Our Cultural Art History Modules

Cultural art history modules - Stone age

Incorporating Cultural Art History modules, Fine Arts and Humanities modules.

Unless otherwise stated, ALL Modules worth 8 ECTS credits each.

[accordion id=”fine-art-history”]
[accordion_item parent_id=”fine-art-history” title=”CAH101 FOUNDATIONS OF CULTURAL ART HISTORY – Our Cultural Art History modules”]
This course introduces learners to the discipline of Cultural Art History.   It first focuses on how social, religious, political and economic forces help  shape what we define as culture, and  its art. This module is not required, but it is highly recommended for people with little or no background in cultural or traditional art history. Back to Top

[/accordion_item] [accordion_item parent_id=”fine-art-history” title=”CAH102 CULTURAL HISTORY OF ART I”]
This surveys the great monuments of art and architecture, from the beginnings of cave art.  It explores the artifacts of Egypt, Mesopotamia, Greece and Rome and also looks at Byzantium, the Islamic world, and medieval western Europe.

The aim of this module is to familiarize a person with no background in art to the subject.  It explains the ways in which painting, sculpture, and architecture are related to mythology, religion, politics, literature, and daily life. The module serves as a visual introduction to the history of the West and introduces students with the terminology used to discuss art. It also defines Cultural Art History  and identifes the distinction between this and traditional Art History. Required for all majors. Back to Top

[/accordion_item] [accordion_item parent_id=”fine-art-history” title=”CAH103 CULTURAL HISTORY OF ART II “]
A survey of the great monuments of art and architecture, from the Italian Renaissance to 1945. A recommended follow-up to Back to Top

[/accordion_item] [accordion_item parent_id=”fine-art-history” title=”CAH104 CULTURAL HISTORY OF ART III – THE ART OF CHINA AND JAPAN
“] This module focuses on the history and interpretation of the primary artistic traditions of China and Japan, from prehistoric times through the nineteenth century. We place special emphasis on how these cultures are articulated in significant works. You will examine painting, sculpture and architecture, along with fine arts unique to the cultures of China and Japan. Required for all majors who plan to focus on an area outside of the Western tradition. Back to Top

[/accordion_item] [accordion_item parent_id=”fine-art-history” title=”CAH105 THE HISTORY OF ARCHITECTURE-FOUNDATIONS – Our Cultural Art History modules”]
This module serves as an introduction to the history of architecture from pre-history to the present day.  It focuses on the Western tradition, but with a number of lectures devoted to the Americas, and the Middle and Far East.  It examines their influences on the west. The purpose of the module is to analyse architecture in its historical context, particularly focusing on the way architecture shapes social, religious, and political experiences. The buildings included here include both academic and vernacular architecture. An impotant component of architectural history is historical research.  Each student is guided through the process of writing her or his own original research paper. The module provides foundation for students intending to focus on architectural history. Back to Top

[/accordion_item] [accordion_item parent_id=”fine-art-history” title=”CAH106 HISTORY OF PHOTOGRAPHY – Our Cultural Art History modules”]
This module surveys the history of photography from its invention in 1839 to the present. We examaine the major practitioners and techniques.  We also disscuss  and investigate the different approaches to photography, and the impact of photography on culture and society. This includes the origins and popularization of the photographic image, as well as portraiture, photojournalism, and social documentary.  Students also examine photography’s interactions with art, as well as the illustrated press in the twentieth century.   The module reasessses the role of the technology and art of photography in the present.  We investigate a variety of  photographic trends from cultural perspectives, as well as examining and the power of the image to shape culture. Back to Top

[/accordion_item] [accordion_item parent_id=”fine-art-history” title=”CAH107 FOUNDATIONS OF ETRUSCAN AND ROMAN ART “]
This module is an introduction to the painting, sculpture and architecture in Italy and the Roman Empire, from the time of the Etruscans to Constantine the Great.  It puts emphasis on the political and cultural role of art in ancient Rome, the dissolution of classical the era, and the formation of medieval art. Back to Top

[/accordion_item] [accordion_item parent_id=”fine-art-history” title=”CAH108 FOUNDATIONS OF EARLY CHRISTIAN AND BYZANTINE ART”]
This module focuses on the art of the early Church in East and West, and its subsequent development in the East under the aegis of Byzantium. We place emphasis here on the influence of theological, liturgical and political factors on the artistic expression of Eastern Christian spirituality. Back to Top

[/accordion_item] [accordion_item parent_id=”fine-art-history” title=”CAH109 FOUNDATIONS OF ARTS OF THE ISLAMIC WORLD – Our Cultural Art History modules”]
This module surveys the art made in the service of Islam in the Central Islamic Lands, Egypt, North Africa, Spain, Turkey, Iran, Central Asia, and South and Southeast Asia.  The module pays special attention to the articulation of fundamental belief, and cultural influences. Back to Top

[/accordion_item] [accordion_item parent_id=”fine-art-history” title=”CAH110 FOUNDATIONS OF BUDDHIST ART FROM INDIA TO JAPAN”]
The focus of this module is the East:  Buddhist sculpture, architecture and painting of India, China and Japan. Emphasis is placed on the aspects of history and religious doctrine, as articulated in the art. Back to Top

