Department: Art History

Code Name Description
ARTH 121 Survey I: Prehistory through the Middle Ages Survey of Western art, with some attention given to non-Western art, from prehistoric times through the Middle Ages. Intended as introductory course for general student as well as art majors and minors. 121 and 122 may be taken independently and in a...
ARTH 122 Survey II: Renaissance to the Present Survey of Western art from the Renaissance in the 15th century to the late 20th century. Introduces basic historical and formal methodologies for general student and art major.
ARTH 209 Medieval African Art Examines the art, architecture, and archaeological remains of medieval Africa (ca. 300-1700 CE). Uses writings of medieval adventurers (e.g., Ibn Battuta), recent scholarly publications, and film excerpts to study of Africas medieval history, social...
ARTH 210 Late Antique and Byzantine Art This course examines the art of late antique and Byzantine periods (ca. 300-1500 CE), with an emphasis on the geographical area of the eastern Mediterranean.
ARTH 211 Islamic Art Examines Islamic art from approximately 700 to 1700 CE. Includes the Mediterranean region, Western Africa, and the Indian subcontinent. Discussion of what makes Islamic art, both religious and secular, Islamic.
ARTH 212 Medieval Art in Western Europe, 8th-15th Centuries Surveys the rich and varied production of visual culture in Western Europe from early Middle Ages to beginning of the Renaissance. Considers the changing visual experiences associated with the Early Medieval, Carolingian, Ottonian, Romanesque, and Go...
ARTH 213 American Art, 1700-1900 Examines the production of art and architecture from the eighteenth through the nineteenth centuries. Considers city plans, buildings, paintings, sculpture and other objects as works created under specific historical, social and cultural conditions.
ARTH 215 Art of the Italian Renaissance A survey of Italian painting, sculpture, and architecture between 1250 and 1500, with emphasis on the historical context of particular objects or monuments. Students will examine primary sources whenever possible and consider issues related to the sy...
ARTH 216 Art in the Age of Reform Beginning with the Italian High Renaissance and ending with baroque art in 17th-century Europe, this course considers artistic production during a period of religious, political, and cultural crisis. Lectures, readings, and discussions evaluate the a...
ARTH 217 Nineteenth-Century Art in Europe Overview of the major artistic developments of the period, yet allows for closer study of particular issues. For example, how does a work of art become politically charged? How does a landscape painting become a religious painting? Why are the most f...
ARTH 218 Modern Art, 1900-1960 Major movements and developments of modern art in Europe and America. Examination of theoretical bases of modern art, concepts of avant-garde, and consideration of public's relationship to modern art.
ARTH 219 Contemporary Art, 1945-Present Surveys major questions that have engaged art and its historians since World War II, exploring how ideas rooted in the postwar period shaped artistic practice through the turn of the twenty-first century. Focuses primarily on European and American ar...
ARTH 220 Public Art: From Monuments to the Internet Focuses primarily on the United States. Explores the many forms public art has taken since the turn of the twentieth century, tracing its development from monumental statuary to the internet. Study of how art addresses questions of publicness in rela...
ARTH 223 Studies in the History of Photography Combines a chronological survey of the developments in photography since its invention in 1839 with an examination of issues dealing with how photography has informed modern attitudes and perspectives. It carefully considers certain claims made on be...
ARTH 225 Art and Asia Art, architecture, and material cultures of South, Southeast, and East Asiapremodern and modern. Provides an overview of the vast artifactual record of this segment of the world, aims to engender a series of fundamental art-historical skills such as...
ARTH 226 Art and Culture of Japan A chronological introduction to the art and culture of Japan beginning with the prehistoric period, moving through the introduction to Buddhism and varieties of Buddhist art, the influence of China and Korea, the art of the court, the art of samurai,...
ARTH 227 Gender and the Arts of Japan Representation, construction, and politics of gender in the visual and performing arts of Japan. Topics include medieval stories of gender transformation, genders relationship to Buddhist salvation, the patronage and artistic practice of women, the g...
ARTH 228 Graphic Arts of Japan Addresses the long history of image-making in two dimensions in Japan--a field of inquiry that includes calligraphy, painting, rubbing, print-making, book-making, manga, photography, film, and new media. Intersections of words and images (i.e., depic...
ARTH 229 Women Artists, Agents, and Influencers in Early Modern Europe Examines the ways in which gender affected and informed theories of creativity, artistic style, critical reception, patronage, collecting and training in early modern Europe and its colonies. Focuses on specific women, whose work or influence substan...
ARTH 230 Power and Desire: A History of Collecting and Museums Examines the history and theory of collecting, from Renaissance studios and curiosity cabinets in Europe to international contemporary museums, focusing on the collection of art and other forms of cultural and scientific interest and marvel. Why work...
ARTH 279 Selected Topics Examples include African art, history of architecture, and other specialized topics. May be repeated for credit if topics differ.
ARTH 309 Image and Icon in Medieval Art Focuses on role of the panel painted image in Medieval world. Explores the conventions, aesthetics, and ideology of Medieval images, as well as their production, use and restoration. Provides introduction to techniques of medieval panel painting, and...
ARTH 319 Advanced Seminar Highly focused in-depth studies on topics of art history related to departmental course offerings. Topics to be chosen by instructor. Representative topics: Zen art, Surrealism, Artists Biographies and Art Criticism in early modern Europe. May be rep...
ARTH 322 Museum Studies History, philosophy, functions, and future of museums; collection research, evaluation, publications, and museum procedures and education.
ARTH 324 Art Histories Courses in areas of art history at a 300-level not covered in regular departmental offerings. May be repeated for credit if topic differs.
ARTH 345 Philanthropy in the Arts (See Music 345; same as Theatre 345.)
ARTH 365 Art Theories and Methodologies Study of theoretical approaches and methods used in discipline of art history. Required for art history majors, recommended before the senior year.
ARTH 378 Topics in Asian Art In depth examination of a single topic in the arts of Asia. Possible themes include Japanese prints, ceramics and the tea ceremony, Chinese literati art, the relationship of calligraphy to painting, narrative art, Buddhist art, etc. May be repeated f...
ARTH 383 East Asian Painting, Poetry and Calligraphy In East Asian painting, poetry and calligraphy are often referred to as the `three jewels` for the high respect that they are given, and the way that they interact. A poet, using brush and ink on paper, may add a design to his words, and in that mome...
ARTH 388 Individual Internship Supervised work experience at approved museum, gallery or other art institutions. May be repeated for credit at a different institution. No more than 1.5 units of internship in any one department and 3.5 units of internship overall may be counted tow...
ARTH 395 Independent Study Individually designed program under faculty supervision. Independent studies cannot be substituted for required courses in the art history major.
ARTH 406 Summer Undergraduate Research Documentation of the work of students who receive summer fellowships to conduct research [or produce a creative arts project] in the summer. The work must take place over a minimum of 6 weeks, the student must engage in the project full-time (at leas...
ARTH 465 Thesis Research Seminar The first half of a one-year capstone experience for the senior major in art history. Serves to strengthen those research and critical thinking skills introduced in First Year Seminars and further developed upper-level seminars in art history. Assign...
ARTH 466 Thesis Research Project Required for art history majors in their senior year.
VMAP 287 Print in Public Space Examine the role of print in the public space, civic discussion and social protest and challenges students to create public works of their own, individually or collaboratively. The class will study historical examples of prints in the public space, s...