Department of Art History and Art
Mather House
Phone: 216.368.4118 or 368.4039; Fax: 216.368.4681
Elina Gertsman, Acting Chair
elina.gertsman@case.edu
The Department of Art History and Art offers opportunities to study art history, to engage in pre-professional museum training, to participate in a broad range of studio offerings, and to pursue state teacher licensure in art education. The Bachelor of Arts degree is granted in art history and in pre-architecture (second major only). The department offers graduate programs leading to the degrees of Doctor of Philosophy in art history, Master of Arts in art history, Master of Arts in art history and museum studies, and Master of Arts in art education. In conjunction with the School of Law, the department also offers a combined JD/Master of Arts in art history and museum studies. Qualified undergraduates majoring in art history or art education may participate in the Integrated Graduate Studies Program.
All art programs are considerably enhanced by close cooperation with cultural institutions located in University Circle, in particular the Cleveland Museum of Art, the Cleveland Institute of Art, and the Museum of Contemporary Art (MOCA). The planned Nancy and Joseph Keithley Institute for Art History, to be created jointly with the Cleveland Museum of Art, will promote art historical studies through graduate fellowship support, collections-based graduate seminars, travel and research funding, undergraduate internship funding, and joint programming with the Cleveland Museum of Art.
In collaboration with the Department of Physics and other university associates, the department is launching a new series of programs under the umbrella art.lab.cle to support the transformation of the fields of art history and art education. We pursue this ambitious objective through transdisciplinary collaboration with the sciences and technology, and through the pursuit of social justice. At times, these two approaches mesh in a single project. The democratization of art is at the heart of our vision.
Art History Program
The study of art history expands visual literacy, deepens critical reading and writing skills, and increases students' abilities to think across fields. The discipline is profoundly multidisciplinary, and it enhances awareness of cultural diversity around the globe and throughout time. Students majoring in art history have a wide variety of career opportunities. Graduates with a strong background in art history are employed as college and university professors; as museum professionals (in curatorial, educational, and administrative positions); as art librarians and archivists; as development officers; as journalists; as art gallery or auction house staff members; as art conservators and restorers; as art specialists in the diplomatic service and at all levels of government; and in other careers in industry, film, and television. Some of these specialties require additional study and professional preparation beyond the bachelor’s degree. Other art history majors who have fulfilled the required prerequisites go on to attend law, medical, or business school. Increasingly, familiarity with global visual culture is desirable for those pursuing careers well outside the field (for example, engineering students).
The graduate programs in art history are offered as part of the exceptional joint program in art history of Case Western Reserve University and the Cleveland Museum of Art. Most classes, undergraduate and graduate level, are held in the museum, and some courses are offered or co-taught by museum curators who hold adjunct appointments in the department. Students taking advanced-level courses use the museum’s extensive research library, and all students have an opportunity to study original works of art in the museum’s superb collections and conservation laboratories.
Art Education Programs
There is a temporary pause in admissions to the Art Education Programs.
The Art Education Programs’ mission is “to prepare proactive, scholar-practitioner art educators who will develop into leaders, teachers, and talented artists in the field of art education.”
The undergraduate and graduate degree programs in art education are offered in conjunction with the Cleveland Institute of Art. Art education majors have the advantage of pursuing their academic studies in a university environment and their studio studies at a professional art school that educates artists and designers. Students participate in educational field experiences conducted in many of Greater Cleveland’s urban and suburban school systems, museums, and cultural institutions. Graduates of the Art Education Programs have pursued careers as teachers, supervisors, and consultants in public and private schools, colleges, art schools, and museums; as administrators of galleries and art organizations; as designers of educational programs for industry; and as practicing artists. The programs are especially proud of their record in recruiting and graduating students from diverse backgrounds.
Art Studio Program
For students seeking to develop and nurture their artistic and creative talents, the Art Studio Program offers a variety of introductory art courses in a variety of art media. Courses in drawing, painting, design, ceramics, enameling and jewelry, textiles, photography, digital media, and architecture are taught at various skill levels by experienced, professional artists. These courses can be taken as university electives or to fulfill minors in art studio, photography, or architecture. The program offers pre-architecture as a second major and as a minor for students who expect to continue architectural studies at the graduate level or who simply wish to pursue an area of interest to complete a second major in pre-architecture. At the end of each semester, there is a comprehensive public art exhibition of student work in the Art Gallery.
Department Faculty
Elina Gertsman, PhD
(Boston University)
Archbishop Paul J. Hallinan Professor in Catholic Studies II and Distinguished University Professor; Director of Graduate Studies; Acting Chair, Department of Art History and Art
Medieval art
Elizabeth Bolman, PhD
(Bryn Mawr College)
Elsie B. Smith Chair in the Liberal Arts; Professor and Chair, Department of Art History and Art
Late Antique and Byzantine visual culture
Henry Adams, PhD
(Yale University)
Ruth Coulter Heede Professor in Art History
American art
Erin Benay, PhD
(Rutgers University)
Associate Professor
Early Modern Southern European art
Steven Ciampaglia, EdD
(Northern Illinois University)
Champney Family Professor of Art; Associate Professor; Director, Art Education and Art Studio Programs
Social justice and community arts; critical pedagogy; art + tech; media arts education
Maggie L. Popkin, PhD
(The Institute of Fine Arts, New York University)
Robson Junior Professor; Associate Professor
Ancient Roman art and archaeology
Andrea Wolk Rager, PhD
(Yale University)
Associate Professor; Director of Undergraduate Studies
Nineteenth- and twentieth-century British and European art
Adjunct Faculty from the Cleveland Museum of Art
Louis Adrean, MLS
(Syracuse University)
Adjunct Instructor; Head, Research and Programs, Ingalls Library and Museum Archives
Susan Bergh, PhD
(Columbia University)
Adjunct Associate Professor; Curator, Art of the Ancient Americas
Cory Korkow, PhD
(University of Virginia)
Adjunct Associate Professor; Associate Curator, European Art
Heather Lemonedes, PhD
(The Graduate School and University Center, City University of New York)
Adjunct Associate Professor; Deputy Director and Chief Curator
Sonya Rhie Mace, PhD
(Harvard University)
Adjunct Professor; George P. Bickford Curator of Indian and Southeast Asian Art
Sooa Im McCormick , PhD
(University of Kansas)
Adjunct Assistant Professor; Assistant Curator, Korean Art
Emily Peters, PhD
(University of California, Santa Barbara)
Adjunct Professor; Curator, Prints and Drawings
William Robinson, PhD
(Case Western Reserve University)
Adjunct Professor; Curator, Modern European Art
Barbara Tannenbaum, PhD
(University of Michigan)
Adjunct Professor; Curator, Photography
Sinead Vilbar, PhD
(Princeton University)
Adjunct Professor, Curator, Japanese and Korean Art
Art Education
Steven Ciampaglia, EdD
(Northern Illinois University)
Champney Family Professor of Art; Associate Professor; Director, Art Education and Art Studio Programs
Social justice and community arts; critical pedagogy; art + tech; media arts education
David King, MFA
(Kent State University)
Lecturer; Supervisor, Art Education Secondary Student Teaching
Adjunct Art History Faculty
Heather Galloway, Certificate in Conservation; MA in Art History
(Conservation Center, Institute of Fine Arts, New York University; Williams College Graduate Program in the History of Art)
Adjunct Assistant Professor
Physical examination of works of art
Gary Sampson, PhD
(University of California, Santa Barbara)
Associate Dean, Graduate Studies, Cleveland Institute of Art
History of photography
Holly Witchey, PhD
(Case Western Reserve University)
Adjunct Professor
Museum studies
Art Studio
Steven Ciampaglia, EdD
(Northern Illinois University)
Champney Family Professor of Art; Associate Professor; Director, Art Education and Art Studio Programs
Social justice and community arts; critical pedagogy; art + tech; media arts education
Jerry Birchfield, MFA
(Cornell University)
Lecturer, Photography Advisor
Photography, creative photography
Margaret Fischer, MA
(Case Western Reserve University)
Lecturer
Enameling and jewelry
Adriel Meyer, MA
(Case Western Reserve University)
Lecturer
Fibers and textiles
George Kozmon, BFA
(Cleveland Institute of Art)
Lecturer
Design
Sally Levine, MA
(University of Illinois)
Lecturer
Architecture
Martha Lois, MFA
(Kent State University)
Lecturer
Ceramics
Barney Taxel, BA
(Case Western Reserve University)
Lecturer
Digital photography
Emeriti
Ellen G. Landau
Andrew W. Mellon Professor Emerita of the Humanities
Edward J. Olszewski
Professor Emeritus
Catherine B. Scallen, PhD
Andrew W. Mellon Professor Emerita of the Humanities
Northern Renaissance and Baroque art and historiography
ARTH (Art History)
ARTH 101. Art History I. 3 Units.
An introductory course exploring the visual cultures of the ancient and medieval Mediterranean, Mesoamerica, Africa, and Asia up to 1400. Special emphasis on visual analysis, historical and sociocultural contexts, and an introduction to issues in the study of art history and the institution of the museum. The class will include frequent visits to the Cleveland Museum of Art. Counts as a CAS Global & Cultural Diversity course. Counts as a Human Diversity & Commonality course. Counts as a Understanding Global Perspectives course.
ARTH 102. Art History II. 3 Units.
An introductory course exploring the visual cultures of Africa, the Americas, Asia and Europe from 1400 to the present. Special emphasis will be placed on visual analysis, historical and sociocultural contexts, and an introduction to issues in the study of art history and the institution of the museum. We will also focus on various methodological approaches to the history of art, such as gender, class, colonization & decolonization, and globalization as we trace the stories of art and its creation. We will look at a diverse range of objects and monuments, emphasizing their functions, forms, and historical and cultural contexts. Students will gain a deeper understanding not only of individual works of art but also of the cultures that produced them, and we will consider the relevance of the past to our own culture today. This class will take advantage of the rich collections of the Cleveland Museum of Art with weekly sessions in the galleries. Counts as a CAS Global & Cultural Diversity course. Counts as a Human Diversity & Commonality course. Counts as a Understanding Global Perspectives course.
ARTH 203. The Arts of Asia. 3 Units.
This course surveys a selection of major developments in the arts of Asia from the bronze age to the present in a wide range of media including: sculpture, painting, ceramics, architecture, bronzes, calligraphy, prints and contemporary installations. We explore factors behind the making of works of art, including social, political, religious and personal meanings, while examining the historical contexts for the arts of India, China, Japan, Korea, Cambodia and Thailand. Attention will be paid to the material and stylistic qualities of art as well as art's relationship to the ideas and practices of Buddhism, Hinduism, and Daoism. Visits to the Asian galleries at the Cleveland Museum of Art form an integral part of the course. Counts as a CAS Global & Cultural Diversity course.
ARTH 220. Jewish Art and Architecture. 3 Units.
Over the course of their long history, Jews have contended with diaspora, boundary-crossing, minority status and anti-Semitism. Along the way, art and architecture have given shape to Jewish reflections on their complex social positionalities, ethical convictions, and religious longings. This course explores the critical role architects and Jewish artists have played in narrating and giving expression to these experiences. Critically, we will also examine the powerful position that artists of Jewish heritage have had in influencing the the course of modern art. Finally, we will study the ways in which Jews have been represented by others, both in anti-Semitic propaganda as well as in more sympathetic portraits, shaping popular ideas and attitudes about Jews and Jewish culture. Offered as ARTH 220, JDST 220, and RLGN 220. Counts as a CAS Global & Cultural Diversity course. Counts as a Communication Intensive course. Counts as a Moral & Ethical Reasoning course. Counts as a Understanding Global Perspectives course.