[/accordion_item] [accordion_item parent_id=”fine-art-history” title=”CAH111 INTRODUCTION TO THE ART OF INDIA”]
Indian sculpture, architecture, and painting from the Third Millennium B.C.E. to the 18th century AD is the focus for this module. Students appraise works from Hindu, Buddhist, Jain and Islamic traditions. Back to Top

[/accordion_item] [accordion_item parent_id=”fine-art-history” title=”CAH112 THE ART OF THE ANCIENT NEAR EAST AND PREHISTORIC EUROPE”]
This module focuses on the art of Mesopotamia, Egypt, the Aegean, and prehistoric Europe, from the sixth to the second millennium B.C.E.  It looks at the emergence of the role of the arts in ancient religion, and in the broader cultural context. Back to Top

[/accordion_item] [accordion_item parent_id=”fine-art-history” title=”CAH113 CRITICAL TERMINOLOGY FOR ART HISTORY AND CULTURAL ART HISTORY – Our Cultural Art History modules”]
This module introduces students to the terminology used to discuss art (the language of art history) and the evolving terminology of cultural art history. In addition to learning the terminologies of historical and cultural art, this module will teach students how to properly apply them. In the fast-paced, global environment, it is important for professionals to be articulate about their knowledge. This module includes exercises in verbal and written communication on an array of topics of a cultural art historical nature. The module is a requirement for majors in Cultural Art History. Back to Top
[/accordion_item] [accordion_item parent_id=”fine-art-history” title=”CAH114 CULTURAL ART HISTORY: THEORY & PRACTICE”]
This module introduces undergraduate art history majors to the basic tools and methods of traditional art historical research.  It also looks at the theoretical and historical questions of art historical interpretation.  It is conducted in a seminar format and surveys a number of traditional, current and developing approaches to the explanation and interpretation of works of art.  It also briefly reviews historical perspectives on art history.  The module places particular emphasis on research methods which utilise information technology and the Internet. Back to Top
[/accordion_item] [accordion_item parent_id=”fine-art-history” title=”CAH115 THE ART OF MEXICO: A RICH AND TEXTURED TRADITION- Our Cultural Art History modules”]
Perhaps the most widely recognized Mexican art form is the mural. The Mexican Muralist school counted among its members the most powerful figures of the genre. Works created by Diego Rivera, Jose Clemente Orozco and David Alfaro Siqueiros, depicting aspects of the Mexican Revolution, the nation’s modernization and its class struggle, have become legendary.  Rufino Tamayo and Juan Soriano have also achieved great stature as muralists. Various other 20th-century art movements developed in Mexico are examined, featuring noteworthy talents such as Frida Kahlo.  This program will be a journey through the history of Mexican art, including its religious, secular and folk genres to the present. Special attention is paid to the cultural values deeply embedded in Mexican art, as well as the traditions in literature, music and art. Back to Top
[/accordion_item] [accordion_item parent_id=”fine-art-history” title=”CAH116 THE BIBLE AND THE SAINTS: VISUAL ARTICULATIONS AS THEOLOGY AND LITERATURE”]
This module is focused on the BIBLE and the CULT OF SAINTS, as the stories of each are manifested visually. The religious art of the medieval and Renaissance periods, in particular, was the liturgy for the masses. However, interpretations became more secularized as developments as political and social conditions changed over time. Nevertheless, religious art has remained immensely popular. This module examines the theology, the literary and iconography devoted to those stories told in the Bible.  It looks at how the interpretations have shifted over the module of time. We explore the visual evolution in treatments from the Middle Ages forward, and discuss the reasons for the ongoing popularity of religious art.  Undergraduate students are required to submit a paper on the tradition as a whole.   Special attention devoted to a particular topic, of their choice. Back to Top

