This course will explore selected methods and theories of art history and visual culture through an examination of texts and images from the nineteenth to the twenty-first century. Through an focused analysis of ‘key words’ and methodological strategies, we will consider the many different ways in which scholars, critics, historians and philosophers have approached and analyzed: the discipline of art history; visual objects; modes of looking; ‘cultural’ institutions; the politics of class, race and gender; and the writing of history.
Course readings will consists of primary and secondary sources, thus allowing students to engage directly with influential texts. Many of the assigned readings each week come from different decades so that we can question not only the ‘content’ of the works but also situate them within their social and historical context. This will allow us to discuss the historiography of the discipline on a weekly basis. In this respect, the course encourages students to reflect on the ‘living’ and changing nature of academic methods, ‘key words’ and theories.
A further component of this course is professionalization. On Wednesday September 22 students in ARTH401 will join a graduate seminar in order to learn how to write funding applications. This seminar is particularly important for students applying to graduate school. On Wednesday December 1, students are expected to attend a seminar on careers related to art history. At both of these events, students will have an opportunity to ask questions about future paths that are both academic and non-academic. Food and drink will be provided.
View complete course outline: ARTH400A2010 [.pdf]