Art History Course Listings

Courses offered Fall 2009

AH202D African Art (counts as a diversity course)
AH314 Art of Baroque Europe
AH400 Methodology and Historiography

Courses offered Spring 2010

AH100 Intro. to Art History (restricted to Elementary Education Majors)
AH111 Survey of Art: Renaissance to Modern
AH204D Islamic Art (counts as a diversity course)
AH309 Art of Ancient Rome (crosslisted as CL309)
AH320 Contemporary Art, 1945 to the present
AH322 Michelangelo

Course Descriptions

AH100 Introduction to Art History: An introduction to the technical and formal properties of materials employed in painting, graphics, sculpture, and architecture, and a broad survey of recurring styles in the history of art. Restricted to elementary education majors. Fulfills fine arts core requirement for elementary education majors only.

AH110 Survey of Art: Paleolithic to Gothic: A broad overview of art from the Paleolithic age to the Gothic era, focusing on Egyptian, Greek and Roman, early Christian, and medieval art and architecture. Same course as CL241. Generally offered each fall.

AH111 Survey of Art: Renaissance to Modern: A survey of major artistic styles from the beginning of the Renaissance to the modern era. Fulfills fine arts core requirement. Offered every semester.

AH200 Women in Art: Since antiquity, women have been among the most popular subjects for painters and sculptors, most of whom have been male. Examines the multiple roles that have been assigned by male artists to women in art, both positive and negative--as objects of beauty (and sometimes passivity), and as images of power (and sometimes powerlessness). In the final course segment, students explore the self-consciously feminist response of modern artists to the representation of women in art. Counts toward Gender Studies minor.

AH202 African Art: An introduction to the great variety of both the ancient and living arts of Africa focusing primarily on those traditions in sub-Saharan Africa. An overview of African art exploring its distinctive genesis, history, and evolution by emphasizing such traditional media as sculpture, architecture and fiber, and body arts. Looking at African art in its cultural context reveals its importance as an integral part of African society, as well as awakening an awareness of the great beauty, refinement, and aesthetic appeal of the arts of Africa. Counts toward Gender Studies minor.

AH204 Islamic Art: A survey of the rich and diverse artistic heritage of Islamic civilization from the 7th century to the present. Covers a wide range of media including: architecture, calligraphy, ceramics, textiles and manuscript illumination. Examines religious and secular art within its historical context in Spain, North Africa, the Middle East, and central and south Asia. Counts towards Asian Studies Minor.

AH207 African-American Art: This survey of African-American art begins in the slave communities of eighteenth century colonial America, continues with African-American artists’ adaptations of Western art in the nineteenth century, and ends with the political and aesthetic concerns of black artists in the twentieth century. Examples of architecture, decorative arts, folk art, painting, sculpture, graphic arts, and photography demonstrate how African-American artists have enriched the art and culture of America. The social and political place of African-Americans throughout America’s history is also explored to provide a context for the struggle these artists experienced in pursuing their careers. Counts towards American Studies minor.

AH210 Survey of Architectural History: An examination of major architectural monuments from ancient Egypt to the present. Explores the relation between the appearance and function of buildings, the use of ornament in relation to materials, and the social and symbolic importance of architecture.

AH308 Art of Ancient Greece: A survey of Greek art and architecture from the Bronze Age to the Hellenistic Era. Among the topics considered are Mycenaean tombs and palaces, the development of temple architecture, and the ways in which polytheistic religion shaped life in ancient Greece. Same course as CL308.

AH309 Art of Ancient Rome: A survey of Roman art and architecture from the emergence of the Etruscan Civilization to the fall of the empire. Topics include the forging of a new Roman culture from Italic and Greek origins, the invention of new construction techniques, and the appropriation of art for propagandistic purposes. A section of this course is offered in Rome. Same course as CL309.

AH311 Medieval Art: Early Christian through Gothic: Focuses on the emergence of early Christian art from its classical origins, and the development of a wholly integrated spiritual expression in the art of Byzantium, Romanesque, and Gothic Europe. Counts toward Catholic Studies and Medieval Studies minors.

AH312 Renaissance Art in Italy: Investigates art's reflection of the rise of humanism, the rebirth of interest in antiquity, and a new concentration on the earthly world in thirteenth to sixteenth century Italy. Studies art and patronage in Republican Florence, Papal Rome, and the Ducal courts of Northern Italy, from the time of Giotto to the High Renaissance of Leonardo and Michelangelo, and on to Mannerism and the Counter-Reformation. Counts toward Catholic Studies, Italian Studies and Medieval Studies minors.