[/accordion_item] [accordion_item parent_id=”fine-art-history” title=”CAH201 GREEK ART – Our Cultural Art History modules”]
This module provides students with a view of the sculpture, painting, architecture and the minor arts of the Greeks, from the Dark Ages through the Hellenistic period. The works of art examined are studied against the social and intellectual background of ancient Greece. Particular attention is paid to Greek humanism, rationalism and constitutionalism, as cornerstones of the Western tradition, as well as to the notion of progress first practiced by the ancient Greeks.  We make comparative analyses with earlier and later periods, in order to identify potential cultural links. We also look at Greek architecture, contextually and comparatively, to identify its significance in the history of art and architecture. The minor arts are also be studied in this module, for their artistic and historical values.  Students will begin to understand, for example, how much we can learn about a civilization, from the paintings found on vases. Back to Top
[/accordion_item] [accordion_item parent_id=”fine-art-history” title=”CAH202 ROMAN ART”]
This module provides students with a view of the sculpture, painting, architecture and the minor arts of the ancient Romans, from the beginnings of the republic to the fall of the empire.  Students study this while looking at the social, political, economic and intellectual background of ancient Rome. Particular attention is paid to Roman architecture, in terms of its relationship to Greek architecture. Students make comparative analyses with earlier and later periods, in order to identify potential cultural links. Attention is also given to Roman art and architecture in the context of the broader goals of the empire.  Students gain an understanding of how art has the potential to both reflect and help determine the goals of the broader environment.  Back to Top
[/accordion_item] [accordion_item parent_id=”fine-art-history” title=”CAH203 EARLY MEDIEVAL ART”]
This module investigates the painting and sculpture of the early Middle Ages, from the fall of Roman empire to the High Gothic period (c. 1000).The modules pays special attention to the development of forms, approaches and subject matter, in the context of feudalism and the series of crises characterizing the period.  Learners place their attention on seeing art in religious and broader cultural contexts. Back to Top
[/accordion_item] [accordion_item parent_id=”fine-art-history” title=”CAH204 HIGH GOTHIC ART  “]
This module will be an investigation into the painting, sculpture, and architecture of the High Middle Ages, from c. 1000 to the c.1250. The thousand-year-long medieval period saw enormous changes, many of which are revealed in its High Gothic art and architecture. Developments will be discussed, in their social, political, religious and cultural contexts. An evaluation of the historical structure of the broader medieval period is a consideration in this course.  The art and architecture is examined in traditional frameworks, as well as in the contexts of alternative parameters. The power of art to inspire, as well as to manipulate is discussed as the student considers potential relationships between medieval art and much later artistic traditions.  Emphasis is placed on the evolution of art and architecture as part of the individual and collective human experience, as it was first realized during the Middle Ages. Back to Top
[/accordion_item] [accordion_item parent_id=”fine-art-history” title=”CAH205 LATE GOTHIC ART”]
This module investigates the art of the late Gothic period (c.1250-c. 1300). It focuses on analyzing the impact of famine, disease, and economic decline on the art of the period as well as the effect of changes within the medieval church.  It compares the breakdown of the broader culture with its artistic production. Back to Top
[/accordion_item] [accordion_item parent_id=”fine-art-history” title=”CAH206 THE EARLY ITALIAN RENAISSANCE”]
This module is an investigation into the painting, sculpture, and architecture of Italy in the early Renaissance, from c.1300-1500. The significance of such artists as Giotto, Masaccio, Donatello, Brunelleschi, Ghiberti, Piero della Francesca, Botticelli, Leonardo da Vinci and the very young Michelangelo are discussed.  It looks at the work of many other artists, in their social, political, religious, intellectual and cultural context. In addition to examining the development of the period in the context of the rediscovery of antiquity, this module also examines clear (but generally underestimated) influences of the Middle Ages.  Included in this are the  development of Italian humanism, the role of the Medici and other important elite families, and the development of patronage.  The modules also places attention will on the international style and its roots.  It familiarizes students with historical events leading up to and surrounding the period and examines the various Italian schools of painting. Back to Top
[/accordion_item] [accordion_item parent_id=”fine-art-history” title=”CAH207 THE HIGH RENAISSANCE IN ITALY”]
This module examines the significance of the High Renaissance, from 1500-1520, in its own and in broader cultural contexts. Although the High Renaissance lasted less than twenty years, it continues to have a profound influence on Western Civilization. The art of the period is the most well known (and well-viewed) and is also the most frequently debated, in the history of art historical scholarship.   We examine the ways in which classical art were redefined, and we discuss such artists as Leonardo da Vinci, Michelangelo, Raphael and Titian. In addition to studying the painting, sculpture and architecture of the period, this module carefully examines the significance of the shift in power from Florence to Rome.  It also looks at the impact of the Renaissance popes on the art and culture of the period.  In addition, it investigates the ongoing and intense debate among scholars and artists over the significance of the Renaissance (including he question of why many individuals believe its importance is over-estimated). Back to Top
[/accordion_item] [accordion_item parent_id=”fine-art-history” title=”CAH208 NORTHERN RENAISSANCE ART – Our Cultural Art History modules”]
This module provides students with a survey of painting, drawing, and printmaking in the Netherlands and Germany, from c. 1380-1580. Emphasis is placed on the major artists.  These include Jan van Eyck, Robert Campin, Rogier van der Weyden, Hugo van der Goes, Hieronymus Bosch, Albrecht Dürer, and Pieter Bruegel the Elder.  Students invstigate the relationship of their art, and its potential links to these  evelopments:

  • The new naturalism of Northern art and devotional piety
  • Character and function of symbolism in art
  • Parallels and distinctions between Early Netherlandish and Italian Quattrocento art
  • The role of art in Reformation Europe
  • The development of new subject matter, including landscape, still life, and peasant scenes.
  • The development of private patronage and its impact on developments in art.