ARTH 230. Ancient Roman Art and Architecture: Power, Politics, and Diversity. 3 Units.
This course explores the history of ancient Roman art and architecture, with a particular emphasis on the Roman Empire. We will focus on situating objects and monuments in the changing historical, cultural, political, and religious contexts of the Roman world. The course will introduce students to famous buildings such as the Colosseum and the Pantheon in Rome, but we will also look at lesser known but equally fascinating works that offer insight into the imaginations, aspirations, and identities of the Roman Empire's diverse population. From statues and paintings to oil lamps with erotic scenes, drinking cups with images of famous athletes, and even travel souvenirs, Romans were surrounded by images and objects that allowed them to participate in but also shape and resist a broader imperial culture. Students will consider how art and architecture shaped the complex ways that people living in the Roman world related to the empire and to regional and local cultural traditions from Egypt and North Africa, Northern Europe, and the Near East. Finally, we will also examine how the legacy of Roman art and architecture continues to fuel debates about power, politics, and representation in the United States, including controversies over Confederate monuments. The course will include frequent visits to the Cleveland Museum of Art and, weather permitting, other area sites such as Lakeview Cemetery (where some Cleveland patrons commissioned exact replicas of Roman monuments!). Offered as ARTH 230 and CLSC 230. Counts as a CAS Global & Cultural Diversity course. Counts as a Human Diversity & Commonality course. Counts as a Understanding Global Perspectives course.
ARTH 241. Medieval Art. 3 Units.
This course will introduce students to the pivotal works of art created between approximately 250 and 1500. We will discuss painting, sculpture, architecture, manuscript illumination, and graphic arts. Medieval visual and material culture will be considered within the framework of socio-political developments, rapid urban growth, the flowering of monastic culture, the rise of universities, and changes in devotional practices. While the course will primarily focus on western part of the medieval Christendom, we will also discuss Jewish, Byzantine, and Islamic art. Visits to the CMA will form an integral part of the course. Counts as a CAS Global & Cultural Diversity course.
ARTH 250. Art in the Age of Discovery. 3 Units.
A survey of developments in Renaissance art and architecture in northern Europe and Italy during a new age of science, discovery and exploration, 1400-1600.
ARTH 260. Art in Early Modern Europe. 3 Units.
A survey of European art in the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries, an era of rising nationalism, political aggrandizement, religious expansion and extravagant art patronage. The tensions between naturalism and idealization, court and city, public and private, church and secular patronage, grand commissions and an open air market, will provide themes of the course as we explore what characterized the arts of Austria, Belgium, England, France, Germany, Italy, The Netherlands, and Spain. Counts as a CAS Global & Cultural Diversity course.
ARTH 270. American Art and Culture Before 1900. 3 Units.
This is the first of a two-part survey that will cover the history of American art from about 10,000 BC when the first humans walked across the Bering Strait to America up to about 1900. This course emphasizes Native American Art, African-American art, the work of woman artists, and the representation of diverse ethnic groups, providing a doorway to explore the remarkable artistic and cultural transformations that have taken place over the last hundred centuries. The second course in the series, ARTH 271, will explore the multifaceted 20th century-which Henry Luce famously described as "The American Century" --as well as the opening decades of the 21st. Counts as a Human Diversity & Commonality course.
ARTH 271. American Art and Culture: The Twentieth Century. 3 Units.
This is the second of a two-part survey that will explore the multifaceted 20th century--which Henry Luce famously described as "The American Century"--as well as the opening decades of the 21st. This course emphasizes Native American Art, African-American art, the work of woman artists, and the representation of diverse ethnic groups, providing a doorway to explore the remarkable artistic and cultural transformations that have taken place over the last hundred centuries. The first course in the series, ARTH 270, will cover the history of American art from about 10,000 BC when the first humans walked across the Bering Strait to America up to about 1900. Counts as a Human Diversity & Commonality course.
ARTH 274. Nineteenth-Century European Art. 3 Units.
This course will examine the development of European art across the tumultuous long nineteenth century, from the French Revolution in 1789 to the eve of the First World War in 1914. Adopting a thematic, as well as an international approach, this course will seek to interrogate the canonical understanding of this period of dramatic change across France, Britain, Germany, and Spain. We will explore issues of politics, economics, class, gender, imperialism, nationalism, and industrialization that surround the advent of artistic modernity. The class will also consider a range of artistic media, including painting, sculpture, photography, the decorative arts, and architecture, taking advantage of the rich collections of the Cleveland Museum of Art. Counts as a CAS Global & Cultural Diversity course.
ARTH 280. Modern Art and Modern World. 3 Units.
This course will explore the development of modern art, primarily the art of Europe and the United States, from the late 18th to the mid-20th century. Tracing key art movements and the careers of significant artists from the U.S. and diverse European cultures, including France, Germany, Italy, Russia, and the Netherlands, this course will not only examine innovations in style, materials, technique, subject matter, and theory in modern art history, but will also analyze issues related to the rise of new social classes, cross-cultural interactions among these classes, gender and race, industrialization and technological development, as well as changes to the urban environment and the development of popular culture in modern society. Through the examination of artists' responses to technological, cultural, social, and political changes, this course will explore the emergence and development of modernity and modernism in European and American art. Visits to the Cleveland Museum of Art (CMA) will form an integral part of the course. Counts as a CAS Global & Cultural Diversity course.
ARTH 284. History of Photography. 3 Units.
A survey of the history of photography, examining the invention, development, and proliferation of the medium in its artistic and cultural contexts, from the advent of the daguerreotype in 1839 to the ubiquity of the digital image today. International and interdisciplinary in scope, the course considers the cultural assumptions, traditions, and experiences related to the history of the medium around the globe in dialogue with our contemporary understanding and use of photography in the United States today. Through the close study of significant photographers, photographic technologies, and individual photographs, the course considers issues of politics, gender, nationalism, imperialism, globalization, race, and class intrinsic to the medium. Counts as a Human Diversity & Commonality course. Counts as a Understanding Global Perspectives course.
ARTH 286. Introduction to Contemporary Art. 3 Units.
This course will explore contemporary art and visual culture since the 1960s with a focus on major artistic movements and artists. The first part of the course will focus on changes in artistic practices in the United States and Europe, through the study of Pop Art, Minimalism, Conceptual Art, Institutional Critique, Performance Art, Feminist Art, and Activist Art. The second part of the course will investigate the global turn in contemporary art from the 1980s onward introducing art from Asia, Africa, and the Middle East. This course will examine a set of issues related to postmodernism, postcolonialism, globalization, and transnationalism and trace cultural, social, and geopolitical shifts in contemporary art. Counts as a CAS Global & Cultural Diversity course.
ARTH 302. Buddhist Art in Asia. 3 Units.
This course explores the visual and material culture of Buddhism in Asia from its origins in India to its transmission and transformation in China, Korea, Japan, Tibet, Thailand, Cambodia and Indonesia. Our historically and culturally structured examination traces major developments in Buddhist art and their relationships with belief, practice, and ritual. We consider the ways that artistic traditions have adapted and evolved both within individual cultures and cross-culturally. We primarily focus on studying the historical contexts for sculpture, architecture, and painting, but we also consider the movement of Buddhist works from temples to sites of secular display in museums around the world, and the religious, cultural, and ethical issues that arise from these moves. Topics include: representations of the life of the historical Buddha; visual programs of temples; artistic representations of paradises and hells; sacred sites and architecture; imperial patronage of Buddhist art; the role of art in pilgrimage and ritual; and visual imagery associated with Pure Land, Chan, Zen and esoteric traditions. Visits to and engagement with objects in the new Asian galleries at the Cleveland Museum of Art provide a rich environment for our class sessions and student projects. Offered as ARTH 302 and ARTH 402. Counts as a CAS Global & Cultural Diversity course.
ARTH 310. Art For Different Futures. 3 Units.
The COVID-19 pandemic and the movements for social justice (Black Lives Matter, Me Too) are rapidly and dynamically altering long-held conceptions about the role of art in society. The culture industries (along with many other sectors) have been forced to re-examine the viability and utility of their current models, and the assumptions these models are predicated upon. Art institutions are in the process of reconciling their complicated and often contradictory relationship with white, sexist, ableist, and classist ideology, in which they have tacitly perpetuated dominant structures and perspectives while rhetorically advocating for reform and radical change. In this course, we will explore this contemporary cultural moment and unravel the seismic changes that have brought uncertainty to the art world. We will speculate potential futures free of racism, sexism, homophobia, ableism, and classism, and the role that art could play within those possible futures. And we will explore alternative conceptions of art with the potential to instigate those futures through a focus on social engagement, community, and radical inclusion. Offered as ARTH 310, ARTH 410, ARTS 300, and ARTS 400.
ARTH 315. Art and Architecture of Ancient Egypt and Mesopotamia. 3 Units.
The golden mask of Tutankhamun, the imposing Ishtar Gate, delicately carved ivories, and expertly chiseled stone sculpture; the art and architecture of Ancient Egypt and Mesopotamia are some of the most captivating examples of visual culture from the ancient world. This course will emphasize the examination of art and architecture of Egypt and Mesopotamia in context, focusing on material from prehistory through the 6th century BC. We will explore the deep connection between art, religion, and the worldview of Ancient Egypt and Mesopotamia, in addition to the meaning and audience for art, the principles which guided art production, trends in media and themes over time, and the relationship of writing and art. We will also consider the interaction between Egyptian and Mesopotamian art, museums and the modern artistic and political landscapes. Offered as ANEE 315, ANEE 415, ARTH 315 and ARTH 415.
ARTH 316. Methods in Public Humanities and Civic Engagement. 3 Units.
Who has access to knowledge and why? How is knowledge produced and publicized? What and where is the public? Who is included and excluded in this public? What is the role of art and culture in various publics? This innovative new course will address these questions as it introduces students to the theories and methods of the Public Humanities and Civic Engagement. Broadly defined, Public Humanities works to engage diverse publics in the subjects of the humanities by making topics like art history, literary history, film, and theater, accessible and understandable to a wider civic audience, but it also interrogates the concept of the expert and seeks to find experts in the field, rather than exclusively in the academy. Through a combination of reading, discussion, and virtual (or in person) visits from leaders of Cleveland-area organizations, administrators, legislators, and public historians, this course will teach you how to put your degrees to work for the greater good! Although this course is about Public Humanities & Civic Engagement, it is open to students in all fields across the university who are interested in ways to integrate the community in their education and to think creatively about the types of work their academic training prepares them to do. Undergraduate and graduate students will benefit from opportunities to broaden their professional networks and to learn more about the kinds of skills that are necessary in professions across the disciplines. Offered as ARTH 316, ARTH 416, HUMN 316, and HUMN 416. Counts as a Local & Global Engagement course.
ARTH 325. Art at the Crossroads of Religion: Polytheistic, Christian, and Islamic Art in Antiquity. 3 Units.
