This course surveys art of America from the colonial era through the post-war 20th century. The student will consider broad stylistic tendencies in various regions and periods and examine specific artists and works of art in historical and social contexts, with emphasis on the congruent evolution of contemporary American multi-cultural identity. Overarching issues that have interested major scholars of American art and its purview include the landscape (wilderness, Manifest Destiny, rural settlement, and urban development); the family and gender roles; the founding rhetoric of freedom and antebellum slavery; and notions of artistic modernism through the 20th century. Upon successful completion of this course, the student will be able to: Understand the historical (geographic, political) formation of the present United States of America; Be familiar with renowned influential American artists from the 18th through the 20th century; Be conversant in common stylistic designations used in Western art of the 17th through 20th centuries; Recognize subjects and forms in American art through history that mark its distinction; Be able to engage specific images, objects, and structures from different critical perspectives to consider their functions and meanings. (Art History 210)

This subject focuses on the objects, history, context, and critical discussion surrounding art since World War II. Because of the burgeoning increase in art production, the course is necessarily selective. We will trace major developments and movements in art up to the present, primarily from the US; but we will also be looking at art from Europe, Asia, Africa, Latin America, and the Middle East, as well as art "on the margins" -- art that has been overlooked by the mainstream critical press, but may have a broad cultural base in its own community. We will ask what function art serves in its various cultures of origin, and why art has been such a lightning rod for political issues around the world.

In this course, the student will study the art of Classical Antiquity. The different units of the course reflect the main chronological stages in art development in Ancient Greece and Rome, from the coming together of the Greek city-state and the emergence of ĺÎĺĺĺŤgeometric art (around 900 B.C.) to the fourth century A.D. shift that took place within Roman culture and art due to the growing influence of Christianity. Upon successful completion of this course, the student will be able to: Explain why ancient Greek and Roman art can be studied together as ĺÎĺĺĺŤthe art of Classical Antiquity; Trace the timeline of major events in Ancient Greece and Rome; Link important developments in the history of Ancient Greece and Rome to specific geographical contexts; Explain how important historical developments and social-historical contexts had an impact on artĺÎĺĺÎĺs evolution in Ancient Greece and Rome; Identify the important stylistic and technical developments of Ancient Greek and Roman art; Discuss important artworks, presenting relevant information on each workĺÎĺĺÎĺs historical context and constitution; Discuss important artists in terms of the style of their work. (Art History 202)

This course serves as an introduction to the pre-modern Islamic artistic traditions of the Mediterranean, Near East, and Central and South Asia. It surveys core Islamic beliefs, the basic characteristics of Islamic art and architecture, and art and architecture created under each dynasty and ruling party. Upon successful completion of this course, the student will be able to: identify the core beliefs of Islam, the major characteristics of Islamic art, and the major forms of Islamic architecture; identify major pre-modern Islamic works of art and monuments from the Middle East, Northern Africa, Spain, and South Asia; explain how the core beliefs of Islam contributed to the basic characteristics of Islamic art and architecture and the secular art works and architecture of the Islamic world; identify the succeeding dynasties that ruled the Islamic world; explain the important role that the patronage of art and architecture had played in definitions of kingship. (Art History 303)

This course will examine the history of Western art from approximately 1600 to approximately 1800 period that bridges the gap from the Renaissance to the earliest days of the Modern era. Beginning with the Baroque in Counter-Reformation Italy and concluding with Neoclassicism in the late 18th century, the student will trace the stylistic developments in Europe and America through a variety of religious, political, and philosophical movements. Upon completion of this course, students will be able to: Identify works of art from the Baroque, Rococo, Enlightenment, and Neoclassical periods and be able to distinguish between these different periods; Discuss and identify the oeuvre of the major artists working in Western Europe from 1600-1800; Explain and identify the regional and cultural differences between works of art produced in the same period (i.e., Baroque, Rococo, Enlightenment, or Neoclassical); Recognize important works of art from the Baroque through Neoclassical periods, recalling such information as date of creation, artist, patron (if known), medium, and period; Recognize the features (stylistic and iconographic) typical of each period studied; Explain and discuss the general arc of Western history from approximately 1600-1800, as seen through the lens of the arts; Explain the forces influencing the change in style and subject matter in Western art from 1600-1800; Discuss the sources of influence (from previous historical periods as well as from neighboring geographical regions) that affected art produced from the Baroque to Neoclassical periods; Compare and contrast works of art from the Baroque through Neoclassical periods to those of other periods and cultures; Describe the methods and materials used to create works of art from the Baroque to Neoclassical periods; Explain the ways in which Baroque, Rococo, Enlightenment, and Neoclassical art reveal the social, religious, and political mores of their respective times and places. (Art History 207)

In this course, we will study important movements and some influential artists in Western art history. It begins with the Proto-Renaissance in Italy in the 13th century and continues through to the late 20th century, providing a framework for considering how and why certain artistic movements emerged in certain places at certain times. Upon successful completion of this course, student will be able to: identify the major styles of works of art in the West from the Italian proto-Renaissance through contemporary art; explain how political, social, and religious ideas inform art styles and images; explain prevalent artistic and architectural techniques developed through the period covered; eiscuss formal aspects of works of art in terminology basic to the field; recognize important artworks and describe them in terms of their form, content, and general history of their creation. (Art HIstory 111)

The student will focus on becoming literate in the art of the Italian Renaissance, on identifying the effects that the Renaissance had on the arts of Italy, and discovering the ways in which specific historical developments impacted those arts from the end of the thirteenth century to the end of the sixteenth century. The Renaissance, a European phenomenon that began to develop in the late thirteenth century, refers to a marked shift in the ways in which individuals perceived their world. A new outlook was emerging that was characterized by, among other things, increased humanism and a renewed interest in the cultures of Classical Antiquity (and all within a Christian framework). There is no specific date that marks the beginning of the Renaissance, but its burgeoning effects on art can be detected earlier in Italy than in other areas. Upon successful completion of this course, the student will be able to: Define the term Renaissance and identify its modes of expression in the art of Italy; Place the major artistic developments of Italian Renaissance art along a timeline and characterize the art of different periods within the Renaissance; Situate different artists, artworks, and artistic practices within their respective regions or cities; Explain how specific historical contexts, events, and figures affected Italian Renaissance art; Describe specificities in interests and style as they apply to the work of important artists of the Renaissance; Recognize important artworks and describe them in terms of their form, content, and general history of their creation; Explain the role of art and artists during the Renaissance in Italy; Discuss specific artistic techniques used during the Renaissance in Italy. (Art History 206)

This class provides an introduction to modern art and theories of modernism and postmodernism. It focuses on the way artists use the tension between fine art and mass culture to mobilize a critique of both. We will examine objects of visual art, including painting, sculpture, architecture, photography, prints, performance and video. These objects will be viewed in their interaction with advertising, caricature, comics, graffiti, television, fashion, folk art, and "primitive" art.