Spring 2013

ARTH 4631: Art and Crime (CRN: 17426)

Professor Julia C. Fischer

Betty Foy Sanders Department of Art, College of Liberal Arts and Social Sciences, Georgia Southern University Classroom: Arts 2071 Class Time: Monday/Wednesday 4:00-5:15 Ofce: Arts 2001 Ofce Hours: Monday 10:30-1:30, Thursday 8-9 Virtual Ofce Hours via Google Chat: During my regular ofce hours and by appointment Email: juliascher@georgiasouthern.edu Voicemail: 912-478-7355 (the best way to contact me is via email) Twitter Page: https://twitter.com/FischerArtHist Facebook Page: https://www.facebook.com/FischerArtHistory Course Description and Objectives 3 credit hours; prerequisites: Art History I and Art History II, or permission of the instructor ARTH 4631 investigates the evolution of art crime from the modern period to the present day, during which time it developed from a relatively innocuous crime of passion, perpetrated by individuals, often for ideological as much as nancial reasons, into the third highest-grossing criminal industry worldwide, the realm of organized crime, funding the drug and trade arms, as well as terrorism. This course will examine art crime in all of its forms including iconoclasm, vandalism, forgeries and fraud, peace-time theft, war looting, archaeological looting, smuggling, and ransoms. In doing so, we will uncover the many different motives for art crime. Furthermore, we will examine what is being done to protect works of art, from the FBI Art Crime Team and Scotland Yard to security measures that museums can adopt to protect their art objects. Class periods will primarily consist of lectures and discussions. By the end of the course you will be able to: Identify the different forms of art crime throughout history and give examples of each. Describe the evolution of art crime from the modern period to the present day. Compare and contrast art crime in popular culture versus the reality of art crime. Distinguish the various methods that serve to protect art from crime. Assess an unsolved art theft and hypothesize a solution to its recovery. Build critical thinking, reading, and writing skills. Required Textbooks Noah Charney, Art and Crime, 2009 Sharon Waxman, Loot:The Battle over the Stolen Treasures of the Ancient World, 2008 Lynn H. Nicholas, The Rape of Europa: The Fate of Europes Treasures in the Third Reich and the Second World War, 1994 Useful Websites Association for Research into Crimes Against Art (ARCA): http://www.artcrimeresearch.org/ ARCAs Blog: http://art-crime.blogspot.com/ Looting Matters Blog: http://lootingmatters.blogspot.com/ Chasing Aphrodite: http://chasingaphrodite.com/
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Cultural Property and Archaeology Law blog: http://culturalpropertylaw.wordpress.com/ Zahi Hawass website: http://www.drhawass.com/ Cultural Property and Repatriation News Issues blog: http://culturalpropertyrepat.blogspot.com/ Folio This course has a Folio component which can be accessed through your https://my.georgiasouthern.edu/ account. Links to essential materials such as the syllabus, assignments, readings, study guides, powerpoints, and announcements can be found on Folio. Any changes to the schedule will be announced in class and/or via email: you are responsible for checking your GSU email account and Folio on a regular basis. Twitter and Facebook This course also has Twitter and Facebook pages. Both are public and therefore you do not need to have a Twitter or Facebook account in order to view the content of this page though you can like the pages so they show up in your updates and feeds. Twitter and Facebook will be used for updates on whats going on in the art world today, especially the most recent instances of art crime. Course Requirements The nal grade for this course will be based on six weighted evaluations: 1.)
Midterm Exam: 25% 2.)
Final Exam: 30% 3.)
Group Project: 10% 4.)
Group Presentation: 10% 5.)
Book Review: 20% 6.)
Attendance and Participation: 5% The grading scale I employ is a traditional 100% system: A = 90-100%, B = 80-89%, C = 70-79%, D = 60-69%, F = 59% and below. No public posting of grades will ever be made so please keep a written tally of your exams and papers. I will not respond to emails asking me what your current grade is. Two exams will be given in this course, a midterm and nal (see Class Schedule for the dates). Study guides will be posted on Folio. The exams are not cumulative. That is, each exam only covers the information from that particular section of the course. However, be aware that in this eld the student is building up a comprehensive set of ideas that must be brought to bear on any given exam. Thus concepts and vocabulary will be in use and tested throughout the semester. Exams will consist of essays. There will be no make-up exams unless an extremely unusual circumstance prevents you from taking the testand even then only if you have contacted me before the test and can provide appropriate documentation. If you are granted and excused an absence for the exam (due to serious illness, for example), the make-up exam will be a different format than the regular exams. It is your responsibility to request and make an appointment for a make-up exam if you are granted an excused absence. Students who miss an exam without being excused will receive a zero.