People often single out the reign of Constantine (A.D. 306-337) as the point in history when Rome transformed from a polytheistic empire to a Christian empire. This course questions the strict divide between the categories of "pagan" and "Christian" in Rome in the imperial period and beyond. Through a close examination of the artistic and architectural record, students will come to understand that this dichotomy is a modern invention; for people living in the Roman Empire, religious identities were extraordinarily fluid. Indeed, traditional polytheistic religion and Christianity remained closely intertwined for centuries after Constantine "Christianized" the Empire. Moreover, religious pluralism had been a fundamental part of Roman culture since the founding of ancient Rome. We will survey a range of material culture, including public statuary, sarcophagi, silver hordes, and temples and churches. We will also examine sites such as the border city of Dura-Europos in Syria to explore how religious identities in the Roman Empire (including Judaism, early Christianity, and so-called mystery cults) intertwined even when Rome was still supposedly a "pagan" Empire. The course pays particular attention to the art and architecture produced under Constantine, whom people today often remember as Rome's first Christian emperor but who represents, in fact, a complex amalgam of polytheistic and monotheistic practices and identities. We will also explore how Christian art slowly but ultimately became the predominant visual culture in the Roman Empire. Finally, we will examine how Early Islamic art and architecture exploited the Greco-Roman visual tradition to the ends of this new religion. Offered as ARTH 325, ARTH 425 and CLSC 325. Counts as a CAS Global & Cultural Diversity course.
ARTH 329. Marvels of Rome: Monuments and Their Decoration in the Roman Empire. 3 Units.
This course examines some of the most famous monuments of the Roman Empire, including Nero's Golden House, the Colosseum, the Pantheon, Hadrian's Villa at Tivoli, and the lavish villa of Piazza Armerina in Sicily. We will study each monument in depth, delving into the architecture, paintings, sculptures, mosaics, and social functions of each monument. Students will learn how to analyze artistic and archaeological evidence, ancient textual evidence (poems, prose, and inscriptions), and secondary scholarship to reconstruct the visual appearances and historical and cultural contexts of the monuments in questions. Throughout the course, students will gain a new appreciation and deeper understanding of some of the most iconic buildings of the classical tradition. Offered as ARTH 329, ARTH 429, and CLSC 329. Counts as a CAS Global & Cultural Diversity course.
ARTH 333. Greek and Roman Painting. 3 Units.
Greek vase painting, Etruscan tomb painting and Roman wall painting. The development of monumental painting in antiquity. Offered as ARTH 333, CLSC 333, and ARTH 433.
ARTH 335. Issues in Ancient Art. 3 Units.
Various topics in Ancient art. Lectures, discussions and reports. Offered as ARTH 335 and ARTH 435.
ARTH 336. Representations of War in Ancient Rome. 3 Units.
Few societies in history have been as militaristic as ancient Rome--or as proud of their warrior culture. This course examines the many ways that Romans constructed and contested their conceptions of war from the founding of the Roman Republic in 509 B.C.E. to the reign of Constantine (306-337 C.E.). Why did Romans choose to represent war in certain ways, and how did these artistic representations shape Romans' military values? What can the visual record tell us about how different groups (soldiers, women, slaves) experienced war in the Roman world? We will explore major public monuments in the city of Rome (including triumphal arches and the Colosseum) and private objects (such as silver drinking vessels) to observe how Roman militarism pervaded different walks of life. We will also examine monuments on the edges of Rome's empire, such as the towering trophies in modern France and Romania, to explore how works of art and architecture mediated the relationship between Romans and the peoples they conquered. Students will be encouraged to think about how art and architecture contributed to the construction of militarism as a chief Roman value, but also about how visual representations provided an important means to debate the value of Rome's military efforts, to subvert Rome's rigidly hierarchical social order, and to grapple with what it meant to "be Roman" as wars transformed Rome from a small city in Italy to a massive, pan-Mediterranean empire. After exploring Romans' conceptions of war and victory, students also may ask whether the common comparison between the Roman Empire and modern America is appropriate. Offered as ARTH 336, ARTH 436, CLSC 336 and CLSC 436. Counts as a CAS Global & Cultural Diversity course.
ARTH 341. Issues in the Art of Japan. 3 Units.
This is a topics course. Each offering will focus on a specific topic within the area of Japanese art. Sample topics may include: Muromachi Hanging Scrolls, Ryoan-ji Temple Garden Architecture, Rimpa School Panel Screens, Buddhist Panting in the Edo Period. Lectures, discussions, and reports. Offered as ARTH 341 and ARTH 441.
ARTH 344. Archaeology of the Ancient World. 3 Units.
This course examines the great civilizations of the ancient world, particularly those of the Ancient Near East, Egypt, Greece and Rome, through the archaeological record. Each of these geographic areas and their respective cultures will be individually explored, but also examined within a broader historical context. Particular focus will be placed on the social, political, religious, and economic ideas that were exchanged across Mesopotamia, Anatolia, the Levant and the Mediterranean and the influence this interconnectivity had on these ancient societies. Offered as ANEE 344, ANEE 444, ANTH 344, ANTH 444, ARTH 344, ARTH 444, CLSC 344 and CLSC 444. Counts as a CAS Global & Cultural Diversity course.
ARTH 349. Gothic Art: Vision and Matter. 3 Units.
This course will examine the development and dissemination of Gothic art in Western Europe in the High and Late Middle Ages. We will consider a variety of media, including architecture, metalwork, sculpture, manuscript illumination, panel paintings, fresco cycles, and small devotional objects. As we study medieval art in its socio-historical contexts--private and public, monastic and political, liturgical and lay--we will pay special attention to issues of patronage, relationships between texts and images, the introduction of visionary and mystical devotion, attitudes towards education and authority, differences between male and female piety, modes of medieval viewing, and reception and manipulation of art by medieval audiences. Visits to the CMA will form an integral part of the course. Offered as ARTH 349 and ARTH 449. Counts as a CAS Global & Cultural Diversity course.
ARTH 350. Issues in Medieval Art. 3 Units.
Various topics in Medieval Art. Lectures, discussions, and reports. Offered as ARTH 350 and ARTH 450.
ARTH 353. Sixteenth Century Italian Art. 3 Units.
The development of the High Renaissance and Mannerist styles in Italy and late 16th century trends: painting and sculpture. Offered as ARTH 353 and ARTH 453.
ARTH 354. Global Renaissance Art. 3 Units.
As a result of Roman Catholic missions to Africa and Asia, colonial occupation in Latin America, and mercantile trade with the Ottoman empire, European artists and patrons developed increasingly complex modes of cultural production in the early modern period. Adopting an interdisciplinary approach that encompasses art, anthropology, history, and literature, this course reassesses the geographic parameters of the Renaissance and asks students to consider what words like "native" and "foreign" might have meant in the 15th-17th centuries. Course readings will be available on Canvas. Requirements: a series of short, critical reflection papers; a longer 12-15 pg. research paper, and active participation in class discussions and group activities. Separate requirements will apply to graduate students. Offered as ARTH 354 and ARTH 454.
ARTH 356. Medieval Matters: The Monstrous, the Macabre, the Miraculous. 3 Units.
This course will explore three distinct but interrelated topics in medieval visual culture, which haunt the modern world as well. We will first study the concepts of the monsters and the monstrous in medieval Europe, as they were manifested in visual, literary, and cryptozoological production. From monster theory to monster culture, we will look at the anxieties that the monsters--those from the edges, those from within--have written on the body of medieval art. These same anxieties, rooted in the fear of difference, manifest themselves in the macabre art: the art of living death that predicated material universe of the late Middle Ages. We will explore the ghosts and the revenants, the living corpses and the nimble skeletons that populate medieval murals, manuscripts, and sculpture. All this is wrapped into the notion of the miraculous, both wondrous and dangerous at once. Here, the focus will be on female bodies, seen as monstrous, macabre, and miraculous at once. Students should be prepared to discuss these topics both within the context of medieval Europe and within our own historical moment. Offered as ARTH 356 and ARTH 456.
ARTH 358. Medieval Body. 3 Units.
This course will explore the meanings and representations of the body in western medieval culture. Topics will include bleeding bodies, fragmented bodies, lactating bodies, labile bodies, cosmic bodies, physiological bodies, mystical bodies, suffering bodies, edible bodies, enclosed bodies, gendered bodies, Christ's bodies, Mary's bodies, decomposing bodies, macabre bodies, resurrected bodies, dead bodies, intercessory bodies, unhinging bodies, translucent bodies, martyred bodies, desirable bodies, desirous bodies, abhorrent bodies, mimetic bodies, nude bodies, marginalized bodies, defleshed bodies, social bodies, political bodies, monstrous bodies, mnemonic bodies, and deformed bodies. We will explore the complex rhetoric of embodiment as it manifests itself in the ambiguous discourse--both medieval and contemporary--on the relationships between the material and intangible, spiritual and physical, somatic and mental, corporeal and ethereal. Offered as ARTH 358 and ARTH 458. Counts as a CAS Global & Cultural Diversity course.
ARTH 360. Renaissance Art in Northern Europe. 3 Units.
Painting, sculpture, and the graphic arts in Belgium, France, Germany, and The Netherlands, 1400-1580, highlighting the careers and contributions of specific artists such as Jan van Eyck, Albrecht Durer, and Pieter Bruegel. We will also analyze the changing social, cultural, religious, and political circumstances of the art made during this period, which saw the invention of printmaking, the Protestant Revolution, and increased strife between rulers and their subjects. The rise of new subjects such as landscape and scene of everyday life will be explored, and changes in patronage will be discussed, concentrating on the shift from church and noble patronage to increasingly middle-class patronage related to the beginnings of the open art market. Offered as ARTH 360 and ARTH 460. Counts as a CAS Global & Cultural Diversity course.
ARTH 361. 17th-Century Art in Belgium and The Netherlands. 3 Units.
The arts of painting, drawing, and printmaking in Belgium and The Netherlands are discussed in relationship to political, social, cultural, and religious contexts. We will explore the careers and production of individual artists such as Rubens, Van Dyck, Hals, Rembrandt, and Vermeer. Developments in new subjects, artistic specialization, and the expansion of the open market are seen as important factors in shaping Belgian and Dutch art. Offered as ARTH 361 and ARTH 461. Counts as a CAS Global & Cultural Diversity course.
ARTH 362. Issues in Early Modern Southern European Art. 3 Units.
Various topics in the art of southern Europe, 1400-1800. Lectures, discussions, reports, and gallery visits in the CMA. Offered as ARTH 362 and ARTH 462. Counts as a CAS Global & Cultural Diversity course.
ARTH 367. 17th and 18th Century Art in France. 3 Units.
A Survey of the arts of painting, sculpture and architecture in France from 1600-1780, a period in which France became the leading political and cultural power in Europe. We will focus on the relationship between the arts and changing social, cultural, religious and political circumstances at a time that saw the rise of the absolute state before the French Revolution, the increased use of art for political propaganda, and the burgeoning of a consumer culture in the middle class. Offered as ARTH 367 and ARTH 467. Counts as a CAS Global & Cultural Diversity course.
ARTH 368. Doors Wide Shut: The Private Art Collection from Raphael to Rauschenberg. 3 Units.
