ARH 1010

This is an extremely tedious introduction class that is really only meant for A school students. Professor Reilly is quite boring and loves to make you discuss in lecture even though we have a discussion section for this class. The readings are important and the discussion section readings are critical to do. Tests are very hard and it is impossible to write enough about the subject in the 10 minutes you are given for each short essay, unless you have spent hours with architectural history before this class. Getting a good grade is manageable though a lot of studying is required, so manage your expectations. Group quizlets really help you study without spending your entire week rereading and rewriting your notes to memorize each sites' information and its location/architect/date.

Professor Reilly's class can be rather intense but you can tell she knows how to teach this course effectively. She takes a liking to students who regularly answer or ask questions in class and while she can sometimes come off as blunt, she really does seem to appreciate student engagement. Outside of lectures, she's a very interesting person to talk to and I highly recommend you attend her office hours every once in a while; don't be afraid to ask her for help or just stop by to talk to her! Homework typically consists of reading a textbook chapter and completing a short quiz about what you read which is usually pretty easy, but you also do not have any reminders to complete it. There are also required readings for the discussion sections led by the TAs so make sure you are prepared to talk about them. You are also given the opportunity to attend a review session where Professor Reilly will take the time to answer literally any question you may have about the course content in the lead-up to the mid-term and final; make sure you attend it and study the monument lists in depth. Professor Reilly also directs the Architectural History Program at UVA and her course serves as a great introduction into what you could be doing as an architectural history major. Overall, knowledgeable professor, interesting content, great course!

This course really deepened my appreciation for ancient architecture by seeing the care and detail put in each of these structures. Professor Reilly covers several of these monuments, and we went into detail about each of their cultural and architectural contexts. Because there is so much to cover, however, it can sometimes feel like you’ve only grazed the surface for each piece of architecture. The online textbook at the start of the year (which you need to take online quizzes) goes into more detail about each period, but I found it wasn’t necessary to understand the material. Just attending lectures and studying lecture material will prepare you for the exams. On another note, while I sometimes enjoyed the activities in discussion sections, you really need to do the readings to get the most of your section class (and sometimes it can be pretty dense). Overall, though, the course was really informative, and if architecture is more interesting to you than general art history I think it’s a great choice.

In order to do well in this course, you need to attend every lecture and take as detailed notes as possible. The textbook readings are only necessary to help review what you've covered in class, and all of the second half of the semester discussion section readings are very important. Study well in advance for the final and try to memorize every possible detail about every possible monument she puts on the midterm and final monument lists. You can not bs your way through this class, but you will find it teaches you a lot once you have gotten through it.

Generally, people do not like this class compared to ARH 1020, which is the "second part" of this class which examines buildings from the 1400s onwards. Both ARH 1010 and 1020 are intro survey classes and do not get into much detail on any buildings really, but they do provide you with an overview of some honestly pretty famous buildings that you may not have heard of as it is not too Western-centric (while ARH 1010 is definitely still very Western-centric, ARH 1020 we definitely go all over the place).

ARH 1010 with Lisa Reilly is ok. The tests are pretty hard, but you do get a good chunk of points if you memorize the dates, architects, site, and period of the monuments (term in the class referring to the architectures studied). In the end, I feel like my skill in analyzing building improved for sure, but when it comes to finer analyses of each buildings' details, I would not be able to do so. Weekly, there are textbook readings and quizzes via a digital textbook that you have to purchase. I do not suggest reading the textbook readings as most of them are not related to the monuments discussed in-class and was not tested at all for us. The quizzes can be completed most of the time from intuition and little hints when you hover over the "X" when you click on a wrong answer on your first guess for a quiz question (helpful hint ;)).

There were four readings throughout the semester for us, and each one of them were dry and dense, except the one on Mayan ball games (because who knew the Mayans played ball games to the death?). Readings are tested on the final for us, and discussion classes discuss the reading if there is one that week. A five-page essay with all documents provided is assigned mid-semester on the Hagia Sophia's reconversion back into a mosque was assigned for us. No outside research is needed for the student. Prof. Reilly definitely is passive aggressive at times, but she is nice and patient most of the time especially if you show curiosity in the subject.

You probably would be happier taking ARH 1020 if you are not required to take this as an A-School student.

I wouldn’t recommend taking this class unless you have to or are extremely interested in pre-modern architectural history. The weekly readings are lengthy and often not connected to the tested information. You have to memorize a lot of information for the midterm and the final. Prof. Reilly seems very knowledgeable but is not very organized, talks way too quickly in lecture, and is not very approachable. It’s not impossible to do well in this class, but it just takes a lot of work and time. #tCFF23

If you are in the A-School, this is likely going to be one of the first classes you take at UVA. Lisa Reilly teaches ARH 1010 every year with essentially the same structure: 1 midterm, 1 final, 1 paper, and weekly homework assignments. It is a drag and nearly everyone dislikes it. Get ready for memorizing about 45 different sites along with their architects, dates of creation/revision, and structural details. However, if you manage to find the willpower to get a good grade in this class, you'll know all the components of buildings and how architecture is used in policy and religion. Will you be constructing a temple or a gothic church? Nope, but maybe knowing all that will help you with a model or will help you sound smart later down the line.

My advice: do not buy the "art of writing about art." it is $45 and I didn't even bother purchasing it because it's a supplementary material with no assignments attached to it. Take it out at the library if you feel like you really need to flip through it. In addition, don't get dissuaded by harsh answers to your questions from Ms. Reilly. If she doesn't answer your question, tell her that her answer wasn't satisfactory either during or after class. Sometimes, the info that's hard to get out of her is vital to the class. You CANNOT miss a lecture. If you do, get the notes from someone who is there and that you trust to write down as much as they possibly can. Happy trails - it's a rite of passage to slog through ARH.