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[/accordion_item] [accordion_item parent_id=”fine-art-history” title=”CAH209 MANNERISM- Our Cultural Art History modules”]
This module is an investigation into the art produced outside of Rome, during and following the High Renaissance, from 1520 to 1590.  Mannerism has been recognized as a distinct artistic tradition within the last thirty years. Although it evolved out of an obsession with, and rejection of many renaissance developments, it is also directly linked to historical, social, religious and other cultural developments of the period. This module examines Mannerism in these contexts and also explores its links to a latter-Middle Ages mentality.  The module also assesses the paintings and sculptures of such artists as del Sarto, Pontormo, Rosso, Parmigianino, Salviati, Ammanati, Vignola, Cellini and Bronzino, among others.   Relationships between the culture and artistic production of the Mannerists, and those of the post-modernists are explored. Back to Top
[/accordion_item] [accordion_item parent_id=”fine-art-history” title=”CAH210 THE BAROQUE”]
This module examines the grimness and grandeur of the Baroque, through a study of the works of such artists as Caravaggio, Rubens, Poussin, Bernini, Carracci, Le Nain and Rembrandt, to name only a few. The period, which covers most of the 17th century, is investigated in cultural and artistic detail, and we discuss issues of categorization as regards the Baroque. The work that distinguishes the Baroque period is stylistically complex, even contradictory. In general, however, the desire to evoke emotional states by appealing to the senses, often in dramatic ways, underlies its manifestations. Some of the qualities most frequently associated with the Baroque are grandeur, sensuous richness, drama, vitality, movement, tension and emotional exuberance.  There was a tendency to blur distinctions between the various arts during this highly complex movement.  The Baroque points backward to the past, forward to the future and yet stands firmly on its own right. This module explores the powerful influences of the Counter-reformation and an emerging new interest in the broadening of humankind’s horizons.
[/accordion_item] [accordion_item parent_id=”fine-art-history” title=”CAH211 MODERN ART “]
This module examines the art produced from c. 1890-1945.  It explores cultural basis for a deepening rejection of the prevailing academic tradition, and the quest for a more naturalistic representation of the visual world. Traditional or academic techniques and subject matter, and the expression of a more subjective, personal vision will also be explored.  This is done in relation to the broader context of historical art.

The module includes asurvey of the varied movements and styles that arose, and which form the core of modern art.  This will reveal relationships between the past and present that one typically does not expect in an analysis of modern art.

We survey the following movements: Neo-Impressionism, Symbolism, Fauvism, Cubism, Futurism, Expressionism, Suprematism, Constructivism, Metaphysical painting, De Stijl, Dada, Surrealism, Social Realism, Abstract Expressionism, Pop art, Op art, Minimal art, and Neo-Expressionism.