A child's room is often stocked with marvels: bird nests, shells, shiny stones, books, and drawings. The great art collections of the Renaissance began in much the same way as these playful assemblages. From cabinets of curiosities containing treasures from foreign lands, to paintings of nude women by Titian and Raphael, these early collections marked the beginning of the modern art museum. What do the hoarding tendencies of the Jesuit Athanasius Kircher (1601-1680), founder of the `Kircherianum--a museum filled with taxidermy animals and mechanical inventions--have in common with Ronald Lauder's recent and widely publicized purchase of a Gustav Klimt painting for $135 million? Famous American art collectors of the 19th & 20th centuries like Henry Clay Frick, Isabella Stewart Gardner, and Peggy Guggenheim opened these formerly private realms of display to the public, revealing the complex motives and politics inherent to the practice of art collection. This course will focus first on the conceptual issues that informed early modern collecting in the western world, and subsequently the way that these ideas and modalities later inflected and shaped the history of modern collecting--particularly in the private sector in Europe and America. Offered as: ARTH 368 and ARTH 468. Counts as a CAS Global & Cultural Diversity course.
ARTH 374. Impressionism to Symbolism. 3 Units.
Major developments in European painting and sculpture during the latter half of the nineteenth century. Post-impressionism synthetism, symbolism, and the arts and crafts movement considered in their socio-cultural contexts. Works of Degas, Manet, Monet, Klimt, Bocklin, Gauguin, etc. Offered as ARTH 374 and ARTH 474.
ARTH 379. Issues in 19th Century Art. 3 Units.
Various topics in 19th century art, with class lectures, discussions and reports. Consult department for current topic. Offered as ARTH 379 and ARTH 479.
ARTH 382. Art, Eco-criticism, and the Environment. 3 Units.
As issues of sustainability and environmental impact have become increasingly dominant concerns in contemporary society, eco-criticism has emerged as a vital methodological thread across the humanities. Motivated by ethical as well as scholarly concerns, eco-criticism not only enacts a fundamental examination of nature as an ideological construct, but also seeks to investigate the complex interrelationship between humanity and the environment. Concurrently, there has been a marked interest in studying the role of "green issues" in contemporary art, particularly in tracing the development of earth art or eco-art from the early 1970s to the present. The goal of this seminar is to forge a link between these two emergent strands by tracing the complex relationship between art and the environment from the nineteenth-century to the present, seeking to thereby assess the capaciousness of eco-criticism as a methodological approach to art history. Offered as ARTH 382, ARTH 482 and ESTD 382. Counts as a CAS Global & Cultural Diversity course.
ARTH 385. Issues in the History of Industrial Design. 3 Units.
One of the most momentous occurrences of the 20th and 21st Centuries has received surprisingly little attention: the transformation in how nearly everything around us is designed and made. Chairs, desks, pens, cars, stoves, refrigerators, printing presses, lighting fixtures, and children's toys all look very different than they did a century ago, and often are made through manufacturing process and out of materials that did not exist then. The history of industrial design can be traced back to the 19th century, and to the writings of social reformers such as William Morris and the teachings of progressive art schools such as the Bauhaus, which introduced a machine-made look and many classic modern designs, such as the Wassily Chair by Marcel Breuer. But the term industrial design was only coined in 1929, and modern industrial design, which brought together careful analysis of engineering, manufacturing, marketing, styling, branding and streamlining--really dates from that period through the creations of a group of pioneering, unheralded American geniuses, such as Raymond Lowie, Norman Bel Geddes, Henry Dreyfuss, Walter Dorwin Teague, Brooks Stevens, Russel Wright, Eliot Noyes, Viktor Schreckengost, and Harley Earl. In broad strokes, this class will lay out a history of industrial design from its origins until today. It will combine discussion of the work of historically significant figures, who established the basic framework of the field, with analysis of products being made today, by figures such as Dieter Rams, Jony Ive, and Philippe Starck. The class will also include a tour of and introduction to the Industrial Design program of the Cleveland Institute of Art, established by the great industrial designer and artist Viktor Schreckengost in 1933. The class will also view objects from the collections of the Western Reserve Historical Society, the Cleveland Museum of Art, and other arts institutions in the Greater Cleveland area. Offered as ARTH 385 and ARTH 485.
ARTH 386. Issues in American Art. 3 Units.
Various topics in American art. Each offering will focus on a specific topic within American art. Lectures, discussions, and report. The course will entail regular oral classroom reports and short writing assignments as well as a final paper. Producing an intellectually significant final paper is the major goal of the class. Graduate students are expected to produce a final paper of greater length than Undergraduates and that shows evidence of original scholarship. Offered as ARTH 386 and ARTH 486.
ARTH 392. Issues in 20th/21st Century Art. 3 Units.
Various topics in 20th/21st century art, with class lectures, discussions, and reports. Offered as ARTH 392 and ARTH 492.
ARTH 393. Contemporary Art: Critical Directions. 3 Units.
An examination of the directions taken by avant-garde American art and criticism in the aftermath of Abstract Expressionism. Includes the rise and fall of modernism in the 1960s and '70s, as well as an investigation of Post-modern trends and theories. Offered as ARTH 393 and ARTH 493.
ARTH 394. Departmental Seminar. 3 Units.
The Department of History of Art and Art departmental seminar. A topical course, emphasizing disciplinary writing and modes of investigation and analysis. It is recommended for Art History majors before the majors seminar/capstone course, typically taken in the junior or senior years. The course advances the goals of SAGES within the disciplinary context of art history by focusing on close readings of art history texts (with an emphasis upon methodological approaches), examination of original works of art when possible, analytical writing, and intensive seminar-style discussion. Counts as a SAGES Departmental Seminar course.
ARTH 395. Internship. 3 Units.
This course is designated for students seeking professional experience in art history. It focuses on the museum experience (registration, exhibition, interpretation, and administration) although students may also elect to conduct internships in museum-related environments such as art conservation. Students are encouraged to have gained significant experience in art history coursework before embarking on an internship. Students must identify an internship and supervisor as well as a campus internship supervisor the semester before enrolling in the internship. Recommended preparation: ARTH 101, ARTH 102, or ARTH 104, and consent.
ARTH 396. Majors Seminar. 3 Units.
This course combines an overview of methodological approaches to art history with attention to pressing current issues and debates in the art world. Students will complete writing and oral assignments to engage with these issues that reveal and grow their participation in academic inquiry and pursuit of knowledge. This course is required of all undergraduate Art History majors and is offered in alternating spring semesters. It should be taken in the junior or senior year. Counts as a Disciplinary Communication course. Counts as a SAGES Senior Capstone course.
ARTH 397. Contemporary Art in East Asia. 3 Units.
This course will explore modern and contemporary art and visual culture in East Asia produced since the mid-twentieth century with a focus on major artistic movements and artists active in China, Japan, and Korea. Encountering complicated geopolitical and socioeconomic conditions in the post-war era, a series of experimental and radical artistic, cultural, and political movements have emerged in East Asia. The course will map the critical topographies of Asian art from 1945 to the 1980s through the exploration of the following: post-war art and experimental art in Japan and Korea, Chinese art during the Cultural Revolution, material culture in Japanese Mono-ha and Korean Dansaekhwa, and art of resistance in China and Korea in the 1980s. The course will also investigate contemporary Asian art and visual culture focusing on its global turn from the late 1980s. Fueled by international geopolitical change, economic boom, and the impact of globalization, art in Asia or by Asian artists has gained a high level of international visibility and taken a central position in contemporary art exhibitions and art criticism. This visual, social, and theoretical development in the recent art in Asia will be examined through key issues and themes: art's revisiting of tradition and history, its exploration of body and identity, the impact of consumerism and popular culture, and its engagement with public space and the urban environment. Offered as ARTH 397 and ARTH 497. Counts as a CAS Global & Cultural Diversity course.
ARTH 398. Independent Study in Art History. 1 - 3 Units.
Individual research and reports on special topics.
ARTH 399. Capstone Project. 3 Units.
Intensive study of a topic or problem leading to the preparation of a research project and public presentation. Students use what they have learned at CWRU to design an Art History project that responds meaningfully to a question, problem, or issue that matters in the discipline. The writing/communication focus of Capstone Projects includes "translating" specialized, disciplinary knowledge for a diverse general audience. Counts as a Capstone Project course.
ARTH 402. Buddhist Art in Asia. 3 Units.
This course explores the visual and material culture of Buddhism in Asia from its origins in India to its transmission and transformation in China, Korea, Japan, Tibet, Thailand, Cambodia and Indonesia. Our historically and culturally structured examination traces major developments in Buddhist art and their relationships with belief, practice, and ritual. We consider the ways that artistic traditions have adapted and evolved both within individual cultures and cross-culturally. We primarily focus on studying the historical contexts for sculpture, architecture, and painting, but we also consider the movement of Buddhist works from temples to sites of secular display in museums around the world, and the religious, cultural, and ethical issues that arise from these moves. Topics include: representations of the life of the historical Buddha; visual programs of temples; artistic representations of paradises and hells; sacred sites and architecture; imperial patronage of Buddhist art; the role of art in pilgrimage and ritual; and visual imagery associated with Pure Land, Chan, Zen and esoteric traditions. Visits to and engagement with objects in the new Asian galleries at the Cleveland Museum of Art provide a rich environment for our class sessions and student projects. Offered as ARTH 302 and ARTH 402. Counts as a CAS Global & Cultural Diversity course.
ARTH 410. Art For Different Futures. 3 Units.
The COVID-19 pandemic and the movements for social justice (Black Lives Matter, Me Too) are rapidly and dynamically altering long-held conceptions about the role of art in society. The culture industries (along with many other sectors) have been forced to re-examine the viability and utility of their current models, and the assumptions these models are predicated upon. Art institutions are in the process of reconciling their complicated and often contradictory relationship with white, sexist, ableist, and classist ideology, in which they have tacitly perpetuated dominant structures and perspectives while rhetorically advocating for reform and radical change. In this course, we will explore this contemporary cultural moment and unravel the seismic changes that have brought uncertainty to the art world. We will speculate potential futures free of racism, sexism, homophobia, ableism, and classism, and the role that art could play within those possible futures. And we will explore alternative conceptions of art with the potential to instigate those futures through a focus on social engagement, community, and radical inclusion. Offered as ARTH 310, ARTH 410, ARTS 300, and ARTS 400.
ARTH 415. Art and Architecture of Ancient Egypt and Mesopotamia. 3 Units.
The golden mask of Tutankhamun, the imposing Ishtar Gate, delicately carved ivories, and expertly chiseled stone sculpture; the art and architecture of Ancient Egypt and Mesopotamia are some of the most captivating examples of visual culture from the ancient world. This course will emphasize the examination of art and architecture of Egypt and Mesopotamia in context, focusing on material from prehistory through the 6th century BC. We will explore the deep connection between art, religion, and the worldview of Ancient Egypt and Mesopotamia, in addition to the meaning and audience for art, the principles which guided art production, trends in media and themes over time, and the relationship of writing and art. We will also consider the interaction between Egyptian and Mesopotamian art, museums and the modern artistic and political landscapes. Offered as ANEE 315, ANEE 415, ARTH 315 and ARTH 415.
ARTH 416. Methods in Public Humanities and Civic Engagement. 3 Units.
