Art History Courses

A study of the indigenous arts of Mexico, Andean South America, and Central America, from civilizations including the Olmec, Maya, Aztec, Inca, Moche, Chavin de Huantar, and Nazca. Art of representative native tribes of the territory now encompassed by the United States and Canada will be comparatively examined.

This course presents a broad overview of Prehistoric, Mesopotamian, Egyptian, Greek, Etruscan, Roman, Early Christian, Islamic, and Medieval art and architecture.

This course provides an overview of the history of Western art from the 14th century through the Modern Era, including Renaissance, Baroque, Rococo, Neoclassicism, Romanticism, Realism, Early Photography, Impressionism, Post Impressionism, and early Modern art movements of the 20th century.

This course examines the artistic traditions of Prehistoric to Modern Asia in relation to their cultural, philosophical, and religious influences. The art and architecture of Central Asia (India, China, Korea, and Japan) will be emphasized. Examples from Southeast Asia, Pakistan, Tibet, and Nepal will also be discussed.

This course is a survey of the art and architecture of Mexico including PreColumbian, Viceregal (Colonial) and Modern 19th and 20th centuries. Chicano/a art will also be examined in relation to its Mexican antecedents.

This course includes a study of the art and architecture of North, Central, and South America from the colonial period to the early 20th Century.

A lecture course that provides the student with an introduction to the study of visual art: its vocabulary, its forms, the many roles it plays in society, and the variety of processes artists master in its making. Students gain insight into current approaches used in interpreting meaning from art and explore questions about the ways in which value is assigned to the art object.

A survey of developments in art and architecture from the early 19th century through the 20th century and into the 21st. From Realism and Early Photograph through Postmodern and Contemporary art, visual art movements will be discussed in relation to stylistic trends, philosophical influences, innovations in technology, and other historical and social contexts.

This lecture course examines the history of photography from its invention in the 1830s to the present. The technological development, social role, and aesthetic possibilities of photography will be discussed in relation to major historical, art historical, cultural, and political influences.

This introductory course explores film as an art form, its basic components, and its relation to the styles and movements of other visual arts forms. An understanding of cinematic language is emphasized by focusing upon film’s manipulation of time and space, its use of visual metaphors, montages, and explicit/implicit messages.