The module also examines the significance the potential for artistic mediums to express responses to the changed conditions of life in the 20th century.  This includes the impact of accelerated technological change, the expansion of scientific knowledge and understanding, the seeming irrelevance towards some traditional sources of value and belief.  It also looks at the expanding awareness of non-Western cultures. as well las investigating the ossible motivations behind abstract or nonobjective art. Back to Top
[/accordion_item] [accordion_item parent_id=”fine-art-history” title=”CAH212 POSTMODERNISM – ART SINCE 1945″]
An in-depth survey, this module will take a chronological approach to a study of major trends and movements in art of the United States and Western Europe from 1945 to the present. The module begins with an examination of the establishment of Abstract Expressionism in New York in the 1940s and 1950s and considers the development of art practices in post-war Europe. Emphasis is placed on developing a definition of postmodernism, by exploring its cultural characteristics, and its social, political and economic contexts.  This is examined within the contexts of such movements as pop art, minimalism, conceptualism and feminism. An examination of new concerns with issues of originality, identity, and new media will be explored, and a comparative study of cultural postmodernism with the latter Middle Ages will conclude the course. Back to Top
[/accordion_item] [accordion_item parent_id=”fine-art-history” title=”CAH213 EIGHTEENTH CENTURY EUROPEAN ART”]
This module will survey European painting and sculpture from the late Baroque period to Neo-Classicism. Emphasis will be placed on the artistic careers of major figures, and on the larger social, political, and cultural contexts of their work. Artists examined will include Watteau, Boucher, Fragonard, Chardin, Falconet, Pigalle, Greuze, Batoni, Rusconi, Hogarth, Gainsborough, and Reynolds. Back to Top
[/accordion_item] [accordion_item parent_id=”fine-art-history” title=”CAH214 WORLD ARCHITECTURE FROM MEDIEVAL TO EARLY MODERN CULTURE – Our Cultural Art History modules”]
This module will provide students with a survey of architectural traditions. It investigates the rise of modernity, from its intellectual origins in the cultures of medieval and Renaissance Europe, Islam, Colonial Americas, and Japan, to its historical transformation in the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries. During the module of our investigation, students will become familiar with basic architectural terminology and fundamental principles of architecture. Back to Top
[/accordion_item] [accordion_item parent_id=”fine-art-history” title=”CAH215 EAST ASIAN ART”]
This module will provide students with a general introduction to the artistic traditions of China, Korea, and Japan from the prehistoric period to the modern era. Major topics will include funerary art, Buddhist art, and later court and secular art. Particular attention will be paid to identifying artistic forms in relation to technology, political and religious beliefs, social, historical, and cultural contexts. This module will also introduce students to philosophical and religious traditions including Confucianism, Daoism, Shinto, and Buddhism. How those traditions have shaped cultural and aesthetic ideals of East Asia will be thoroughly investigated. Resources will include a survey of major monuments, and the fundamental concepts behind their creation. Assigned readings and lectures will in-depth coverage of specific topics or monuments. Back to Top
[/accordion_item] [accordion_item parent_id=”fine-art-history” title=”CAH216 CHICANO ART”]
This module tracks the Chicano Art movement, which began in the mid-1960s in support of the Chicano Civil Rights Movement (el Movimiento). During the decades that followed, Chicano artists from throughout the nation created artworks in all media, which addressed the rich cultural heritage of the Mexican American people, the political and civil struggles of their communities, and their commitment to international contemporary cultural and political innovation. Back to Top
[/accordion_item] [accordion_item parent_id=”fine-art-history” title=”CAH217 SPANISH COLONIAL ART”]
This module will provide students with a general introduction to the arts produced in Spain’s American viceroyalties, from approximately 1521 through 1821. Although various examples of painting, sculpture, architecture, and works in other media from both the viceroyalties of New Spain and Peru will be considered, there will be an emphasis on Novohispanic artistic production. We pay special attention to studying selected works in relation to artist, patron, audience, display site, forms of engagement and other cultural contexts. Although Spanish reading knowledge will be helpful, it is not required. Back to Top
[/accordion_item] [accordion_item parent_id=”fine-art-history” title=”CAH218 LATIN AMERICAN ART FROM 1945 TO THE PRESENT”]
This module examines the post-WWII artistic traditions in Central and South America, and their manifestations of narrow and broad cultural influences. Post-war modernism and post-modernity are carefully considered, through issues of theme, style, and medium. Students also study contemporary artistic practices such as conceptual and installation art. The integration of Latin American artistic conventions into the artistic production of other cultures are investigated, in the process of identifying how influences become conventions. Back to Top
[/accordion_item] [accordion_item parent_id=”fine-art-history” title=”CAH219 NATIVE AMERICAN ART –  Our Cultural Art History modules”]
This module will provide a survey on art of the Native peoples of North America.  It examines the formal attributes of the major arts of each region, exploring relationships between these and social, cultural, and historical factors.   The module places emphasis on the roles played by these arts in contemporary societies. In addition it will examine the problems associated with preserving the integrity of the Native American artistic traditions.  This  is as new generations experiment with changing those traditions in order to render their art more marketable. The broader implications of those problems will also be discussed, as determinations are made on how entire traditions, and their underlying cultural values, can be lost. Back to Top
[/accordion_item] [accordion_item parent_id=”fine-art-history” title=”CAH220 AFRICAN AND OCEANIC ART”]
This module will provide a survey on the rich African and Oceanic artistic traditions. Once described as “primitive”, this body of work has long since been recognized as highly sophistical.   This is from both formal and aesthetic perspectives. The module places focus on the cultural values, rites and rituals embodied in these works, and on their profound influences on the Western tradition. Back to Top
[/accordion_item] [accordion_item parent_id=”fine-art-history” title=”CAH301 THE INTERNATIONAL GOTHIC STYLE”]
This module examines the rise of the International Style, which followed Giotto’s proto-Renaissance developments in c. 1310 ff.  This reigned as the premiere style until Masaccio revived Giotto’s ideas in the early 1400s. A close scrutiny of the formal and aesthetic properties of the style will help the student gain an understanding of the cultural and artistic motivations underlying this dramatic stylistic approach. Practitioners of the International Style will be studied, including works of such artists as Lorenzo Monaco and Botticelli. Back to Top
[/accordion_item] [accordion_item parent_id=”fine-art-history” title=”CAH302 EUROPEAN ART – 1750-1848
“] This module examines painting, sculpture, and architecture in France, England, Spain and Germany from the twilight of Absolutism through the Industrial and French Revolutions.  It places special attention on the intellectual, philosophical, economic, historical and cultural contexts in which the art was produced. As the module develops, a thorough investigation into how the art reflects back to the past, and points toward the future will be conducted. The module concludes with an examination of contemporary cultural articulations of influences from the period’s art. Back to Top
[/accordion_item] [accordion_item parent_id=”fine-art-history” title=”CAH303 NEOCLASSICISM AND ROMANTICISM”]
The module focusses on European painting and sculpture from the last decades of the Ancien Regime to the liberal revolutions of 1848.  Students assess works of major artists including David, Canova, Ingres, Constable, Turner, Gericault, Delacroix, Friedrich, Goya, Corot, and Thorvaldsen.  This is done in within their political, economic, social, spiritual, cultural and aesthetic contexts. Back to Top
[/accordion_item] [accordion_item parent_id=”fine-art-history” title=”CAH304 TOPICS IN BAROQUE ART IN EUROPE”]
This module will be an in-depth study of the painting, sculpture, and architecture of the seventeenth century in Italy, the Low Countries, France, and Spain.  Focus will be placed on special topics on the works of Caravaggio, Bernini, Velazquez, Rubens, Rembrandt, and Poussin. Back to Top

[/accordion_item] [accordion_item parent_id=”fine-art-history” title=”CAH305 ROMAN ARCHITECTURE”]
This module will examine the history of Roman architecture from the Republic to the late empire, with special emphasis on the evolution of urban architecture in Rome. Also considered will be Roman villas, Roman landscape architecture, the cities of Pompeii and Ostia, major sites of the Roman provinces.  In addition, we look at the architectural and archaeological field methods used in dealing with ancient architecture. Back to Top

[/accordion_item] [accordion_item parent_id=”fine-art-history” title=”CAH306 URBAN PLANNING IN ANCIENT GREECE – Our Cultural Art modules”]
This module will involve a study of the Greek city from the Archaic to the Hellenistic period. Emphasis will be placed on developing concepts of city planning, public buildings and houses, and the inclusion within the city of works of sculpture and painting. Back to Top

