This course considers the visual arts in the Western tradition from prehistory through the Middle Ages. Emphasis will be placed on historical and critical analysis of key monuments and on the prerequisite technologies, as well as on various ways of looking at the visual past and present.

A consideration of the visual arts in the Western tradition. Emphasis will be placed on historical and critical analysis of key monuments and on the prerequisite technologies, as well as on various ways of looking at the visual past and present. Focus will be on the visual arts from the Renaissance to today.

This course will consider art from a specific historical era. Students will learn to analyze the cultural forms of a social, political, economic and stylistic context. The course will provide students with the ability to classify artworks of the time period, and research particular examples with theoretical depth. Students will receive a puzzle piece in a larger picture of the global history of art.

This course offers an introduction to the arts and cultures of Indigenous peoples of North, South and Central America ("Turtle Island"). It will survey First Nations, Metis, and Inuit artworks, with an emphasis on contemporary art from 1980 to the present day. It will take into account recent scholarship on the history of colonization, land claims, sovereignty and the Truth and Reconciliation Commission of Canada.

In art, the 20th century has been referred to as "The American Century." Artists in the USA have a tradition of creating new visual languages, of using new ideas and technologies, and of representing the vanguard. Where did these ideas originate, and how has the USA determined our notions of what art is? This survey course focuses on modern American artists, on the evolution and growth of modern visual culture, and on how technologies and societies impact on artistic taste. The course will address the ways that artists imagine the particularities of the regional environment and the presence of the U.S. in the context of displacement, migration and globalization. Of specific interest will be the questions of identity, place, economies of the image, techniques of vision and styles of observation.

The course will examine the history of collections, traditions of cultural representation and display, constructions of authenticity, trade and exchange.

This course is a survey of Ancient Greek Art and Archaeology, with stress on form and function plus stylistic trends and aesthetic values. The course will illuminate the cultural, social, and political life in Ancient Greece. (Also listed as CLAS*2150).

This course explores the complex world of art crime, including theft, forgery, illicit trafficking, and the destruction of cultural heritage. Students will examine the historical, legal, and ethical dimensions of art crime, analyzing famous cases such as the theft of the Mona Lisa, the looting of artifacts, and the rise of art forgers. Through discussions, case studies, and expert insights, the course delves into the role of law enforcement, international organizations, and the art market in combating these crimes.

This course provides an overview of the most significant theories of art and its history. It examines the critical practices used to write about art in the context of a broader visual culture. The course gives a foundation in methods of art historical analysis and focuses on interpretative models and multidisciplinary approaches of the twentieth and twenty-first centuries such as semiotics, post-structuralism, and psychoanalytic theory as well as socio-political theories such as feminism, critical race studies and queer theory.

This course considers visual arts during a period when the Christian church built a new synthesis out of the legacies of the late Roman Empire and its "barbarian invaders".

This course will investigate the art, architecture, and visual and material culture of Renaissance Italy in its political, social, religious, intellectual and theoretical contexts. Topics can include artistic training and practice; methods, materials and techniques of art-making; science and perspective; patronage; collectors and collecting; public monuments and domestic art; Renaissance theory; humanism; artistic biography; and other thematic contexts.

Territory occupies a significant place in the discourses on art and material culture. Key lines of inquiry related to territory include the physical, symbolic, and theoretical capturing of terrain; the creation of political, economic, environmental, social, spiritual, and intellectual domains; its potential to express human emotion and experience; and the global intermedial exchanges associated with its (re)configurations. In this course, students will explore the cultural landscapes that have helped to shape the development of artistic practice over time.

This course explores the histories, theories and practices of public art from the mid-twentieth century to today. Examining how artists engage in public space, students consider works ranging from monuments to memorials to site-specific interventions, participatory projects, and performance. Through case studies and critical readings, the course addresses themes such as activism, environmentalism, gender, tourism, Indigenous perspectives, and museum practices. Students will analyze the evolving role of public art in shaping collective memory, challenging power structures, and redefining the relationship between art and audience.

Roman art and urbanism from the Early Republic to the end of the imperial period. The course will survey the developments of Roman art with an emphasis in architecture, sculpture and painting. It will illuminate the development of the urban space in the context of cultural, social and political life. (Also listed as CLAS*3150).

This course will provide an in-depth examination of the critical issues driving contemporary art. Students will establish a facility with the fundamental terms by which to analyze the cultural, economic, technological and visual conditions that shape the artworks of our time.

This course examines the role images play in religious, political, aesthetic and art historical frameworks and how they powerfully reveal themselves in a variety of historical and contemporary contexts. Images are ubiquitous: they shape our perceptions, communicate messages, and evoke emotions. This course investigates the semantic power of images, and evaluates how they embody gender, ethnicity, sexuality, "race", Indigeneity, colonisation, and power and considers in what ways they are created, recycled, and consumed.

Students in this course will acquire and hone advanced skills in research, analysis, and interpretation using a hands-on, experiential learning model. Through the examination of relevant field and industry issues, ethics, approaches, and standards, students will develop their personal practice by gaining experience in activities related to the study, care, and management of the products of human creative expression. Assignments are designed to prepare students for real-world engagements with art and visual culture, which unfold in a variety of different aesthetic, institutional, geographic, temporal, and psychological contexts and will provide students with opportunities to reflect critically on the issues explored.

This course focuses on art institutions outside the museum that shape contemporary art as well as the wider global discourse in art and visual culture; commercial galleries, auction houses, biennales, art fairs, digital platforms, etc. Students will explore the development of such institutions over time as well as their influence on global creative production, commodification, representation, inclusion, and reception. This course will provide students with insights into the global art ecosystem and build skills to critically assess the role such institutions play in shaping wider cultural values and sustaining or dismantling systems of power.

This seminar course is a capstone course, designed to explore one or more issues or topics in Art History and Visual Culture depending on the expertise of the instructor. Students should consult the department for specific offerings. Using an experiential learning model, this course will develop the essential skills necessary for success in researching and writing critical, extensive and thoughtful research papers, producing professional standard catalogue essays and entries, learning grant writing techniques, formulating and assessing exhibition concepts, and the implementation and project management of exhibitions.

Each student establishes, in consultation with the faculty member who has agreed to supervise the course, the content of this special study within the area of expertise of that instructor. Students should plan their project and submit their proposal to the Director of the School (or designate) by the last day of classes in the semester prior to the one which they plan to enroll in ARTH*4600.

This course provides an opportunity for independent study based on Art History related voluntary or paid experience. Evaluation will be based on the student's performance on related work assignments at the host institution as well as any assignments determined by the relevant instructor. Written proposals/rationales, signed by the appropriate instructor, must be submitted to the Director of the School for approval by the last day of course selection in the Fall (for Winter) or Winter (for the following Fall semester).