Course Description: HAVPA will cover the development of visual art, music, dance, theatre, architecture and some literature from the earliest civilizations to the present. Students will learn the basic elements of each of the arts, as well as the historical and cultural context in which the art was created. They will explore the interrelationships between the arts and try to determine how the arts reflect the culture of the time and place. Students will explore universal themes of art, and will make comparisons between the arts of different cultures. By the end of the course, students should be able to analyze, interpret, and evaluate the creation and performance of works in various arts disciplines, and to explain how ideas, thoughts, and traditions of humankind are reflected in arts through historical and cultural contexts. They should be able to compare and contrast different styles within the arts, and to make a reasonable, educated guess as to where a piece of art lies, either stylistically or on a timeline, by considering what they know about the development of the arts over time.

This course is required for graduation for the class of 2002 and later, in the entire state of Kentucky. The state-required core content for the class may be found at: http://www.kde.state.ky.us/oapd/curric/corecontent/arts_humanities_cc_30.asp