[/accordion_item] [accordion_item parent_id=”fine-art-history” title=”CAH307 GRAPHICS AND PAINTING OF THE FIFTEENTH AND SIXTEENTH CENTURIES IN NORTHERN EUROPE”]
This module will focus on major developments in painting and graphics in the fifteenth and sixteenth centuries, in the Netherlands and Germany. Focus will be placed on the rise of Netherlandish naturalism and the origins of woodcut and engraving. The module will explore the effects of humanist taste on sixteenth-century painting and the iconographic consequences of the Reformation. Emphasis will be placed on the work of major artists, such as Van Eyck, Van der Weyden, Dürer, Bosch, and Bruegel. Back to Top

[/accordion_item] [accordion_item parent_id=”fine-art-history” title=”CAH308 THE HISTORY OF GRAPHIC ARTS I”]
This module will be a study of printmaking, printing and book illustration from Gutenberg to Goya, presenting the graphic arts as an expression of intellectual history and the precursor of photography. An excellent introduction to the curatorship of prints and books by students who take this course. Back to Top
[/accordion_item] [accordion_item parent_id=”fine-art-history” title=”CAH309 THE HISTORY OF GRAPHIC ARTS II
“] A continuation of Course I, this module will examine printmaking, printing and artists’ books from Goya to the present. The examination will include the graphic arts and photography, the rise of the ideas of the original print, 20th century mixed media and the relationship between words and images. Back to Top
[/accordion_item] [accordion_item parent_id=”fine-art-history” title=”CAH310 GENDER IN THE ITALIAN RENAISSANCE”]
This module examines how notions of gender shaped the production, patronage, and fruition of the visual arts in Italy between 1350 and 1600. The module begins with an analysis of Renaissance domestic space, with special attention paid to its architecture as well as to the artifacts that filled it (such as marriage paintings, furniture, birth salvers, and religious images). An examination of how notions of gender shaped the patronage of the visual arts follows, and the representation of secular and religious men and women are explored.  We evaluate the works of Renaissance women artists, in the context of the cultural and social expectations imposed on Renaissance women.  We compare these with works produced by more famous Renaissance male artists. Although no prerequisite in the art of the Italian Renaissance is required, it is recommended for majors. Back to Top
[/accordion_item] [accordion_item parent_id=”fine-art-history” title=”CAH311 HISTORY OF MEDIEVAL ARCHITECTURE ca. 800-1150″]
This module examines the history of medieval architecture through the analysis of selected monuments from c. 800 – c. 1150. The surveys Western Europe. Early Christian, Islamic, and Byzantine architecture, in order to provide the necessary background for the western European tradition. It explores topics such as monasticism, secular architecture, decorative programmes and the cult of the relics. Assigned readings emphasize the use of primary sources. This module is highly participatory, with both lectures and discussion being instrumental in the investigatory process. Special emphasis is placed on exploring how culture defined architecture, and how architecture defined culture. Students wishing to graduate with distinction may count this as a 400 level course, if they complete and deliver a formal presentation or research paper.  This is from a cultural art historical perspective, relative to the subject matter. Back to Top
[/accordion_item] [accordion_item parent_id=”fine-art-history” title=”CAH312 SPECIAL TOPICS IN ART SINCE 1945″]
This module will focus on special topics related to art production and theory in the U.S. and Europe, since World War II. Relationships between artistic practice and critical theory will be stressed, in an examination of movements ranging from abstract expressionism to neo-geo. Back to Top
[/accordion_item] [accordion_item parent_id=”fine-art-history” title=”CAH313 THE MINOR ARTS”]
This module involves an investigation into the historical development and techniques of numismatics, jewelry, silver-smithing, ceramics, armor and other topics. Emphasis is placed on the fact that many of the great artists of the Renaissance began as (and continued to be) practitioners in the minor arts. In recent years, the minor arts have begun to gain recognition as valid fine arts forms. Back to Top
[/accordion_item] [accordion_item parent_id=”fine-art-history” title=”CAH314 20th CENTURY PHOTOGRAPHY –  Our Cultural Art History modules”]
This module will examine the historical development and aesthetic character of photography in the twentieth century. Special attention will be paid to major photographers, including such giants as Stieglitz, Weston, Cartier-Bresson and many others. A portion of this module will also be devoted to some of the groundbreaking photojournalists of the 20th century. Back to Top
[/accordion_item] [accordion_item parent_id=”fine-art-history” title=”CAH315 POMPEII”]
This module will explore the life, art, architecture, urban development, religion, economy, and daily life of the famous Roman city destroyed in the cataclysmic eruption of Mt. Vesuvius in 79 C.E. Back to Top
[/accordion_item] [accordion_item parent_id=”fine-art-history” title=”CAH316 AN EXAMINATION OF SACRED SITES”]
This module will examine the art and architecture of significant religious sites around the world, focusing on ritual, culture, and history, as well as the broader formal and aesthetic artistic characteristics of each site. Back to Top
[/accordion_item] [accordion_item parent_id=”fine-art-history” title=”CAH317 STUDIES IN ARTISTIC TRADITIONS OF THE AMERICAN SOUTHWEST”]
The focus in this module is on  the interrelationships of Native American, Hispanic and Anglo cultures from prehistoric times to the present. Emphasis will be placed on the major forms of expression, including pottery, textiles, jewelry, architecture, painting and photography. Back to Top
[/accordion_item] [accordion_item parent_id=”fine-art-history” title=”CAH318 PRE-COLUMBIAN ART”]
This module will provide students with a survey of the art of Mexico and Central America, prior to the 16th century.  This involves an examination of the aboriginal American Indian cultures that evolved prior to Spanish exploration and conquest in the 16th century. There will be a thorough investigation of the pre-Columbian civilizations’ significant developments in human society and culture.  Like the ancient civilizations of the Old World, those in the New World were characterized by kingdoms and empires, great monuments and cities, and refinements in the arts, metallurgy, and writing.  This module will explore the cultural factors underlying these developments, and will also study how the ancient civilizations of the Americas also displayed, in their histories, similar cyclical patterns of growth and decline, unity and disunity. Back to Top
[/accordion_item] [accordion_item parent_id=”fine-art-history” title=”CAH319 NATIVE AMERICAN POTTERY”]
This module focuses on this unique art form, in formal, aesthetic and symbolic contexts. Emphasis is placed in the significance of Native American symbols and the distinctions between tribal imagery and application.  It looks at the relationship of the art to culture and religion, and the challenges the traditional forms face, by virtue of other cultural influences. Back to Top
[/accordion_item] [accordion_item parent_id=”fine-art-history” title=”CAH401 BRITISH ART: TUDORS THROUGH VICTORIA”]
This module surveys British painting, sculpture, and printmaking from the reign of Henry VII Tudor (1485) to the death of Queen Victoria (1901).  The following Major artists will be studied in political, socio-economic, cultural and aesthetic contexts: Holbein, Mor, Mytens, Rubens, van Dyck, Lely, Kneller, Hogarth, Rysbrack, Roubilliac, Gainsborough, Reynolds, Rowlandson, Flaxman, Lawrence, Constable, Turner, Landseer, the Pre-Raphaelites and Alma-Taddema.