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10% of your nal grade will be based on your contribution to a group project. Students will be assigned to groups of 4-5. Each group will analyze and suggest solutions to an unsolved art theft from history, based on theory from readings and class discussions. Each group will turn in a written paper, with each student responsible for two pages of that paper. Detailed instructions for this assignment will be discussed later in class and posted on Folio. The second part of your group project is a group presentation, which is worth an additional 10% of your grade (please note: the presentation and paper for your group project are two separate grades). At the end of the semester, each group will present their ndings of their project to the class. The group presentation must be 15-20 minutes in length and each student must contribute to the presentation. During the course of the semester, you will write a three-page book review (20%). A list of possible books and instructions will be discussed in class and posted on Folio. Finally, 5% of your grade is devoted to your attendance and participation in the course. Please refer to the Betty Foy Sanders Department of Art Attendance, Participation, and Preparedness Policy posted on Folio. To summarize this policy, throughout the duration of the semester, you are allowed a total of three absences. Missing more classesfor whatever reasonwill be reected in a students nal grade as such:4 absences = nal course grade is dropped one full letter grade; 5 absences = nal course grade is dropped two full letter grades; 6 absences = nal course grade is dropped three full letter grades. Students who miss 7 or more classes will earn a failing grade of F for the course, as this represents failure to attend 25% of a courses instructional class-time. Please do not email me your excuse for missing class - you have three free absences throughout the semester. You should use them only when absolutely necessary. Please do not email me asking me how many classes you have missed - I will not tally this until the end of the semester so keep track of it yourself. IMPORTANT: An impending graduation date, a Hope or other scholarship which requires the maintenance of a particular GPA, or the GPA requirement for admission to an academic program of study will not earn you a passing grade in this course. While it does seem to be the trend nowadays, there will be no negotiation of changing a nal grade you will meet with no success. I do not give grades your grade will be evaluated solely on the scores you earn on your exams and assignments. While I am happy to meet with you to help you nd ways to improve your scores, do not wait until the end of term to contact me as this will almost certainly be too late. If you believe I have made a mistake in my calculations, please contact me, and I will be happy to review your grade. Class Etiquette and Decorum You are expected to arrive on time and not disturb those around you with private chatter, doing work for other classes, answering cell phone calls, texting, or playing games. Please turn off your phones. Students who participate in disruptive and inappropriate behaviors will be asked to leave the class. If you intend to take notes on your laptop, please respect the decorum of the classroom by not working on other assignments or playing games, updating your facebook status, etc. This is disrespectful not only to the professor but especially to those around you who are engaged in the class. Academic Dishonesty Policy The Georgia Southern University Honor Code states: I will be academically honest in all of my course work and will not tolerate the academic dishonesty of others." No cheating; no plagiarism. If you are uncertain what constitutes cheating and plagiarism, these topics are covered in your student handbook, and you

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are expected to be familiar with them. As members of the campus community, students are encouraged to actively support academic honesty and integrity in the classroom. Any occurrences of cheating and/or plagiarism will be prosecuted to the fullest extent possible. Accommodations for Disability: Georgia Southern University is an Equal Opportunity and Afrmative Action institution committed to providing reasonable accommodations for any person with a disability who meets the denition of disabled as described in the Americans with Disabilities Act. Students requiring academic accommodation should contact the Director of the Student Disability Resource Center for assistance at (912) 478-1566. If you have a disability that requires academic accommodations, you must register with and provide documentation to the Student Disability Resource Center and provide a letter to me during the rst week of classes from the SDRC indicating what form of accommodation you require. Do not wait until the day of the exam to notify me and expect me to make these accommodations it is logistically impossible. The schedule and procedures listed in this syllabus are subject to change as I deem necessary. This syllabus is an agreement between the professor and student to respectively provide and complete a worthy learning experience. By remaining a registered student in this course, the student has identied their understanding of the obligations set forth in this syllabus for satisfactory completion of the course. Class Schedule Date 1/14 Topic Introduction to the Course; Fact vs. Fiction in Art Crime: The Thomas Crown Effect A Criminals Ideal Victim: An Introduction to Art Crime and its Categories NO CLASS Destroying History:Vandalism and Iconoclasm Vandalism and Iconoclasm continued Gentleman Thieves in the Night: Art Theft Gentleman Thieves in the Night: Art Theft Gentleman Thieves in the Night: Art Theft Art and Organized Crime Charney, Ch. 6 Matthew Bogdanos, The Terrorist in the Art Gallery (In Folio) Nicholas, I-III (pg. 3-80) Readings on Folio Readings on Folio Charney Ch. 4 and 5 Charney Ch. 18 Reading Charney, Ch. 4 and 5

1/16 1/21 1/23 1/28 1/30 2/4 2/6 2/11

Charney, Introduction; Art Crime in Context; and Afterword

2/13

The Fate of Art in World War II

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Date 2/18 2/20 2/25 2/27 3/4 3/6 3/11 3/13 3/183/22 3/25 3/27 4/1 Topic The Fate of Art in World War II continued The Fate of Art in World War II continued Screening: The Rape of Europa Screening: The Rape of Europa MIDTERM EXAM Plundering through the Ages: A History of Looting Plundering through the Ages: A History of Looting Plundering through the Ages: A History of Looting SPRING BREAK: NO CLASSES Trade in Illicit Antiquities BOOK REVIEW DUE Trade in Illicit Antiquities Fakes and Forgeries Charney, Ch. 2-3 Waxman, Ch. 6-8 Waxman, Ch. 12-15 and Conclusion Smithsonian Article on Folio Charney Ch. 7 Eric Hebborn, Introduction of The Forgers Handbook (on Folio) Charney Ch. 7 Eric Hebborn, Introduction of The Forgers Handbook (on Folio) Paul Baker, Policing Fakes Charney, To Trick the Art World Charney, Ch. 8-10 Charney Ch. 12-14 Charney Ch. 18 and 20 Charney, Afterword Charney, Ch. 1 Waxman, Introduction, Ch. 1-5 Waxman, Ch. 9-11 Reading Nicholas, IV-VI (pg. 81-184) Nicholas,VII-IX (pg. 185-272) Nicholas, X-XI (pg. 273-368) Nicholas, XIII (pg. 369-444)

4/3

Fakes and Forgeries

4/8

Fakes and Forgeries

4/10 4/15 4/17 4/22 4/24

Crime and the Art Trade Museums and Security Curbing Art Crime Curbing Art Crime GROUP PROJECTS DUE Screening: The Art of the Steal

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Date 4/29 5/1 5/8 Topic GROUP PRESENTATIONS GROUP PRESENTATIONS FINAL EXAM: Wednesday 5:30-7:30 Reading

Art and Crime - Spring 2013