Art History (ARTH)

Explanation of Course Descriptions, Symbols, and Terms

ARTH 201 Western Art History I (Units: 3)

Conceptual and technical relationship of visual culture to the social, political, and economic life of the Ancient Greek, Ancient Roman, Byzantine, Early Medieval, Romanesque, Gothic, Renaissance, and Southern Baroque periods.

Course Attributes:

  • C1: Arts

ARTH 202 Western Art History II (Units: 3)

Conceptual and technical relationship of visual culture to the social, political, and economic life of the Northern Baroque, Rococo, Neoclassical, Romantic, Impressionist, and Modernist periods.

Course Attributes:

  • C1: Arts

ARTH 203 Global Art History I (Units: 3)

Introductory survey of art produced globally, from the prehistoric period through the 15th century CE with an emphasis on global encounter and exchange, and practices in the digital humanities. Includes art from Asia, Africa, the Middle East, Europe, and the Americas. Explores the ways in which art is produced by local cultures and through contact with networks of trade and migration, shaped by the dynamics of power, trade, conquest, and territorial expansions.

ARTH 204 Global Art History II (Units: 3)

Introductory survey of art produced globally, from 1492 through the present, through a postcolonial and decolonial perspective. Includes art from Asia, Africa, the Middle East, Europe, and the Americas with an emphasis on cross-cultural encounters and exchanges. Explores the ways in which art is implicated in networks of trade and migration, and shaped by the dynamics of capitalism, colonialism, science, modernity, ecology, postcolonialism, feminism, and globalization.

ARTH 205 Asian Art History (Units: 3)

Conceptual and technical relationship of visual form to values in the art of China, Korea, Japan, India, Tibet, and South-East Asia.
(This course is offered as ARTH 205 and HUM 205. Students may not repeat the course under an alternate prefix.)

Course Attributes:

  • C1: Arts
  • Global Perspectives

ARTH 301 Latin American and Latino/a/x Art, 1492 to the Present (Units: 3)

Prerequisites: Restricted to Art majors and minors with sophomore standing or above or LTNS 222* or permission of the instructor.

Survey of Latin American and Latino/a/x artistic practices and architecture from 1492 to the present. Focus on cross-cultural exchange with East and South East Asia, Europe, and West Africa. Emphasis on the impact of socio-political contexts on the production of art and architecture.
(This course is offered as ARTH 301 and LTNS 301. Students may not repeat the course under an alternate prefix.)

ARTH 306 Modern and Contemporary Art in a North American and European Context, 1945-present (Units: 3)

Prerequisites: Restricted to Art majors and minors and M.F.A. Art students; sophomore standing or above; ARTH 202 or equivalent recommended; or permission of the instructor.

Overview of modern and contemporary art since 1945 as it has been practiced and exhibited in the North American and Western European art world. Introduction to canonical and non-canonical modern and contemporary works of art. Emphasis on the ways in which art and art history engage with social and political processes. Themes and topics include abstraction, artistic medium, pop art, minimalism, site-specificity, earth art, conceptual art, performance art, video art, queer and feminist practices, politics of identity, appropriation, social practice, activist art, globalization, art and climate change, and art and disability.

ARTH 400GW Writing About Art - GWAR (Units: 3)

Prerequisites: Restricted to upper-division Art majors; GE Area A2; or permission of the instructor.

Introduction to basic art historical methodologies with an emphasis on formal analysis and formal description of works of art. (ABC/NC grade only)

Course Attributes:

  • Graduation Writing Assessment

ARTH 401 Art and Archaeology of Ancient Greece (Units: 3)

Prerequisite: Upper-division standing.

Survey of Greek material culture (art, architecture, city planning, etc.) from the Bronze Age to the second century CE.
(This course is offered as CLAR 420 and ARTH 401. Students may not repeat the course under an alternate prefix.)

ARTH 402 Art and Archaeology of Ancient Rome (Units: 3)

Prerequisite: Upper-division standing or permission of the instructor.

Survey of Roman material culture (art, architecture, city planning, etc.) from the foundation of Rome to the reign of Justinian.
(This course is offered as CLAR 425 and ARTH 402. Students may not repeat the course under an alternate prefix.)

ARTH 403 Queer Art History (Units: 3)

Prerequisite: ARTH 201 or ARTH 202 recommended.

Case studies of primarily Western art. Homophobia, censorship, reconstructing gay and lesbian history, major artists, visual codes, eroticism, lesbian feminism, families and communities, racial diversity, AIDS, and other issues.
(This course is offered as ARTH 403 and SXS 405. Students may not repeat the course under an alternate prefix.)

ARTH 404 Art and Archaeology of the Mediterranean Bronze Age (Units: 3)

Prerequisite: CLAR 250 or equivalent; or permission of the instructor. Not open to students who have completed CLAR 850.

Introduction to the archaeology, architecture, art, society, and scripts of Mediterranean cultures during the Bronze Age with special emphasis on the Minoans and Mycenaeans.
(This course is offered as CLAR 550 and ARTH 404. Students may not repeat the course under an alternate prefix.)

ARTH 406 Global Renaissance and Baroque Art (Units: 3)

Prerequisites: Restricted to upper-division Art majors and minors and M.F.A. Art students; ARTH 201 or equivalent recommended;or permission of the instructor.

Painting, sculpture, and architecture of the 14th, 15th, and 16th centuries globally.