Who has access to knowledge and why? How is knowledge produced and publicized? What and where is the public? Who is included and excluded in this public? What is the role of art and culture in various publics? This innovative new course will address these questions as it introduces students to the theories and methods of the Public Humanities and Civic Engagement. Broadly defined, Public Humanities works to engage diverse publics in the subjects of the humanities by making topics like art history, literary history, film, and theater, accessible and understandable to a wider civic audience, but it also interrogates the concept of the expert and seeks to find experts in the field, rather than exclusively in the academy. Through a combination of reading, discussion, and virtual (or in person) visits from leaders of Cleveland-area organizations, administrators, legislators, and public historians, this course will teach you how to put your degrees to work for the greater good! Although this course is about Public Humanities & Civic Engagement, it is open to students in all fields across the university who are interested in ways to integrate the community in their education and to think creatively about the types of work their academic training prepares them to do. Undergraduate and graduate students will benefit from opportunities to broaden their professional networks and to learn more about the kinds of skills that are necessary in professions across the disciplines. Offered as ARTH 316, ARTH 416, HUMN 316, and HUMN 416. Counts as a Local & Global Engagement course.
ARTH 425. Art at the Crossroads of Religion: Polytheistic, Christian, and Islamic Art in Antiquity. 3 Units.
People often single out the reign of Constantine (A.D. 306-337) as the point in history when Rome transformed from a polytheistic empire to a Christian empire. This course questions the strict divide between the categories of "pagan" and "Christian" in Rome in the imperial period and beyond. Through a close examination of the artistic and architectural record, students will come to understand that this dichotomy is a modern invention; for people living in the Roman Empire, religious identities were extraordinarily fluid. Indeed, traditional polytheistic religion and Christianity remained closely intertwined for centuries after Constantine "Christianized" the Empire. Moreover, religious pluralism had been a fundamental part of Roman culture since the founding of ancient Rome. We will survey a range of material culture, including public statuary, sarcophagi, silver hordes, and temples and churches. We will also examine sites such as the border city of Dura-Europos in Syria to explore how religious identities in the Roman Empire (including Judaism, early Christianity, and so-called mystery cults) intertwined even when Rome was still supposedly a "pagan" Empire. The course pays particular attention to the art and architecture produced under Constantine, whom people today often remember as Rome's first Christian emperor but who represents, in fact, a complex amalgam of polytheistic and monotheistic practices and identities. We will also explore how Christian art slowly but ultimately became the predominant visual culture in the Roman Empire. Finally, we will examine how Early Islamic art and architecture exploited the Greco-Roman visual tradition to the ends of this new religion. Offered as ARTH 325, ARTH 425 and CLSC 325. Counts as a CAS Global & Cultural Diversity course.
ARTH 429. Marvels of Rome: Monuments and Their Decoration in the Roman Empire. 3 Units.
This course examines some of the most famous monuments of the Roman Empire, including Nero's Golden House, the Colosseum, the Pantheon, Hadrian's Villa at Tivoli, and the lavish villa of Piazza Armerina in Sicily. We will study each monument in depth, delving into the architecture, paintings, sculptures, mosaics, and social functions of each monument. Students will learn how to analyze artistic and archaeological evidence, ancient textual evidence (poems, prose, and inscriptions), and secondary scholarship to reconstruct the visual appearances and historical and cultural contexts of the monuments in questions. Throughout the course, students will gain a new appreciation and deeper understanding of some of the most iconic buildings of the classical tradition. Offered as ARTH 329, ARTH 429, and CLSC 329. Counts as a CAS Global & Cultural Diversity course.
ARTH 433. Greek and Roman Painting. 3 Units.
Greek vase painting, Etruscan tomb painting and Roman wall painting. The development of monumental painting in antiquity. Offered as ARTH 333, CLSC 333, and ARTH 433.
ARTH 435. Issues in Ancient Art. 3 Units.
Various topics in Ancient art. Lectures, discussions and reports. Offered as ARTH 335 and ARTH 435.
ARTH 436. Representations of War in Ancient Rome. 3 Units.
Few societies in history have been as militaristic as ancient Rome--or as proud of their warrior culture. This course examines the many ways that Romans constructed and contested their conceptions of war from the founding of the Roman Republic in 509 B.C.E. to the reign of Constantine (306-337 C.E.). Why did Romans choose to represent war in certain ways, and how did these artistic representations shape Romans' military values? What can the visual record tell us about how different groups (soldiers, women, slaves) experienced war in the Roman world? We will explore major public monuments in the city of Rome (including triumphal arches and the Colosseum) and private objects (such as silver drinking vessels) to observe how Roman militarism pervaded different walks of life. We will also examine monuments on the edges of Rome's empire, such as the towering trophies in modern France and Romania, to explore how works of art and architecture mediated the relationship between Romans and the peoples they conquered. Students will be encouraged to think about how art and architecture contributed to the construction of militarism as a chief Roman value, but also about how visual representations provided an important means to debate the value of Rome's military efforts, to subvert Rome's rigidly hierarchical social order, and to grapple with what it meant to "be Roman" as wars transformed Rome from a small city in Italy to a massive, pan-Mediterranean empire. After exploring Romans' conceptions of war and victory, students also may ask whether the common comparison between the Roman Empire and modern America is appropriate. Offered as ARTH 336, ARTH 436, CLSC 336 and CLSC 436. Counts as a CAS Global & Cultural Diversity course.
ARTH 441. Issues in the Art of Japan. 3 Units.
This is a topics course. Each offering will focus on a specific topic within the area of Japanese art. Sample topics may include: Muromachi Hanging Scrolls, Ryoan-ji Temple Garden Architecture, Rimpa School Panel Screens, Buddhist Panting in the Edo Period. Lectures, discussions, and reports. Offered as ARTH 341 and ARTH 441.
ARTH 444. Archaeology of the Ancient World. 3 Units.
This course examines the great civilizations of the ancient world, particularly those of the Ancient Near East, Egypt, Greece and Rome, through the archaeological record. Each of these geographic areas and their respective cultures will be individually explored, but also examined within a broader historical context. Particular focus will be placed on the social, political, religious, and economic ideas that were exchanged across Mesopotamia, Anatolia, the Levant and the Mediterranean and the influence this interconnectivity had on these ancient societies. Offered as ANEE 344, ANEE 444, ANTH 344, ANTH 444, ARTH 344, ARTH 444, CLSC 344 and CLSC 444. Counts as a CAS Global & Cultural Diversity course.
ARTH 449. Gothic Art: Vision and Matter. 3 Units.
This course will examine the development and dissemination of Gothic art in Western Europe in the High and Late Middle Ages. We will consider a variety of media, including architecture, metalwork, sculpture, manuscript illumination, panel paintings, fresco cycles, and small devotional objects. As we study medieval art in its socio-historical contexts--private and public, monastic and political, liturgical and lay--we will pay special attention to issues of patronage, relationships between texts and images, the introduction of visionary and mystical devotion, attitudes towards education and authority, differences between male and female piety, modes of medieval viewing, and reception and manipulation of art by medieval audiences. Visits to the CMA will form an integral part of the course. Offered as ARTH 349 and ARTH 449. Counts as a CAS Global & Cultural Diversity course.
ARTH 450. Issues in Medieval Art. 3 Units.
Various topics in Medieval Art. Lectures, discussions, and reports. Offered as ARTH 350 and ARTH 450.
ARTH 453. Sixteenth Century Italian Art. 3 Units.
The development of the High Renaissance and Mannerist styles in Italy and late 16th century trends: painting and sculpture. Offered as ARTH 353 and ARTH 453.
ARTH 454. Global Renaissance Art. 3 Units.
As a result of Roman Catholic missions to Africa and Asia, colonial occupation in Latin America, and mercantile trade with the Ottoman empire, European artists and patrons developed increasingly complex modes of cultural production in the early modern period. Adopting an interdisciplinary approach that encompasses art, anthropology, history, and literature, this course reassesses the geographic parameters of the Renaissance and asks students to consider what words like "native" and "foreign" might have meant in the 15th-17th centuries. Course readings will be available on Canvas. Requirements: a series of short, critical reflection papers; a longer 12-15 pg. research paper, and active participation in class discussions and group activities. Separate requirements will apply to graduate students. Offered as ARTH 354 and ARTH 454.
ARTH 456. Medieval Matters: The Monstrous, the Macabre, the Miraculous. 3 Units.
This course will explore three distinct but interrelated topics in medieval visual culture, which haunt the modern world as well. We will first study the concepts of the monsters and the monstrous in medieval Europe, as they were manifested in visual, literary, and cryptozoological production. From monster theory to monster culture, we will look at the anxieties that the monsters--those from the edges, those from within--have written on the body of medieval art. These same anxieties, rooted in the fear of difference, manifest themselves in the macabre art: the art of living death that predicated material universe of the late Middle Ages. We will explore the ghosts and the revenants, the living corpses and the nimble skeletons that populate medieval murals, manuscripts, and sculpture. All this is wrapped into the notion of the miraculous, both wondrous and dangerous at once. Here, the focus will be on female bodies, seen as monstrous, macabre, and miraculous at once. Students should be prepared to discuss these topics both within the context of medieval Europe and within our own historical moment. Offered as ARTH 356 and ARTH 456.
ARTH 458. Medieval Body. 3 Units.
This course will explore the meanings and representations of the body in western medieval culture. Topics will include bleeding bodies, fragmented bodies, lactating bodies, labile bodies, cosmic bodies, physiological bodies, mystical bodies, suffering bodies, edible bodies, enclosed bodies, gendered bodies, Christ's bodies, Mary's bodies, decomposing bodies, macabre bodies, resurrected bodies, dead bodies, intercessory bodies, unhinging bodies, translucent bodies, martyred bodies, desirable bodies, desirous bodies, abhorrent bodies, mimetic bodies, nude bodies, marginalized bodies, defleshed bodies, social bodies, political bodies, monstrous bodies, mnemonic bodies, and deformed bodies. We will explore the complex rhetoric of embodiment as it manifests itself in the ambiguous discourse--both medieval and contemporary--on the relationships between the material and intangible, spiritual and physical, somatic and mental, corporeal and ethereal. Offered as ARTH 358 and ARTH 458. Counts as a CAS Global & Cultural Diversity course.
ARTH 460. Renaissance Art in Northern Europe. 3 Units.
Painting, sculpture, and the graphic arts in Belgium, France, Germany, and The Netherlands, 1400-1580, highlighting the careers and contributions of specific artists such as Jan van Eyck, Albrecht Durer, and Pieter Bruegel. We will also analyze the changing social, cultural, religious, and political circumstances of the art made during this period, which saw the invention of printmaking, the Protestant Revolution, and increased strife between rulers and their subjects. The rise of new subjects such as landscape and scene of everyday life will be explored, and changes in patronage will be discussed, concentrating on the shift from church and noble patronage to increasingly middle-class patronage related to the beginnings of the open art market. Offered as ARTH 360 and ARTH 460. Counts as a CAS Global & Cultural Diversity course.
ARTH 461. 17th-Century Art in Belgium and The Netherlands. 3 Units.
The arts of painting, drawing, and printmaking in Belgium and The Netherlands are discussed in relationship to political, social, cultural, and religious contexts. We will explore the careers and production of individual artists such as Rubens, Van Dyck, Hals, Rembrandt, and Vermeer. Developments in new subjects, artistic specialization, and the expansion of the open market are seen as important factors in shaping Belgian and Dutch art. Offered as ARTH 361 and ARTH 461. Counts as a CAS Global & Cultural Diversity course.
ARTH 462. Issues in Early Modern Southern European Art. 3 Units.
Various topics in the art of southern Europe, 1400-1800. Lectures, discussions, reports, and gallery visits in the CMA. Offered as ARTH 362 and ARTH 462. Counts as a CAS Global & Cultural Diversity course.
