Art History Courses

Art History Courses

100-Level

ArtHist 101 SURVEY OF WESTERN ART I (3-0-3) (F) (Area I). An historical survey of painting, sculpture, and architecture from prehistoric art through the Middle Ages.
ArtHist 102 SURVEY OF WESTERN ART II (3-0-3) (S) (Area I). An historical survey of painting, sculpture, and architecture from the Renaissance to the present.
ArtHist 103 SURVEY OF FAR EASTERN ART (3-0-3) (F/S). A survey of the arts of India, China, Korea, Japan, Tibet, and Southeast Asia, as they developed from the earliest times until the first influences of Western culture.

200-Level

ART 252 HISTORY OF PHOTOGRAPHY (3-0-3) (F) (Even years). This course is designed to provide a basic understanding of both the technical and visual history of photography. Through slide presentations, important photographers of the 19th and 20th centuries will be discussed in terms of their role in the development of photography as an art form.
ART 270 HISTORY OF AMERICAN ARCHITECTURE I (3-0-3) (F). History of early American architecture from developments after the Plymouth Rock landing in the early seventeenth century through the mid nineteenth century.
ART 271 HISTORY OF MODERN AMERICAN ARCHITECTURE II (3-0-3) (S). History of modern American architecture from the late 19th century through the mid-20th century. Includes introductory review of American architecture from early 17th century through late 19th century.

300-Level

ArtHist 301 NINETEENTH CENTURY ART HISTORY (3-0-3) (F/S) (Alternate years). A Study of important artists and movements from Neoclassicism through Post-Impressionism. PREREQ: ArtHist 102 or PERM/INST
ArtHist 302 HISTORY OF TWENTIETH CENTURY EUROPEAN ART (3-0-3) (F/S) (Alternate years). An analysis of important European artistic movements up to World War II, including Fauvism, German Expressionism, Cubism, Futurism, Constructivism, Dada, and Surrealism. PREREQ: ArtHist 102 or PERM/INST
ArtHist 335 ART OF THE BRONZE AGE (3-0-3) (F/S) (Alternate years). A survey of the art and architecture of the Bronze Age (3000-1100 BC) Mediterranean civilizations including Egypt, Mesopotamia, Minoan Crete, and Mycenaean Greece. PREREQ: ArtHist 101 or PERM/INST.
ArtHist 336 GREEK ART (3-0-3) (F/S) (Alternate years). A survey of the art and architecture of ancient Greece, from the Iron Age through the Hellenistic Period (1100-33 BC), with emphasis on the artistic achievements of Classical Athens. PREREQ: ArtHist 101 or PERM/INST.
ArtHist 337 ART OF ANCIENT ITALY (3-0-3) (F/S) (Alternate years). A survey of the art and architecture of ancient Italy from the time of the Etruscans through the Roman Republic and Imperial Periods (700 BC-330 AD), with emphasis on the artistic achievements of the Roman Empire. PREREQ: ArtHist 101 or PERM/INST.
ArtHist 338 MEDIEVAL ART (3-0-3) (F/S) (Alternate years). A survey of the art and architecture of the Medieval world (5th-15th centuries AD) including Byzantine Greece and Turkey, the Islamic Near East and Spain, and Europe from the time of the migrations through the Carolingian, Ottonian, Romanesque, and Gothic periods. PREREQ: ArtHist 101 or PERM/INST.
ArtHist 352 ART OF CHINA (3-0-3) (F/S) (Alternate years). A survey of the art and architecture of China from the earliest times to the end of the Ch'ing Dynasty. Emphasis will be placed on the relationship of Chinese art to native and foreign philosophies and religions.
ArtHist 354 NORTHERN RENAISSANCE ART (3-0-3) (F/S) (Alternate years). An examination of the painting, sculpture, architecture, and decorative arts of the Netherlands, France, England, and Germany from 1400-1550 and the role these arts played in the culture that produced them. PREREQ: ArtHist 102 or PERM/INST.
ArtHist 355 ITALIAN RENAISSANCE ART (3-0-3) (F/S) (Alternate years). A survey of the key artistic monuments in Renaissance Italy (1200-1600 AD) from the work of Cimabue to that of Caravaggio. PREREQ: ArtHist 102 or PERM/INST.
ArtHist 356 ART OF INDIA (3-0-3) (F/S) (Alternate years). A survey of the art and architecture of India from the earliest times until the end of the Mughal period, emphasizing artistic expression as a reflection of the general culture and religion.
ArtHist 357 ART OF JAPAN (3-0-3) (F/S) (Alternate years). A survey of the traditional arts of Japan from the earliest times until the first influences of Western culture, including painting, sculpture, architecture, calligraphy, prints, and ceramics.
ArtHist 359 PRE-COLUMBIAN ART (3-0-3) (F/S) (Alternate years). A survey of the Middle American art of the Olmecs, Nayarit, Colima, Maya, Teotihuacan, Zapotecs, Toltecs, and Aztecs from ancient times until the arrival of the Spanish in the sixteenth century.
ArtHist 365 BAROQUE ART (3-0-3) (F/S) (Alternate years). A survey of European visual culture during the late sixteenth and seventeenth centuries. Emphasis will be placed on the relationship of the arts to such concurrent events as the exploration and expansion into the New World, urban growth, the development of nation-states, and religious controversy. PREREQ: ArtHist 102 or PERM/INST.
ArtHist 366 EIGHTEENTH CENTURY ART (3-0-3) (F/S) (Alternate years). A survey of the art of the Enlightenment from the time of Louis XIV through the Napoleonic Wars. Emphasis will be placed on the relationship between eighteenth century visual culture and developments in science, philosophy, and the changing political and social ideologies of the newly industrial nations of Europe and North America. PREREQ: ArtHist 102 or PERM/INST.
ArtHist 371 HISTORY OF TWENTIETH CENTURY AMERICAN ART (3-0-3) (F). Beginning with a short survey of American art from the Ashcan School through the Thirties, with concentration on Abstract Expressionism, Pop, Op, and Minimalism. PREREQ: ArtHist 102 or PERM/INST.

