Major area: Modernities and Modernisms 
Bridging art history, futures studies, and philosophy, this graduate seminar examines the proliferation of new theories and forms of futurisms in recent decades alongside their modernist precedents, with a focus on chronopolitics, post- and decolonial theory, and radical traditions of thought and practice with which they intersect. Topics include, among others: philosophical theories of the future (from Marxism, phenomenology, and post-structuralist theory, among other discourses); historical Futurism (Italian, Russian); neo- and retro-futurisms; utopianism; futurability; queer futurity; “radical futurisms”; Afrofuturism; Indigenous Futurism; and apocalypticism and the “closing” of the future, among others. The seminar concentrates on modern and contemporary art and theory but welcomes student research topics on other sub-areas of art history. Students will identify areas of study that merit new research that they will then pursue over the term, culminating in a final seminar paper. 

Major area: Modernities and Modernisms

Major areas: Modernities and Modernisms, Visual Cultures of the Americas (VCA)

This seminar examines the interrelationships between art and religion in the African Diaspora through the lens of emerging methodologies in the Black Atlantic. In addition to considering innovations in historical approaches with archives, we will explore how contemporary ritual practices—the scent of sacred herbs, the weight of iron tools, and the rhythm of beaded color—may serve as a “living archive” to decode the spiritual worlds of the Early Modern period.

Focusing on the emergence of Santería, Vodou, and Candomblé, we analyze how African-descendant communities in the Circum-Caribbean and Brazil forged sacred aesthetic realms out of the raw materials of the colonial world. Through this kind of scholarly upstreaming, we consider if the tangible logic of a modern altar can illuminate the “hidden” numinous within a colonial oil painting, a plantation landscape in ruin, or the architectural arrangement of historic houses. We will critically evaluate the potential of this approach along with its pitfalls, confronting the risks of anachronism as well as the challenges and methodological accountability of documenting practices that were etched, assembled, and hidden specifically to remain unseen.

This course offers an introduction to the primary methodological and theoretical foundations for the study of World Arts. Students question how World Arts are defined, study relevant methodologies (e.g., anthropology, post-colonial studies, and cultural studies), consider traditional-art historical methodologies from a World-Arts perspective, and examine critical issues pertaining to the study of art and architecture of particular world areas, including a discussion of historical and current methods and theories for approaching visual art beyond museums.

Required for ALL first-year graduate students if not previously taken at FSU. 
This seminar introduces incoming graduate students to the analysis of art, architecture, and material culture as a historical and critical discipline. Weekly readings showcase theories and methods in action, as well as some of the developments and ongoing debates in the history of art. Students consider their place within (or in opposition to) existing traditions while developing their skills in careful looking, critical reading, and persuasive writing.

Required for all first-year MCHS students.  The Museum Basics Seminar examines traditions, transformations, and the current state of museums, concerns and theories of museum studies, practical matters in the professional museum field, and prognoses for the future of museums. Students will learn through scholarly and professional literature, interaction with museum theorists and practitioners, on-site observation, and analysis in museums or on museum websites, discussion, and research.