Art History

ART HS 1100 Introduction to Western Art (MOTR ARTS 100): 3 semester hours

An introduction to major historical movements in Western art.

ART HS 1120 Global Art and Visual Culture (MOTR ARTS 101): 3 semester hours

This course explores transcultural perspectives in Art History. Students will be introduced to creative visual traditions from across the globe. The course examines themes such as death and the afterlife, religious practice, visual persuasion, and design aesthetic in historical Europe, Africa, Asia, the Indigenous Americas and Oceania. This course satisfies the Cultural Diversity requirement.

ART HS 1150 Introduction to the Art and Visual Cultures of Africa: 3 semester hours

This course surveys major art forms of Africa and the African Diaspora. It addresses traditional media, such as architecture, masquerade, regalia, sculpture, metalwork, ceramics, and textiles, as well as contemporary sculpture, painting, photography, and performance. This course satisfies the Cultural Diversity requirement.

ART HS 1160 Introduction to the Art and Visual Cultures of Asia: 3 semester hours

This course surveys major achievements in architecture, sculpture, and painting of India, China, Japan, and Southeast Asia, with an emphasis on religious, historical, and social context of the arts. This course satisfies the Cultural Diversity requirement.

ART HS 1190 Ideas in the History of Art and Visual Culture: 3 semester hours

Prerequisites: ART HS 1100 or consent of instructor. This course studies selected works of art, with attention to the social and cultural factors surrounding their creation.

ART HS 2211 Art and Archaeology of The Ancient World: 3 semester hours

Prerequisite: ART HS 1100. A survey of art in Egypt, the ancient Near East, Greece, and Rome, beginning in the Neolithic era (8000-4000 BC) and ending with the Barbarian invasions of Italy in the fifth century A.D. The major highlights of architecture and city planning, sculpture, painting, pottery, and the minor arts will be covered.

ART HS 2212 Greek Myths and Monuments: 3 semester hours

Same as ANTHRO 2212 and HIST 2212. This course provides an overview of Greek myths and legends, as well as their reception in architecture, the visual arts, and literature. Particular emphasis will be given to: 1) the theology and the creation myths of the Greeks and how these relate to the Bible; 2) heroic myths from the Trojan War to Atlantis, and their historicity; 3) famous monuments, works of art, and texts from Greek and world literature, that advance our understanding of Greek myths and the culture that created them.

ART HS 2225 Medieval Art: 3 semester hours

A survey of the art and architecture of the Mediterranean World and northern Europe from late antiquity to the late Gothic period (300-1300 A.D.). Focus on new styles and subject matter in painting, sculpture and architecture.

ART HS 2235 Renaissance and Baroque Art: 3 semester hours

Prerequisites: ART HS 1100 or consent of instructor. This course is an introduction to art and architecture in Europe from the fifteenth through the seventeenth centuries.

ART HS 2260 History of Design: 3 semester hours

Prerequisites: ART HS 1100 or consent of instructor. This course is a survey of the history of design and may include topics such as book arts, graphic design, furniture, and architecture.

ART HS 2261 History of Graphic Design: 3 semester hours

This course examines the rapport of word, image, artist, client, and viewer that is unique to the genres of book arts and graphic design as studied in their historical and contemporary contexts.

ART HS 2265 History of Photography: 3 semester hours

Prerequisite: ART HS 1100 or consent of instructor. A study of photography: its historical development, an examination of it as an art medium, and its influence on the development of modern art.

ART HS 2270 Art of the United States: 3 semester hours

Prerequisites: ART HS 1100 or consent of instructor. This course is an overview of art and architecture in the United States from the colonial era through the twentieth century.

ART HS 2275 History of Illustration: 3 semester hours

Prerequisites: ART HS 1100 or consent of instructor. This course will analyze the work of artists who specialized in illustration for prints, books, newspapers, magazines, and advertisements, emphasizing the 19th and 20th centuries in the United States. The course will cover topics such as idealizations of the American West and changing roles of women in society, as well as iconic characters and images that continue to inspire artists today.