ARTH 407 Art and Archaeology of Ancient Egypt (Units: 3)

Prerequisites: GE Areas A1*, A2*, A3*, and B4* all with grades of C- or better or permission of the instructor.

Ancient Egyptian civilization from Pre-dynastic through Ptolemaic times: art, archaeology, literature, and religion with research use of Sutro Egyptian Collection.
(This course is offered as CLAR 500 and ARTH 407. Students may not repeat the course under an alternate prefix.)

Course Attributes:

  • UD-C: Arts and/or Humanities

ARTH 409 Greek Vase Painting (Units: 3)

Prerequisite: CLAR 250 or CLAR 420 or CLAR 425 or permission of the instructor.

Introduction to ancient Greek vase painting.
(This course is offered as CLAR 530 and ARTH 409. Students may not repeat the course under an alternate prefix.)

ARTH 410 Greek Sculpture (Units: 3)

Prerequisite: Upper-division standing or permission of the instructor.

Development of Greek sculpture from the late 8th century through the 2nd century BCE. Emphasis on stylistic analysis, formal development, and interpretation of both free-standing figures and programmatic architectural sculpture as social and political documents.
(This course is offered as CLAR 531 and ARTH 410. Students may not repeat the course under an alternate prefix.)

ARTH 411 South Asian Art I: Neolithic to Medieval Periods (Units: 3)

Prerequisites: Restricted to Art majors and minors and M.F.A. Art students; upper-division standing; ARTH 205 or equivalent recommended; or permission of the instructor.

Examination of artistic practices and aesthetics that inform the visual culture of South Asia (Afghanistan, Bangladesh, Bhutan, India, the Maldives, Nepal, Pakistan, and Sri Lanka), from Indus Valley culture to the 10th century. Art will be presented in the contexts of belief systems, trade, and political formations. Among the art historical subjects to be covered are: Buddhist sculptures and painting, Hindu temples, and Islamic built environments.

ARTH 412 South Asian Art II: Early Modern to Contemporary Periods (Units: 3)

Prerequisites: Restricted to Art majors and minors, M.F.A. Art students, and South Asian Studies minors; upper-division standing; ARTH 205 or equivalent recommended; or permission of the instructor.

Examination of artistic practices and aesthetics that inform the visual culture of South Asia (Afghanistan, Bangladesh, Bhutan, India, the Maldives, Nepal, Pakistan, and Sri Lanka), from the 18th century to the contemporary period. Art will be presented in the contexts of belief systems, trade, and political formations like nation-building and global alliances.

ARTH 421 Special Topics in Art History (Units: 3)

Prerequisites: Restricted to Art majors and minors and M.F.A. Art students; upper-division standing; ARTH 201, ARTH 202, or ARTH 205 or equivalent recommended; or permission of the instructor.

Investigation of specific themes, periods, styles, geographical areas, and media in art history. Topics to be specified in the class schedule. May be repeated when topics vary.

Topics:

  1. History of Photography
  2. Feminist Art Practices
  3. Vision and Meaning in Art History

ARTH 496 Art, Architecture, and Space in the Islamic World (Units: 3)

Prerequisites: GE Areas A1*, A2*, A3*, and B4* all with grades of C- or better or permission of the instructor.

The built environment of Islam through the critical reading of art, film, and literature. How places take on meaning through use and perception, sensitive to time, place, ethnicity, gender, class, and ideology.
(This course is offered as HUM 496 and ARTH 496. Students may not repeat the course under an alternate prefix.)

Course Attributes:

  • UD-C: Arts and/or Humanities
  • Global Perspectives

ARTH 516 Advanced Topics in Art History (Units: 3)

Prerequisites: Restricted to upper-division Art majors and minors and M.F.A. Art students; one 300- or 400-level Art History course; or permission of the instructor.

Investigation of advanced topics in art history. Topics to be specified in the Class Schedule. May be repeated when topics vary.

Topics:

  1. Asian American Art
  2. Art Outside the White Cube
  3. Mexican Muralism and Its Legacy in the Americas
  4. Contemporary Asian Art
  5. New Themes in Art History
  6. Queer Art Since 1980
  7. Artists' Publications and Zines

ARTH 602 Art History Seminar (Units: 3)

Prerequisites: Restricted to upper-division Art majors and minors and M.F.A. Art students; one upper-division Art History course*; or permission of the instructor.

Advanced seminar on specific topics, themes, and research methods in Art History. Topics to be specified in the Class Schedule. May be repeated when topics vary. (ABC/NC grading; CR/NC allowed)

Topics:

  1. Art and Utopia
  2. The Art and History of Monuments: Case Studies
  3. Postcolonial Encounters in Art History
  4. New Themes and Methods in Art History
  5. Art Worlds: Institutions, Publics, Communities

ARTH 700 Seminar in Art History: Theory, Criticism, and Practice (Units: 3)

Prerequisite: Restricted to graduate Art students; recommended in the first semester of graduate studies.

Seminar in art history, theory, and criticism as they apply to the creative artist. May be repeated for a total of 9 units. (Plus-minus letter grade only)

ARTH 701 Special Topics in Art History (Units: 3)

Prerequisite: Graduate standing or permission of the instructor.

Advanced research seminar in Art History. Topics to be specified in the Class Schedule. May be repeated when topics vary for a total of 18 units.

Topics:

  1. Images and Meaning
  2. Art in the Era of Posthumanism
  3. Latino/a/x Art and Institutions
  4. Contemporary Currents
  5. Alternative Spaces and Media