ARTH 467. 17th and 18th Century Art in France. 3 Units.
A Survey of the arts of painting, sculpture and architecture in France from 1600-1780, a period in which France became the leading political and cultural power in Europe. We will focus on the relationship between the arts and changing social, cultural, religious and political circumstances at a time that saw the rise of the absolute state before the French Revolution, the increased use of art for political propaganda, and the burgeoning of a consumer culture in the middle class. Offered as ARTH 367 and ARTH 467. Counts as a CAS Global & Cultural Diversity course.
ARTH 468. Doors Wide Shut: The Private Art Collection from Raphael to Rauschenberg. 3 Units.
A child's room is often stocked with marvels: bird nests, shells, shiny stones, books, and drawings. The great art collections of the Renaissance began in much the same way as these playful assemblages. From cabinets of curiosities containing treasures from foreign lands, to paintings of nude women by Titian and Raphael, these early collections marked the beginning of the modern art museum. What do the hoarding tendencies of the Jesuit Athanasius Kircher (1601-1680), founder of the `Kircherianum--a museum filled with taxidermy animals and mechanical inventions--have in common with Ronald Lauder's recent and widely publicized purchase of a Gustav Klimt painting for $135 million? Famous American art collectors of the 19th & 20th centuries like Henry Clay Frick, Isabella Stewart Gardner, and Peggy Guggenheim opened these formerly private realms of display to the public, revealing the complex motives and politics inherent to the practice of art collection. This course will focus first on the conceptual issues that informed early modern collecting in the western world, and subsequently the way that these ideas and modalities later inflected and shaped the history of modern collecting--particularly in the private sector in Europe and America. Offered as: ARTH 368 and ARTH 468. Counts as a CAS Global & Cultural Diversity course.
ARTH 474. Impressionism to Symbolism. 3 Units.
Major developments in European painting and sculpture during the latter half of the nineteenth century. Post-impressionism synthetism, symbolism, and the arts and crafts movement considered in their socio-cultural contexts. Works of Degas, Manet, Monet, Klimt, Bocklin, Gauguin, etc. Offered as ARTH 374 and ARTH 474.
ARTH 479. Issues in 19th Century Art. 3 Units.
Various topics in 19th century art, with class lectures, discussions and reports. Consult department for current topic. Offered as ARTH 379 and ARTH 479.
ARTH 482. Art, Eco-criticism, and the Environment. 3 Units.
As issues of sustainability and environmental impact have become increasingly dominant concerns in contemporary society, eco-criticism has emerged as a vital methodological thread across the humanities. Motivated by ethical as well as scholarly concerns, eco-criticism not only enacts a fundamental examination of nature as an ideological construct, but also seeks to investigate the complex interrelationship between humanity and the environment. Concurrently, there has been a marked interest in studying the role of "green issues" in contemporary art, particularly in tracing the development of earth art or eco-art from the early 1970s to the present. The goal of this seminar is to forge a link between these two emergent strands by tracing the complex relationship between art and the environment from the nineteenth-century to the present, seeking to thereby assess the capaciousness of eco-criticism as a methodological approach to art history. Offered as ARTH 382, ARTH 482 and ESTD 382. Counts as a CAS Global & Cultural Diversity course.
ARTH 485. Issues in the History of Industrial Design. 3 Units.
One of the most momentous occurrences of the 20th and 21st Centuries has received surprisingly little attention: the transformation in how nearly everything around us is designed and made. Chairs, desks, pens, cars, stoves, refrigerators, printing presses, lighting fixtures, and children's toys all look very different than they did a century ago, and often are made through manufacturing process and out of materials that did not exist then. The history of industrial design can be traced back to the 19th century, and to the writings of social reformers such as William Morris and the teachings of progressive art schools such as the Bauhaus, which introduced a machine-made look and many classic modern designs, such as the Wassily Chair by Marcel Breuer. But the term industrial design was only coined in 1929, and modern industrial design, which brought together careful analysis of engineering, manufacturing, marketing, styling, branding and streamlining--really dates from that period through the creations of a group of pioneering, unheralded American geniuses, such as Raymond Lowie, Norman Bel Geddes, Henry Dreyfuss, Walter Dorwin Teague, Brooks Stevens, Russel Wright, Eliot Noyes, Viktor Schreckengost, and Harley Earl. In broad strokes, this class will lay out a history of industrial design from its origins until today. It will combine discussion of the work of historically significant figures, who established the basic framework of the field, with analysis of products being made today, by figures such as Dieter Rams, Jony Ive, and Philippe Starck. The class will also include a tour of and introduction to the Industrial Design program of the Cleveland Institute of Art, established by the great industrial designer and artist Viktor Schreckengost in 1933. The class will also view objects from the collections of the Western Reserve Historical Society, the Cleveland Museum of Art, and other arts institutions in the Greater Cleveland area. Offered as ARTH 385 and ARTH 485.
ARTH 486. Issues in American Art. 3 Units.
Various topics in American art. Each offering will focus on a specific topic within American art. Lectures, discussions, and report. The course will entail regular oral classroom reports and short writing assignments as well as a final paper. Producing an intellectually significant final paper is the major goal of the class. Graduate students are expected to produce a final paper of greater length than Undergraduates and that shows evidence of original scholarship. Offered as ARTH 386 and ARTH 486.
ARTH 489A. M.A. Qualifying Paper. 3 Units.
Individual research and intensive study of a specific topic in art history that culminates in a written M.A. Qualifying Paper. Prereq: To be taken only after completion of 18 credit hours of graduate Art History coursework.
ARTH 489B. M.A. Qualifying Paper Revisions. 1 Unit.
Revisions of the M.A. Qualifying Paper undertaken under the supervision of both QP readers. Prereq: ARTH 489A.
ARTH 490A. Visual Arts and Museums I. 3 Units.
This course examines the idea of the art museum in both its historical and contemporary manifestations, focusing on the context of Western Europe and the United States. As a result of this course, students should be familiar with the following topics: the historic development of the museum, from its origins in collecting practices to its modern incarnation as an institution; the development and care of a collection, including acquisition, cataloguing, and conservation; the display and housing of a collection, including internal and external museum architecture; the study and interpretation of the collection/exhibition, considering diverse publics; the governance of the institution, including project management, finance, and administration. Through the study of these topics, the student should be familiar with the following concepts: the museum as a place for learning, research and scholarship and the museum as steward of cultural property and the attendant issues of ethics and the law. ARTH 490A concentrates on museum collections and related aspects of care, research, interpretation and scholarship. Students who successfully complete ARTH 490A and ARTH 490B may be considered for admission into ARTH 491A, a supervised internship in an art museum or gallery situation.
ARTH 490B. Visual Arts and Museums II. 3 Units.
This course examines the idea of the art museum in both its historical and contemporary manifestations, focusing on the context of Western Europe and the United States. As a result of this course, students should be familiar with the following topics: the historic development of the museum, from its origins in collecting practices to its modern incarnation as an institution; the development and care of a collection, including acquisition, cataloguing, and conservation; the display and housing of a collection, including internal and external museum architecture; the study and interpretation of the collection/exhibition, considering diverse publics; the governance of the institution, including project management, finance, and administration. Through the study of these topics, the student should be familiar with the following concepts: the museum as a place for learning, research and scholarship and the museum as steward of cultural property and the attendant issues of ethics and the law. ARTH 490B concentrates on the museum as an institution, including physical aspects, management and governance, and as a site of learning. The inter-connections between these broad fields and individual departments will be demonstrated and reinforced throughout the semester. Students who successfully complete ARTH 490A and ARTH 490B may be considered for admission into ARTH 491A, a supervised internship in an art museum or gallery situation.
ARTH 491A. Visual Arts and Museums: Internship. 1 Unit.
First semester of required museum internship. Prereq: 490A and 490B.
ARTH 491B. Visual Arts and Museums: Internship. 3 Units.
Second semester of Internship sequence. This internship focuses on the implementation of a comprehensive project that would serve a function similar to the requirement of a qualifying paper for the completion of a master's degree in art history. It is recommended that students undertake this internship in the same division in which their first internship was situated although students may find opportunities to parlay the skills acquired in the first internship to successful advanced work in another division. The key distinction here is that the work in ARTH 491B should build upon the expertise developed in ARTH 491A and represent a significant advance in responsibilities and skills. By week 10 of ARTH 491A, students should begin to identify a potential project for ARTH 491B. By the first week of the semester in which ARTH 491B is to be completed, the student must file an internship agreement form with the department that includes a brief description of the project to be completed, including a summary of the project and major milestones/time line. In addition to working under the direct supervision of a museum mentor, the student must obtain a faculty mentor for the project and this information should be included in the internship agreement form. Students must file a mid-term and final report describing their duties and responsibilities and a self-assessment of their performance and a final portfolio with a final version of their project as well as examples of drafts and feedback received in the course of completing the project. Students must also keep a journal that tracks their milestones in completing their projects. The faculty supervisor will solicit a letter of assessment from the internship supervisor immediately upon the close of the internship and in sufficient time for final grades. Prereq: ARTH 490A, ARTH 490B and ARTH 491A.
ARTH 492. Issues in 20th/21st Century Art. 3 Units.
Various topics in 20th/21st century art, with class lectures, discussions, and reports. Offered as ARTH 392 and ARTH 492.
ARTH 493. Contemporary Art: Critical Directions. 3 Units.
An examination of the directions taken by avant-garde American art and criticism in the aftermath of Abstract Expressionism. Includes the rise and fall of modernism in the 1960s and '70s, as well as an investigation of Post-modern trends and theories. Offered as ARTH 393 and ARTH 493.
ARTH 494A. Directed Readings in Asian Art. 1 - 3 Units.
Directed reading.
ARTH 494B. Ancient Art. 1 - 3 Units.
ARTH 494C. Medieval Art. 1 - 3 Units.
ARTH 494D. Renaissance and Baroque Art. 1 - 3 Units.
ARTH 494E. American Art. 1 - 3 Units.
ARTH 494F. Modern Art. 1 - 3 Units.
ARTH 495. Methodologies of Art History. 3 Units.
The study of art history as a discipline in its practical and theoretical aspects. Consideration given to research methods, style and historical context, and a critical examination of selected major art historical texts with a view to understanding traditional as well as recent approaches. Special attention is given to art historical writing, employing selected original works in the Cleveland Museum of Art. Required of first-year graduate students in the Ph.D. and Master's programs.
ARTH 496. Materials, Methods, and Physical Examination of Works of Art. 3 Units.
This foundational course will introduce students to the examination methods, terminology and goals of art conservation as it supports art historical research and practice. Students will learn about the various materials that make up different kinds of works of art, how these materials have been used, and what can be learned by the physical examination of works of art. Emphasis will be placed on understanding the uses of and results obtained with imaging techniques (such as X-radiography, infrared reflectography) and on what can be learned through the trained use of the human eye alone. While art from the western tradition, particularly from the 14th through the 21st centuries will be emphasized in class examples, comparisons will be made to objects from other global cultures. The growing field of technical art history, where the results of physical examination are used to illuminate art historical issues such as how workshops functioned, will be considered as well. Each student will research one work of art in the Cleveland Museum of Art or other local collections to understand the physical history and current condition of that object. The goal will be for students to gain an informed understanding of how to evaluate the condition of a work of art, of what options are available for conservation treatment, and of what art-historical information can be obtained through physical examination.