[/accordion_item] [accordion_item parent_id=”fine-art-history” title=”CAH402 TOPICS IN SPANISH COLONIAL ART”]
This module presents a critical review of recognized Novohispanic painters, in and around the imperial vice-regal capital of Mexico City, and their known works. It pays special attention to each artist’s formation, commissions, and representative examples from their bodies of work.  It includes their contributions to our understanding of the nature and development of Spanish Colonial art. Cultural manifestations are identified within the representative works of art, and beyond into other artistic traditions. Spanish reading knowledge would be preferable, but it is not required. Prerequisite: Spanish Colonial Art (CAH 214) or a background in this area. Back to Top
[/accordion_item] [accordion_item parent_id=”fine-art-history” title=”CAH403 WOMEN IN AMERICAN ART”]
This module analyzes the role played by women both as visual artists and as the subjects of representation in American art. It examines works from the colonial period to the present, exploring the changing cultural context and institutions that have supported or inhibited women’s artistic activity. Back to Top
[/accordion_item] [accordion_item parent_id=”fine-art-history” title=”CAH404 REMBRANDT
“] This module involves a study of the life and work of the great Dutch seventeenth-century master. Topics include Rembrandt’s interpretation of the Bible and the nature of his religious convictions, his relationship to classical and Renaissance culture.  It also looks at his rivalry with Rubens, and the expressive purposes of his distinctive techniques in painting, drawing, and etching. It pays special attention to orientations that set Rembrandt apart from his contemporaries. Back to Top
[/accordion_item] [accordion_item parent_id=”fine-art-history” title=”CAH405 ROMAN IMPERIAL ART AND ARCHITECTURE I”]
This module is an in-depth examination of Roman sculpture, painting, architecture and minor arts, from Augustus to Trajan. Prerequisite: some knowledge of Roman Art. Back to Top
[/accordion_item] [accordion_item parent_id=”fine-art-history” title=”CAH406 DEVELOPMENT AND EVOLUTION OF CITIES IN HISTORY”]
This module examines the history of cities around the world, locating urban form in its social, cultural, political, economic, symbolic, and cultural contexts. It explores the origins of urbanism to the present. Presented in a seminar format, this module identifies the reciprocal relationship between culture and art, with a particular emphasis on architecture. Monuments which are sources of both pride and trepidation are examined, as are the influence of cities on one another.  This is within a context of urban development. Students look for cultural identifications defining cities, and heavy emphasis is placed on examining the recycling and reworking of the corresponding characteristics. The seminar is highly participatory. Students are required to research assigned topics and deliver their findings in round table module discussions. Back to Top
[/accordion_item] [accordion_item parent_id=”fine-art-history” title=”CAH407 CONTEMPORARY ISSUES IN THE ARTS”]
This module explores the range of personal and social issues embedded in artistic choices. Artistic form, function and ethical guidelines are examined from economic, psychological, ideological, and gender perspectives. Back to Top
[/accordion_item] [accordion_item parent_id=”fine-art-history” title=”CAH408 STUDIES IN EARLY 20TH CENTURY ART”]
This module involves a series of studies into painting and sculpture from 1900 to 1940. Great works produced in the numerous artistic movements of the period are examined. Back to Top
[/accordion_item] [accordion_item parent_id=”fine-art-history” title=”CAH409 TOPICS IN LATE 20TH AND 21ST CENTURY ART.”]
This module analyzes special topics in painting and sculpture, from 1940 to the present. Emphasis is placed on cultural content. Back to Top
[/accordion_item] [accordion_item parent_id=”fine-art-history” title=”CAH410 AGE OF THE CATHEDRALS”]
The module involves an examination of art, architecture, religion and ritual at selected medieval abbeys and cathedrals in France, England and Italy, from the late 12th to early 14th centuries. Sites include the Abbey of St. Denis, Canterbury Cathedral, Chartres Cathedral, Salisbury Cathedral, the Sainte-Chapelle, Westminster Abbey, the Cathedral of Siena, and the Cathedral of Florence. Students should have some experience and a serious interest in analyzing historical issues, to take this course. Back to Top
[/accordion_item] [accordion_item parent_id=”fine-art-history” title=”CAH411 TOPICS IN THE ART OF LATIN AMERICA, 1820-1945.”]
This module examines Central and South American art from independence to the end of World War II. Special attention is paid to topics on chronological, thematic, and institutional developments from national and regional perspectives.  This is in addition to themes, styles, movements, and other issues of continental significance. Back to Top
[/accordion_item] [accordion_item parent_id=”fine-art-history” title=”CAH412 MURALISM IN THE AMERICAS, 1920-1995 – Our Cultural Art History modules”]