400-Level

ArtHist 450 ART HISTORY PRACTICUM (3-0-3) (F/S). Directed practical experience in organizing and illustrating art history classes, leading exam review sessions, and evaluating student performance. Students will receive credit for working as an assistant in selected classes designated by art history faculty each semester. May be repeated for a maximum of 6 credit hours. PREREQ: 12 credits of art history and PERM/INST
ArtHist 451 CONTEMPORARY CONCEPTS IN ART (3-0-3) (F/S) (Alternate years). An exploration of contemporary art in the context of current theoretical concepts. The pluralistic nature of art during the postmodern era will be emphasized and recent developments in criticism will be introduced. Critical writings will be assigned. PREREQ: ArtHist 302, ArtHist 371, or PERM/INST.
ArtHist 452 METHODS AND THEORY IN ART HISTORY (3-0-3) (F/S) (Alternate years). A critical analysis of the historiographical, theoretical, and methodological approaches taken by art historians in their consideration and interpretation of visual culture, past and present. PREREQ: 9 credits of art history, graduate status, or PERM/INST.
ArtHist 499 SEMINAR (3-0-3) (F/S). Group discussion and individual research on selected topics in the various fields of art history. PREREQ: art history major and senior standing.

Occasional Special Topics Courses

ArtHist 397 AFRICAN ART (3-0-3). A survey of the art (masks, sculpture, textiles and body adornment) produced by Sub-Saharan African peoples from the earliest to recent times.
ArtHist 397 ART OF THE PACIFIC (3-0-3). A survey of the artistic traditions of three Pacific regions: Micronesia, Polynesia and Melanesia including the Aboriginal art of Australia.

Some Art History Seminar Topics

ArtHist 499 WOMEN AND THE VISUAL ARTS IN WESTERN CULTURE (3-0-3). This course will outline the history of women's artistic production from the late Middle Ages through the contemmporary periods, as well as address the role played by visual representation in the construction of gender identity in western culture.
ArtHist 499 CLASSICAL MYTHOLOGY IN THE ARTS (3-0-3). An examination of the mythological figures from classical Greece and Rome in Western art with emphasis on diachronic changes in the depiction and selection of certain figures, scenes and subject matter. Traditional visual arts will be the primary focus but musical, poetic, dramatic and cinematic depictions may also be included.

Some Other Related and Recommended Courses

ANTH 300 AFRICAN PREHISTORY (3-0-3) (F/S) (Odd Years).
ANTH 305 PEOPLES OF THE PACIFIC ISLANDS (3-0-3) (F/S) (Alternate years).
ANTH 310 JAPANESE CULTURE AND SOCIETY (3-0-3) (F/S) (Alternate Years).
ANTH 313 ARCHAEOLOGY OF SOUTH AMERICA (3-0-3) (F/S) (Even years).
ANTH 319 ARCHAEOLOGY OF MESOAMERICA (3-0-3) (F/S) (Even years).
COMM 364 VISUAL COMMUNICATION (3-0-3) (F/S).
ENGL 215 FAR EASTERN LITERATURE, IN TRANSLATION (3-0-3) (S) (Area I).
ENGL 217 MYTHOLOGY (3-0-3) (F).
ENGL 309 INTRODUCTION TO BOOK ARTS (3-0-3) (F/S).
ENGL 341 MEDIEVAL NARRATIVE (3-0-3) (F/S) (Alternate years).
MUS 143 SURVEY OF WESTERN ART MUSIC (3-0-3) (F) (Area I).
PHIL 201 ORIENTAL PHILOSOPHY (3-0-3) (S) (Alternate years).
PHIL 305 ANCIENT PHILOSOPHY (3-0-3) (F) (Alternate years).
PHIL 307 MEDIEVAL PHILOSOPHY (3-0-3) (S) (Alternate years).
PHIL 337 AESTHETICS (3-0-3) (F) (Alternate years).
THEA 220 CINEMA: HISTORY AND AESTHETICS (3-0-3).
THEA 341 WORLD DRAMA 500 BC-1642 (3-0-3) (F).

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