ARTH 497. Contemporary Art in East Asia. 3 Units.
This course will explore modern and contemporary art and visual culture in East Asia produced since the mid-twentieth century with a focus on major artistic movements and artists active in China, Japan, and Korea. Encountering complicated geopolitical and socioeconomic conditions in the post-war era, a series of experimental and radical artistic, cultural, and political movements have emerged in East Asia. The course will map the critical topographies of Asian art from 1945 to the 1980s through the exploration of the following: post-war art and experimental art in Japan and Korea, Chinese art during the Cultural Revolution, material culture in Japanese Mono-ha and Korean Dansaekhwa, and art of resistance in China and Korea in the 1980s. The course will also investigate contemporary Asian art and visual culture focusing on its global turn from the late 1980s. Fueled by international geopolitical change, economic boom, and the impact of globalization, art in Asia or by Asian artists has gained a high level of international visibility and taken a central position in contemporary art exhibitions and art criticism. This visual, social, and theoretical development in the recent art in Asia will be examined through key issues and themes: art's revisiting of tradition and history, its exploration of body and identity, the impact of consumerism and popular culture, and its engagement with public space and the urban environment. Offered as ARTH 397 and ARTH 497. Counts as a CAS Global & Cultural Diversity course.
ARTH 512. Seminar in Ancient Art. 3 Units.
ARTH 530. Byzantine Visual Culture. 3 Units.
This seminar will focus on various aspects of Byzantine visual culture, possibly including monumental and small-scale architecture, architectural decoration (such as mosaics and wall paintings), as well as fixed and portable objects of various materials. Examples of class subjects include "The Byzantine Cult of the Virgin Mary: Image, Ritual, Text;" and "The Agency of Monastic Visual Culture in Byzantium."
ARTH 545. Seminar in Medieval Art. 3 Units.
ARTH 551. Seminar in Early Modern Southern European Art. 3 Units.
ARTH 552. Seminar in Early Modern Northern European Art. 3 Units.
ARTH 565. Seminar in American Art. 3 Units.
ARTH 570. Seminar: 19th Century Art. 3 Units.
ARTH 571. Seminar in Contemporary Art. 3 Units.
This graduate seminar explores various topics in contemporary art.
ARTH 601. Research in Art History. 1 - 18 Units.
(Credit as arranged.)
ARTH 610A. Advanced Visual Arts and Museums: Internship I. 3 Units.
First semester of the internship sequence. The intern will work under the supervision of a museum professional to plan and execute a specific project. The student must also obtain a faculty mentor for the project. An internship agreement form must be filed with the department by the end of the first week of classes that includes a brief description of the project. If it is a project to be completed in one semester, a time line should be included as well. The intern must file a mid-term and final report describing their duties and responsibilities and a self-assessment of their performance. A portfolio kept in the department will include the final version of their project as it stands at the end of the semester, as well as examples of drafts and any evaluation received in the course of completing the project. The intern must also keep a journal that tracks their milestones in the execution of their project. The faculty supervisor will solicit a letter of assessment from the museum supervisor immediately upon the close of the internship and in sufficient time to assign a final grade.
ARTH 610B. Advanced Visual Arts and Museums Internship II. 3 Units.
Second semester of the internship sequence. The intern will either continue with the execution of the project begun in the first semester (ARTH 610A) or, when appropriate, undertake a new project. The intern will work under the supervision of a museum professional, and must obtain a faculty mentor for the project. An internship agreement form must be filed with the department by the end of the first week of classes that includes a brief description of the project. A time line should be included as well. The intern must file a mid-term and final report describing their duties and responsibilities and a self-assessment of their performance. A portfolio kept in the department will include the final version of their project as it stands at the end of the semester, as well as examples of drafts and any evaluation received in the course of completing the project. The intern must also keep a journal that tracks their milestones in the execution of their project. The faculty supervisor will solicit a letter of assessment from the museum supervisor immediately upon the close of the internship and in sufficient time to assign a final grade. Prereq: ARTH 610A.
ARTH 701. Dissertation Ph.D.. 1 - 9 Units.
(Credit as arranged.) Prereq: Predoctoral research consent or advanced to Ph.D. candidacy milestone.
ARTS (Art Studio)
ARTS 101. Design and Color I. 3 Units.
Organizational and structural projects as a basis for the development of style. Studies in line, texture, shape, space, value, color, and two dimensional composition through studio problems, art studio media and techniques.
ARTS 106. Creative Drawing I. 3 Units.
Development of graphic fluency in black and white through direct observation of nature and the model. Drawing as a means of enlarging visual sensitivity using a wide range of media and subject matter. Work from nude model.
ARTS 150. Introduction To New Media Art. 3 Units.
This studio course explores the theories and practices of screen-based new media art. Students will manipulate video, audio, images and text to create new media artworks. The class will use free, open source tools as well as Adobe Creative Cloud apps. This class will examine the emerging culture of contemporary new media art and its historical antecedents. There are no prerequisites. Students will need to provide their own laptops and purchase access to Creative Cloud apps through UTech.
ARTS 200. Introduction to Graphic Design. 3 Units.
This course introduces students to the principles and practices of graphic design. Students will explore visual communication and the elements of design through a series of projects for print and screen. Students will experiment with composition, apply color theory, explore typography and develop both vector and raster drawing skills. The course examines the history of graphic design and visual culture, as well as contemporary directions in the field. Students in the course use Adobe Illustrator, Photoshop and InDesign; software access is provided in the Art Studio lab. Prereq: ARTS 101 or ARTS 150.
ARTS 201. Design and Color II. 3 Units.
Continuation of ARTS 101. Composition: three-dimensional projects. Advanced work in the properties and uses of color and materials. Prereq: ARTS 101.
ARTS 202. Introduction to Printmaking. 3 Units.
This course is an introduction to fine art printmaking. Students will learn the technical, conceptual, and formal skills required to produce artworks in the printmaking medium. They will explore a variety of fine art printmaking processes: relief printing, monotype, intaglio, planograph, and monoprinting. Through these explorations, students will gain a deeper understanding of how to convey concepts through the printmaking form. Class sessions will comprise independent and collaborative printing, and lecture, demonstrations, discussion, and critique. Students will be introduced to the work of artists and the history/tradition of fine art prints. Prereq: ARTS 101 or ARTS 206.
ARTS 206. Creative Drawing II. 3 Units.
Continuation of ARTS 106. Advanced work in graphic representation. Development of visual acuity and a personal drawing style while working in color. Work from nude model. Prereq: ARTS 106.
ARTS 210. Enameling and Jewelry I. 3 Units.
Techniques in the application of vitreous enamel on copper and of constructed metal jewelry. Technical skill and suitability of design as applied to the medium.
ARTS 212. Weaving, Fibers, and Textiles I. 3 Units.
Learn basic concepts and methods for designing textile surfaces: fabric painting and dyeing. Construct textiles using off-loom weaving and interlacing techniques. Emphasis on development of technical skills, application of design concepts and personal expression.
ARTS 214. Ceramics I. 3 Units.
The techniques of hand building in pinch, coil and slab methods. Development of sensitivity to design and form. Basic work in stoneware, earthenware, and glazing.
ARTS 216. Painting I. 3 Units.
The creative, conceptual, visual, and technical aspects of painting. Style ranging from naturalism to abstraction. Work in acrylic and mixed media.
ARTS 220. Photography Studio I. 3 Units.
Camera, film, and darkroom techniques. Development of basic black and white perceptual and photographic skills. Darkroom and photographic field and lab work. 35mm camera required.
ARTS 286. Introduction to Video Game Design. 3 Units.
Game design creates meaningful play through interactive experiences. This introductory studio-based course explores games through the development and creation of 2D video games. The course aims to provide a critical vocabulary and historical context for analyzing games and gaming theory and focuses on the skills and techniques necessary to develop 2D video games.
ARTS 295. Contemporary Approaches to Teaching Art. 3 Units.
This course introduces teacher candidates to contemporary approaches to and practices for the teaching of art in elementary, middle, and secondary school settings. Teacher candidates develop age-appropriate original art curricula that address significant themes and issues in the lives of students and the communities in which they live. Teacher candidates learn current instructional methods designed to meet the needs of contemporary learners, and authentic strategies for assessing learning. Local, state, and national learning standards will also be covered.
ARTS 300. Art For Different Futures. 3 Units.
The COVID-19 pandemic and the movements for social justice (Black Lives Matter, Me Too) are rapidly and dynamically altering long-held conceptions about the role of art in society. The culture industries (along with many other sectors) have been forced to re-examine the viability and utility of their current models, and the assumptions these models are predicated upon. Art institutions are in the process of reconciling their complicated and often contradictory relationship with white, sexist, ableist, and classist ideology, in which they have tacitly perpetuated dominant structures and perspectives while rhetorically advocating for reform and radical change. In this course, we will explore this contemporary cultural moment and unravel the seismic changes that have brought uncertainty to the art world. We will speculate potential futures free of racism, sexism, homophobia, ableism, and classism, and the role that art could play within those possible futures. And we will explore alternative conceptions of art with the potential to instigate those futures through a focus on social engagement, community, and radical inclusion. Offered as ARTH 310, ARTH 410, ARTS 300, and ARTS 400.
ARTS 301. Video Art: Experimental Approaches to Time-Based Meaning-Making And Personal Expression. 3 Units.
This course explores unconventional and experimental approaches to meaning-making through the medium of video. Since its introduction in the 1970s, artists have used video technology to push against and critique the constraints of traditional art mediums and narrative forms of cinema and television. The accessibility and low-cost of the video medium affords artists the freedom to express intimately personal views and lived experiences and to develop radical and unorthodox approaches to time-based art-making. Students will learn to use video as an experimental and expressive medium to explore personal experience and sociopolitical views. They will manipulate and play with space, time, and form. And most importantly, students will gain a greater understanding of the possibilities and potential of the moving image to respond to, comment upon and critique traditional media forms and texts. Offered as ARTS 301 and ARTS 401. Prereq: ARTS 101 or ARTS 150.
ARTS 302. Architecture and City Design I. 3 Units.
The social spatial, and aesthetic elements in architecture; the components of the building: the window, door, roof, enclosing walls, and character of interior and exterior space. Projects related to small, intimate scale and residential structures. Lectures, field trips, studio experiences. Recommended ARTS 101 or ARTS 106 courses prior to enrollment. Offered as ARTS 302 and ARTS 402.
ARTS 303. Architecture and City Design II. 3 Units.
The social, spatial, and aesthetic elements of the urban setting of architecture, the organizational components of the city, the path, the node, the edge, and the grid. Projects related to large-scale and public buildings and their relationship to the encompassing visual world. Lectures, field trips, studio experiences. Recommended ARTS 101 or ARTS 106 courses prior to enrollment. Offered as ARTS 303 and ARTS 403.
ARTS 304. Architecture and City Design III. 3 Units.
A study of historic precedents and the social implications of modern and contemporary architecture including analysis and form interpretation as it relates to building and materials technologies. Practical application and synthesis of architectural knowledge through site visits and research of local and regional architecture. Discussions of historic and contemporary architects, engineers and significant architecture and engineering firms. Prereq: ARTS 302 and ARTS 303.
ARTS 307. Emerging Technology in Art + Design Education. 3 Units.