ART HS 2276 History of Comics and Cartoons: 3 semester hours

Prerequisites: ART HS 1100 or consent of the instructor. In this course, students investigate the artistic and historical context of cartoons and comics from the 19th century through today's graphic novels, webtoons and zines.

ART HS 2280 Modern to Contemporary Art: 3 semester hours

Prerequisite: ART HS 1100 or consent of the instructor. This course presents an overview of avant-garde modern art in Europe and the United States from the mid-nineteenth century to the contemporary era. It explores traditional media such as painting and sculpture as well as newer forms such as performance and installation art in the context of changing ideas about art's traditions, social functions, and philosophical concerns.

ART HS 2291 Issues and Ideas in the History of Art and Visual Culture: 3 semester hours

Prerequisites: ART HS 1100 or permission of instructor. This course is an intensive studies of a few selected works from various eras and cultures, with special attention to the particular social and cultural factors surrounding their creation. This course may be repeated for credit with the permission of an advisor as long as the topic different.

ART HS 3350 Studies in Design: 3 semester hours

Prerequisites: Minimum of one 2000-level course in Art History and ENGL 3100, or consent of instructor. The course examines selected topics in the history of design, and may include genres such as architecture, material culture, or graphic design. May be repeated for credit with a different topic, for a maximum of 6 credit hours.

ART HS 3387 Professional Internship: 1-6 semester hours

Prerequisites: Minimum of two 2000-level courses in Art History and ENGL 3100 and consent of instructor. The internship provides experience in museums, historical societies, galleries, design firms, or visual resource collections. Students will assist in the diverse duties associated with the day-to-day functions of the institution, under the joint direction of a faculty advisor and a supervisor at the institution. Course requirements may include readings, research assignments, and/or a paper. This course may be counted for art history or studio art credit with the department's consent.

ART HS 3390 Special Study: 1-4 semester hours

Prerequisite: Junior or senior standing. Consent of instructor and Art History advisor. Independent study through readings, reports or field research. May be repeated one time with consent of Art History advisor. May not be used for internship credit.

ART HS 3395 Selected Themes in the History of Art and Visual Culture: 3 semester hours

Prerequisites: Two 2000-level courses in Art History or consent of instructor. This course is a study of a selected topic in visual culture. It may be repeated for credit with a different topic.

ART HS 4400 Topics in the History of Art and Visual Culture: 3 semester hours

Prerequisites: One 3000-level course in Art History or consent of instructor. This course is the study of a selected topic in the history of art and visual culture. It may be repeated for credit with a different topic.

ART HS 4455 Topics in Modern Art: 3 semester hours

Prerequisites: ART HS 2280 and ENGL 3100, or one 3000-level course in Art History, or consent of instructor. Intensive study of selected topics in art of the nineteenth and/or twentieth centuries. May be repeated for credit with permission of instructor and advisor.

ART HS 4490 Special Study: 1-4 semester hours

Prerequisite: Junior or senior standing, consent of instructor and Art History advisor. Independent study through readings, reports, or field research. May be repeated one time with consent of Art History advisor. May not be used for internship credit.

ART HS 5590 Special Study in Art History: 1-6 semester hours

Prerequisites: Graduate standing and consent of instructor. Independent study through readings, reports, discussions, and/or special projects. May be repeated for credit with consent of instructor.

ART HS 5593 Museum Management and Curatorial Practice: 3 semester hours

Prerequisites: Consent of the instructor and graduate standing. Museum Management and Curatorial Practice is designed to give students overlapping theoretical and practical experience that will be useful after entry into the museum profession. While exhibitions are at the core of the museum mission, it takes a broad range of skills from different team members to bring shows to fruition. The course provides students with grounded knowledge on how to curate an exhibition for their museum and understand all the elements that serve the mission-driven goals for that institution, and the obligation to uphold best practices as established by the American Alliance of Museums [AAM] and the Association of Art Museum Directors [AAMD] that provide guidance for the field. Students will become familiar with the different types of roles and functions that make museums run (although staffing levels will vary based on the size and budget of the organization), including: executive management, advancement, marketing, curatorial, collections management, education, and others (e.g., archivist, librarian, security, maintenance, groundskeeping, restaurant staff, parking).