mean that if one had the names, dates, appearances, places, and terms memorized, that person would only have to study for 15 additional minutes total in order to ace the exams. There is barely any insight required in this class. Because of this, studying for the class is very frustrating. When the professor brings up an example of an artifact it just feels like "great, more stuff to memorize."
(By the way, this means you don't need the textbook. At all.)
Speaking of the exams, despite the professor promising that they were just like quizzes and that we shouldn't stress out about them, they are extremely unforgiving and brutally written. For example, for the technical terms, rather than being given terms to define, we have to provide the specific terms provided their definition, of which there are a lot, most of which are not even in English.
The assignments also don't give an opportunity to show off one's knowledge and insight, except for I guess the ArtTok project. There's also literally no reason whatsoever to do any of the readings that you aren't doing a precis worksheet on, because they don't help you at all in the class.
It's a shame because the professor really is good at making clear and interesting lectures, but I feel stopped from enjoying and learning from them due to the overall content of the course.
TLDR: I would recommend taking this class, if you're good at and want to memorize tons of names and dates, as well as technical terms. Otherwise, give it a pass.

Dr. Cohen is not often the best lecturer and her voice is often quiet, but she is extremely knowledgeable and passionate about her subject (Paris and her beloved Sainte-Chapelle).

The readings for the class were extensive and difficult to grasp. Initially I read them all, but it became burdensome, plus we never discussed them in class, so I gave up reading them altogether after the mid-term.

The exams were relatively easy, slides, short answer questions, etc. There was a lot to memorize, but that's an art history course so I cannot complain too much about that.

I'm taking her again this quarter and am enjoying the class. After two classes with her, it seems like she teaches at a graduate level, perhaps that's just me, but that's what it seems like based off of lecture and reading materials.

I had never taken art history or knew much history that was discussed in this class, but Professor Cohen managed to fill in all the gaps and made me highly interested in the subject as well. She is very passionate about art history and was clear when lecturing. She understands many students take this as a GE and provided midterm study guides AND a final study guide. I would definitely take this class again, I took it as a freshman and it is my favorite class to date. If you are good at memorizing things, definitely take this class.

The lectures were so long….BUT The TAs and professors really love art so discussions were fun and interesting. I got new perspective about old buildings and objects that I’m so excited to apply when I travel!

honestly very shocked this class has a 3.4, the lectures were very interesting and you can tell she is very knowledgeable and passionate about what she teaches. the class was incredible and solidified my decision to study art history!

This topic is so interesting and I took the course because of how much I love medieval art, but the professor just talks the whole class and reads off the slides. It was the most boring class I have ever taken. Do not worry, you will not be bored after lecture with all of the assignments she has for you to do on Canvas. The exam was moderately difficult, but you would not be able to get an A if you don’t go to lecture and take notes on what she says in class. The essays were so incredibly long and tedious, not to mention we had to go to the Getty and look at the exhibition, take notes, and write a 12 page paper on it. There are a ton of vocabulary words you must memorize for the exams and just so much work for a GE. If you are looking for an easy GE, this is not it.