AH313 Renaissance Art in Northern Europe: A study of the developing humanism of the fifteenth century in Flanders where the manuscript tradition of painting developed into the naturalistic and symbolic painting of the "late Gothic," as well as the increasing influence of Italian art on Northern Europe in the sixteenth century. Counts toward Catholic Studies and Medieval Studies minors.

AH314 Art of Baroque Europe: Studies painting, sculpture, and architecture in the seventeenth and early eighteenth centuries, the age of Absolute Monarchy in France and Spain, a Triumphant Papacy in Italy, and the Protestant Dutch Republic. Key artists include Caravaggio, Bernini, Velazquez, Rembrandt, and Vermeer. Counts toward Catholic Studies and Italian Studies minors.

AH315 Art of the Revolutionary Era: Neoclassicism and Romanticism: Bracketed by two revolutions, this course explores the radical politics of art in France from 1780 to 1848 and the concurrent emergence of landscape painting and portraiture as art forms that reflected the values of the growing middle class in England, Germany, France, and Spain.

AH316 Realism and Impressionism: Throughout the second half of the nineteenth century, artists such as Courbet, Manet, and Monet struggled to free themselves from older art forms in an effort to become "modern," to capture the life and spirit of their own times. Investigates the artistic transformation that occurred in an era of rapid social change as artists struggled with new avenues for marketing their works (through dealers and galleries), mined new urban spaces and newly created suburbs, and combed the diminishing countryside for their images. Counts toward Gender Studies minor.

AH317 Modern Art in Europe 1880-1945: At the end of the nineteenth-century, artists prized self-expression over centuries-old conventions for art. Examines the dreamy world-weariness of Symbolist artists at the end of the nineteenth century; the assault on conventional art forms by artists such as Picasso, Matisse, and Duchamp in the early twentieth century; and the Surrealist effort to capture and objectify the subjective in art.

AH318 American Art: Art for Democracy: Although American artists looked to European models for their inspiration, their art consistently reflected the complexities of American culture. In America, English aristocratic portraits were transformed into Puritan celebrations of hard-earned and therefore, well-deserved wealth; American architects responded to the practical demands of climate and materials at hand; painters of American life glorified the wilderness even as it was disappearing; the democratic process was both glorified and satirized. Examines the American response to European art as it was assimilated and transformed by American artists from the seventeenth century to the Great Depression. Same course as HS356. Counts towards American Studies Minor.

AH319 History of Photography: An examination of the major technical and aesthetic movements in the history of photography since its invention. Covers the works of major artists working in this medium as well as the major styles. Students in this class will not be expected to produce photographs. Same course as PT319.

AH320 Contemporary Art, 1945 to the Present: In the aftermath of World War II and with the advent of the Abstract Expressionists, American artists seemingly pioneered the successive waves of post-painterly and hard-edged abstraction, Pop and performance art, conceptual art, and earthworks. Explores the diversity of European and American art from 1945 to the present.

AH322 Michelangelo: Michelangelo Buonarroti (1475-1564) was arguably the most important artistic figure of the sixteenth century. Active as a painter, sculptor, architect, draftsman, and poet, Michelangelo greatly influenced the development art in Italy (and Europe) both during and after his life. Works such as David and the Sistine Chapel ceiling are examined in the context of the political, religious, artistic, and philosophical concerns of the time. Michelangelo's art also is examined in relation to that of his predecessors, contemporaries, and followers, so that students may come to understand not only his art but his impact on the art of the Renaissance and, more broadly, on Western European art. Counts towards Italian Studies minor.

AH 391 The American West in Art and Literature: This team-taught course explores visual and verbal images of the West in the unfolding history of American culture. Counts towards American Studies Minor. Same course as EN391.

AH400 Methodology and Historiography: Prerequisite: Written permission of the instructor. Through readings, discussions, museum and gallery visits, students examine the diverse methodologies of art history and the history of the discipline from its emergence in America in the 1930s to the present. Strongly recommended for fine arts majors and minors with a concentration in art history. Generally offered in alternating spring.

AH402 Special Topics: Prerequisite: Written permission of the instructor. An intensive investigation of a special topic, artist, limited span of time, or a particular artistic "problem" in the history of art. Combines a lecture and seminar format. May be repeated for credit with different topics.

AH403 Internship: Art History: Prerequisite: Written permission of the instructor. Students interested in an internship in the history of art or museum studies should contact the instructor.

AH412 Senior Project in Art History: Students develop an advanced research project under the direction of a faculty member. Work on the project continues throughout both semesters of the student's senior year. Proposals for senior projects must be approved by the fine arts faculty during the student's junior year.

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