This module provides students with a history of muralism, from the Mexican mural movement through the depression-era United States.  It looks at the emergence of U.S. civil rights muralism in the 1960s, and parallel developments in the Caribbean, Central and South America. Back to Top
[/accordion_item] [accordion_item parent_id=”fine-art-history” title=”CAH413 EAST MEETS WEST: INTERACTIVE ARCHITECTURE”]
This module examines the interaction in architecture between the East and the West, as a post-renaissance phenomenon. There were very few exchanges of influences in architecture before the seventeenth century, with both sides developing their own distinct architectural forms and styles.  This reflected very different traditions.  The module examines relevant works by Wright, Kahn, Le Corbusier, Pei, Yamasaki, and others. The significance and impact of this interaction for modern architecture are also be discussed. Special attention are also be paid to identifying common characteristics of the two traditions, and exploring the human and cultural similarities underlying those commonalities. Conducted in a seminar format, this module will be highly participatory. Students are required to research assigned topics and deliver their findings in round table module discussions. Back to Top
[/accordion_item] [accordion_item parent_id=”fine-art-history” title=”CAH414 STUDIES IN BYZANTINE ART”]
This module involves studies into the art of Byzantium and its cultural dependencies, from its roots in the late Antique period to the last flowering under the Palaeologan dynasty. Back to Top
[/accordion_item] [accordion_item parent_id=”fine-art-history” title=”CAH415 ART AS THE SCHOOL OF THE WORLD”]
This module  pursues a cultural art historical journey into how we have come to think of art in the ways we do, and how we might better utilize it as a cultural resource. Conducted in a seminar format, the module investigates the kinds of historical and cultural inferences we make from works of art, and whether or not such inferences are valid. Special attention is paid to the ways in which art has been used to make places, and the relationships of place to political influences and cultural concerns. The module also explores the ways in which images are used in the social fabric of different cultures.  This includes an examination of the emerging global language of art and art as a unifying cultural vehicle. This seminar will be highly participatory. Students will be required to research assigned topics and present their findings in round-table discussions. Back to Top
[/accordion_item] [accordion_item parent_id=”fine-art-history” title=”CAH416 – STUDIES IN PHOTOGRAPHY SINCE 1950″]
This module involves a study into recent photographic styles, mediums and aesthetic concepts in America and Europe. Prerequisite: broad knowledge of the history of photography Back to Top
[/accordion_item] [accordion_item parent_id=”fine-art-history” title=”CAH417 ART & MYTHOLOGY”]
This module examines mythological art, from classical antiquity to the modern period, with a particular emphasis on the Renaissance and Baroque periods. The works of Rembrandt, Rubens, Poussin, Velazquez and many other artists will be examined. Relationships between myth and culture are explored, and broader manifestations of mythology in art will be investigated.  The potential of myth to define culture, through art is a primary focus of this course. Conducted in a seminar format, this module will be highly participatory. Students will be required to research assigned topics, and present their findings in round-table discussions. Back to Top
[/accordion_item] [accordion_item parent_id=”fine-art-history” title=”CAH418 THE ART OF JAPAN”]
This module explores the arts and culture of Japan. Focus are placed on key monuments and artistic traditions that have played central roles in Japanese art and society. Students look at how artists, architects, and patrons expressed their ideals in visual terms. Objects examined will include sculptures, paintings, decorative objects, and their underlying artistic and cultural values. Back to Top
[/accordion_item] [accordion_item parent_id=”fine-art-history” title=”CAH419 POST-IMPRESSIONISM IN ITS OWN RIGHT – Our Cultural Art History modules”]
Post-Impressionism is often considered as the direct precursor to Modern Art and/or a reaction against the Impressionist movement. This module examines Post-Impressionism in its own contexts and on its own terms, as a valid and unique artistic movement. Works of such artists as Cézanne and van Gogh, among others, are thoroughly examined.   The module also explores the influences on Post-Impressionism from periods not immediately surrounding. Back to Top
[/accordion_item] [accordion_item parent_id=”fine-art-history” title=”CAH420 EVALUATING THE ARTS”]
In a seminar format, this module will explore the practice of criticism, with emphasis on critical processes that penetrate a variety of contemporary arts. Aesthetic theories and cultural outlooks that underpin practical criticism are examined. Back to Top[/accordion_item]
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