This course focuses on the integration of emerging technologies into art and design education. The teaching of digital technologies appropriate for young people, adolescents, and adults in formal K-12 classroom settings and informal learning environments will be highlighted. Students will gain hands-on experience with creating expressive art in a variety of emerging technologies and media. Strategies for integrating emerging media into art and design curriculum will also be explored. Offered as ARTS 307 and ARTS 407. Prereq: ARTS 101.
ARTS 310. Enameling and Jewelry II. 3 Units.
Continuation of ARTS 210. Advanced enameling and jewelry techniques applied to copper or silver, cloisonne, champleve, basse taille, plique-jour. Creative use of design principles and jewelry techniques. Prereq: ARTS 210.
ARTS 312. Weaving, Fibers, and Textiles II. 3 Units.
Continuation of ARTS 212. Exploration of a selected area of textiles in surface design or constructed textiles. Development of a personal aesthetic through design and execution of a series of projects. Prereq: ARTS 212.
ARTS 314. Ceramics II. 3 Units.
Continuation of ARTS 214. Problematic approach to technical aspects of ceramics; experience in wheel throwing and option of hand-building. Experimentation with glaze and clay body formulation available. Prereq: ARTS 214.
ARTS 316. Painting II. 3 Units.
The creative, conceptual, visual and technical aspects of painting. Styles ranging from expressionism, cubism, surrealism and abstraction. Work in acrylic and mixed media leading to the development of personal painting style. Prereq: ARTS 216.
ARTS 320. Photography Studio II. 3 Units.
Continuation of ARTS 220. Advanced theory and black and white techniques. Development of personal aesthetic encouraged. Field work. 35mm camera required. Prereq: ARTS 220.
ARTS 322. Digital Photography I. 3 Units.
Introduction of color and digital photography. A systematic approach to the digital photography workflow and its application to creative photography. History of the medium. Field and computer lab work. Advanced amateur digital camera required. Prereq: ARTS 220.
ARTS 323. Creative Digital Photography II. 3 Units.
Creative Digital Photography II: Advanced theory and techniques of the digital photography workflow and its application to creative photography. Field and computer lab work. Advanced amateur digital camera and access to Photoshop CS6 required. Prereq: ARTS 322.
ARTS 325. Creative Photography. 3 Units.
Creative photography through photographing and responding to photographs. The question of self-expression and photographic medium explored in the pursuit of understanding images. Prereq: ARTS 220 and ARTS 320 or ARTS 322.
ARTS 365. Capstone Seminar for Art Teachers. 4 Units.
Student teacher candidates will critically reflect upon their concurrent student teaching experiences, contextualizing those experiences within and connecting those experiences with the art teaching practices they have learned in the program. Topics covered will include organization and management of a K- 12 art program, including planning, development, and evaluation of teaching materials, lessons, and units. Counts as a SAGES Senior Capstone course. Prereq: ARTS 295 or ARTS 602, and ARTS 393 or ARTS 493. Coreq: ARTS 366A and ARTS 366B or ARTS 466A and ARTS 466B.
ARTS 365B. Design and Color. 3 Units.
Advanced design projects determined in consultation with instructor. Prereq: ARTS 101 and ARTS 201.
ARTS 365C. Enameling and Jewelry. 3 Units.
Advanced enameling and jewelry projects determined in consultation with instructor. Prereq: ARTS 210 and ARTS 310.
ARTS 365D. B&W Photography Studio. 3 Units.
Advanced black and white projects determined in consultation with instructor. Prereq: ARTS 220 and ARTS 320.
ARTS 365G. Ceramics. 3 Units.
Advanced ceramics projects determined in consultation with instructor. Prereq: ARTS 214 and ARTS 314.
ARTS 366A. Student Teaching in Art: Pre-K - 6th Grade. 4 Units.
Teaching art for early childhood, elementary, and middle school students in a school setting. Includes art curriculum development, implementation, and assessment. Professional standards and practices. Offered as ARTS 366A and ARTS 466A. Prereq: ARTS 295, ARTS 300, ARTS 385, ARTS 386, ARTS 387, and ARTS 393. Coreq: ARTS 366B and ARTS 465.
ARTS 366B. Student Teaching in Art: 7th - 12th Grade. 4 Units.
Teaching adolescents and young adults art in a school setting. Includes art curriculum development, implementation, assessment and classroom management. Professional standards and practices. Offered as ARTS 366B and ARTS 466B. Prereq: ARTS 295, ARTS 300, ARTS 385, ARTS 386, ARTS 387 and ARTS 393. Coreq: ARTS 366A and ARTS 465.
ARTS 385. Clinical Experiences. 3 Units.
This course provides teacher candidates with opportunities to observe, analyze, teach, and evaluate in elementary and secondary settings. Teacher candidates build constructive relationships with K12 students, faculty, staff, and community members at two clinical placement sites through guided observation engagement. This experience provides groundwork, connections, and continuity to student teaching. Prereq: ARTS 295 or ARTS 602.
ARTS 393. Understanding Curriculum. 3 Units.
This course provides an overview of curriculum theory by exploring curricula as historical, cultural, social, and political texts and practices. Students will interrogate the ways in which curriculum often reifies and propagates knowledge, values and beliefs that benefit the dominant culture and reinforce the normalcy of competitive capitalistic ideals, racial hierarchies, the exploitation of nature and oppressive gender binaries. Critical approaches to curriculum that defy and challenge these hegemonic conceptions of curriculum will be examined. Through the process of these explorations, students will develop an understanding of how curriculum shapes the social, political, emotional, psychological, and physical structures in which teaching and learning occur. Students will learn how to develop multilayered art curriculum that critically addresses urgent and crucial topics and themes marginalized by or neglected within contemporary K-12 curriculum. Offered as ARTS 393 and ARTS 493. Prereq: ARTS 295.
ARTS 399. Independent Study in Art Studio. 1 - 3 Units.
Independent Study in Art Studio; by permit of Director only.
ARTS 400. Art For Different Futures. 3 Units.
The COVID-19 pandemic and the movements for social justice (Black Lives Matter, Me Too) are rapidly and dynamically altering long-held conceptions about the role of art in society. The culture industries (along with many other sectors) have been forced to re-examine the viability and utility of their current models, and the assumptions these models are predicated upon. Art institutions are in the process of reconciling their complicated and often contradictory relationship with white, sexist, ableist, and classist ideology, in which they have tacitly perpetuated dominant structures and perspectives while rhetorically advocating for reform and radical change. In this course, we will explore this contemporary cultural moment and unravel the seismic changes that have brought uncertainty to the art world. We will speculate potential futures free of racism, sexism, homophobia, ableism, and classism, and the role that art could play within those possible futures. And we will explore alternative conceptions of art with the potential to instigate those futures through a focus on social engagement, community, and radical inclusion. Offered as ARTH 310, ARTH 410, ARTS 300, and ARTS 400.
ARTS 401. Video Art: Experimental Approaches to Time-Based Meaning-Making And Personal Expression. 3 Units.
This course explores unconventional and experimental approaches to meaning-making through the medium of video. Since its introduction in the 1970s, artists have used video technology to push against and critique the constraints of traditional art mediums and narrative forms of cinema and television. The accessibility and low-cost of the video medium affords artists the freedom to express intimately personal views and lived experiences and to develop radical and unorthodox approaches to time-based art-making. Students will learn to use video as an experimental and expressive medium to explore personal experience and sociopolitical views. They will manipulate and play with space, time, and form. And most importantly, students will gain a greater understanding of the possibilities and potential of the moving image to respond to, comment upon and critique traditional media forms and texts. Offered as ARTS 301 and ARTS 401.
ARTS 402. Architecture and City Design I. 3 Units.
The social spatial, and aesthetic elements in architecture; the components of the building: the window, door, roof, enclosing walls, and character of interior and exterior space. Projects related to small, intimate scale and residential structures. Lectures, field trips, studio experiences. Recommended ARTS 101 or ARTS 106 courses prior to enrollment. Offered as ARTS 302 and ARTS 402.
ARTS 403. Architecture and City Design II. 3 Units.
The social, spatial, and aesthetic elements of the urban setting of architecture, the organizational components of the city, the path, the node, the edge, and the grid. Projects related to large-scale and public buildings and their relationship to the encompassing visual world. Lectures, field trips, studio experiences. Recommended ARTS 101 or ARTS 106 courses prior to enrollment. Offered as ARTS 303 and ARTS 403.
ARTS 407. Emerging Technology in Art + Design Education. 3 Units.
This course focuses on the integration of emerging technologies into art and design education. The teaching of digital technologies appropriate for young people, adolescents, and adults in formal K-12 classroom settings and informal learning environments will be highlighted. Students will gain hands-on experience with creating expressive art in a variety of emerging technologies and media. Strategies for integrating emerging media into art and design curriculum will also be explored. Offered as ARTS 307 and ARTS 407. Prereq: ARTS 101.
ARTS 466A. Student Teaching in Art: Pre-K - 6th Grade. 4 Units.
Teaching art for early childhood, elementary, and middle school students in a school setting. Includes art curriculum development, implementation, and assessment. Professional standards and practices. Offered as ARTS 366A and ARTS 466A. Prereq: ARTS 385, ARTS 386, ARTS 387, ARTS 400, ARTS 493, and ARTS 602. Coreq: ARTS 465 and ARTS 466B.
ARTS 466B. Student Teaching in Art: 7th - 12th Grade. 4 Units.
Teaching adolescents and young adults art in a school setting. Includes art curriculum development, implementation, assessment and classroom management. Professional standards and practices. Offered as ARTS 366B and ARTS 466B. Prereq: ARTS 385, ARTS 386, ARTS 387, ARTS 400, ARTS 493, and ARTS 602. Coreq: ARTS 465 and ARTS 466A.
ARTS 493. Understanding Curriculum. 3 Units.
This course provides an overview of curriculum theory by exploring curricula as historical, cultural, social, and political texts and practices. Students will interrogate the ways in which curriculum often reifies and propagates knowledge, values and beliefs that benefit the dominant culture and reinforce the normalcy of competitive capitalistic ideals, racial hierarchies, the exploitation of nature and oppressive gender binaries. Critical approaches to curriculum that defy and challenge these hegemonic conceptions of curriculum will be examined. Through the process of these explorations, students will develop an understanding of how curriculum shapes the social, political, emotional, psychological, and physical structures in which teaching and learning occur. Students will learn how to develop multilayered art curriculum that critically addresses urgent and crucial topics and themes marginalized by or neglected within contemporary K-12 curriculum. Offered as ARTS 393 and ARTS 493. Prereq: ARTS 602.
ARTS 497. Summer Workshop in Art Education. 3 Units.
A current art education issue is covered in depth.
ARTS 602. Contemporary Approaches to Teaching Art. 3 Units.
This course introduces teacher candidates to contemporary approaches to and practices for the teaching of art in elementary, middle, and secondary school settings. Teacher candidates develop age-appropriate original art curricula that address significant themes and issues in the lives of students and the communities in which they live. Teacher candidates learn current instructional methods designed to meet the needs of contemporary learners, and authentic strategies for assessing learning. Local, state, and national learning standards will be covered. Teacher candidates will also collaboratively research emerging trends in child and adolescent education and contemporary artmaking relevant to the teaching of K-12 studio art.
ARTS 605. Final Creative Thesis. 1 - 3 Units.
Students receive individual guidance for an approved self-designed creative project from program faculty members. A public exhibition or presentation is required. By permit only.