Undergrad Courses Sandbox

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PLEASE NOTE: Regarding Prerequisites, ARH 3056/3057 are equivalent to the current survey courses ARH 2050/2051.  3056 and 3057 no longer exist. If you see these numbers as prerequisites, 2050 and 2051 are the actual prerequisites.

ARH 4933 is a Special Topics in Art History course with changing topics each term. This course may be repeated to a maximum of twelve (12) semester hours. If you take this course for more than twelve hours (more than four times, in the same semester or in different semesters), any hours over twelve will not count toward earned credit for your degree, though your grade will still count toward your GPA.

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	ARH 3930–01  History of Illustration Dr. Erika Loic , G40 WJB Illustration is a transhistorical and global practice of communicating messages or ideas by visual means. This course introduces students to multiple histories of illustration in different parts of the world, from prehistory to the present, with a focus on creators, audiences, techniques, technologies, and forms of expression.
	ARH 4353–01 Northern Baroque Art Dr. Robert Neuman T/R 1:20–2:35pm This course examines the Golden Age of painting, sculpture, and architecture in France, England, and the Netherlands, showing how such figures as Rembrandt and Vermeer encoded meaning in works of detailed realism and contributed to the rise of new subjects in art, including still life, landscape, and portraiture.
	ARH 4933–01  Cold War Art and Film Dr. Karen Bearor MW 10:40–11:55 am, G40 WJB World Arts. This course covers aspects of U.S. visual culture from the mid-1940s through the1960s. The focus will be on those aspects of the Cold War—such as the arms race, the space race, and the Red Scare–that had an impact on the style, subject matter, reception, and criticism of art and film during this period. We will cover a wide range of visual media and genres, including paintings, sculpture, graphics, photography, and film as manifested in vanguard art, animated cartoons, documentary shorts, television programs, sci-fi, and drama. No textbooks are required, but selected readings will amplify our understanding of the period and its visual culture.
	ARH 4933–02   Contemporary Arts of Africa and Its Diasporas Dr. Tenley Bick TR 11:35 am–12:50 pm, G40 WJB World Arts. This course is a survey of contemporary African art, conceived as the work of African artists on the continent and within its diasporas from the early years of Independence in the 1950s to the present. In addition to providing an overview of the varied practices, key themes, and central discussions within contemporary African art, this course also addresses the terms of the field through critical study of its historiography.
	ARH 4933–03  Gothic Architecture Dr. Kyle Killian MWF  1:20–2:10 pm, G40 WJB This course surveys artistic exchange in painting, sculpture and printmaking in continental Europe during the Renaissance, with emphasis on cosmopolitan centers Bruges, Florence, Augsburg, Venice, Prague and Cracow.

Undergraduate Seminars for Spring 2023

Seminars are the capstone courses for the art history undergraduate curriculum. They are research- and writing-intensive courses that give students opportunities to pursue original scholarship. Two seminars are required for the major.

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	ARH 4800-01  Dürer’s Rhinoceros: Constructing Truths in the Northern Renaissance Print Dr. Stephanie Leitch Wednesday 9:20–11:50 am, G41 WJB Meets Liberal Studies Scholarship-in-Practice and Upper-Division Writing requirements This course examines the pictorial construction of vision in the early modern print; it inspects how first-hand observations were visualized in images, helped cue observation, calibrate sightings, and thus, shaped and sharpened visual acuity.
	ARH 4800-02   Mannerism Dr. Lorenzo Pericolo Thursday 4:50–7:20 pm, G41 WJB Meets Liberal Studies Scholarship-in-Practice and Upper-Division Writing requirements The broad aim of this course is to bring to the fore a number of critical issues raised by the manifold notion of Mannerism while providing an in-depth examination of a large body of artists and artworks (drawings, paintings, sculptures, prints, and architecture) associated with it. The course focuses on how artists and art theorists developed new ways of conceiving of artistic practice by placing unprecedented emphasis on unconventional inventiveness and manual dexterity in working across different media, and by taking the ideal of beauty well beyond the conventions of the High Renaissance. (more…)

Recurring Courses​​

	ARH 2050/2051  Art History Surveys Required for Art History majors Sections and times vary; see Student Central Course Search. Making and viewing art are practices fundamental to human experience, and the historical study of art works offers a unique perspective on our social and cultural development. These introductory survey courses provide an overview of Western art history from prehistory to the late Medieval period (2050) and from the early Renaissance to the end of the 20th century (2051). We will explore major themes such as the changing status of the artist and the impact of religion, politics, and technology on the production of art.
	ARH 3794–01  Museum Basics Dr. Carey Fee Friday 9:20–11:50, 2041 WJB Reserved for students in the Museum Studies Minor. From cabinets of curiosities to virtual museums, this course addresses museum history, philosophy, practice and careers. Through readings, discussions, guest lectures, field trips to local museums and a number of short topical projects, students will develop a framework for understanding the role of today’s museums. They will also be prepared to evaluate the major issues facing museum professionals today.
	ARH 3854-01  Museum Object Dr. Carey Fee Wednesday 9:20–11:50 am, 2041 WJB Reserved for students in the Museum Studies Minor. An examination of the history, philosophy, practice, and implications of acquiring, researching, and displaying objects in art museums and galleries. Each semester a different collection is selected for the exhibition, allowing the students to research and reflect on lessons intrinsic to the particular objects to be displayed, gain a working knowledge of literature on museum theory, and have the invaluable experience of designing, installing, and hosting an exhibition in a gallery setting.
	IDS 3678-01 Apocalypse: The End of the World in Art Dr. Richard Emmerson Online / Asynchronous This course studies beliefs about how the world will end and how the end is represented in the arts from the Bible to the present. We will analyze how such beliefs influenced history, continue to inform contemporary politics, and are being transformed by fears of nuclear war and environmental disaster.
	ARH 2000  Art, Architecture, and Artistic Vision – Online Dr. Sarah Buck Online / Asynchronous Liberal Studies Designation: State-Wide; Humanities & Cultural Practice Core. NOTE: counts for Art History minor requirements, but not for the major. ARH 2000 is a fully-online art-appreciation course that introduces students to diverse forms of art and architecture created throughout history. Designed for remote learning since 2014, ARH 2000 is organized into weekly thematic modules that conclude with interactive assignments and discussions designed to encourage learning through role-playing, reflecting, and creating (no artistic skill necessary!). By completing this course’s interactive assignments and participating in this class, students actively practice thinking about art and its relevance to the world in which we live.