ARTH 390 Seminar in Art History

A research intensive course on a topic within the history of art; coursework will include the process of researching and writing a scholarly essay and a focus on the methodologies of art historical scholarship. Required for Art History majors to fulfill the Second-Stage Writing Proficiency requirement. 

Building the ‘American Pacific’

This course examines modern and contemporary architecture of the ‘American Pacific.’ Students will investigate the historical, social, cultural, political, climactic, and technological factors that have influenced the development of architecture in Hawai‘i, American Sāmoa, and Guam. Theoretical examinations about U.S. empire, race, and sovereignty allow us to challenge the very notion of an ‘American Pacific’ and frame our study of architecture as a complex interplay of evolving beliefs and meanings. An examination of Pacific Island spaces/places and their relationship to artistic endeavors by artists and architects reveal the ways in which indigenous and foreign identities influence the built environment. Students will engage with interdisciplinary and intersectional scholarship as we consider the architectural legacy of American expansion in the Pacific. Additional Core Requirement Met: Regional Focus.

Colonial Urbanism 

In this course, we will examine the spatial legacy of colonial cities. The focus is on colonial urban spaces and architectural projects that were manifestations of the political, economic, and social relationships between the colonizers and the colonized. In relation, the role of imperialism - as it transpired in both the colonies and colonizing societies of Europe and the United States - will reveal the ways in which the imperial imagination was visible in physical form. Through a range of case studies, including sites in former European and American colonies of Asia and the Pacific, as well as former imperial centers, such as London and Washington D.C., students will develop a theoretical toolkit for the critical study of urban colonial environments. 

Giotto di Bondone (1266/7-1337)

He is arguably the most influential painter of the 14th century. A true revolutionary, his art changed the direction of European painting and is the fulcrum between the late Middle Ages and the Renaissance. This course is an intensive study of his career, both as a panel painter and as a muralist (Florence, Padua, and possibly Assisi). Students will be responsible for in-class presentations of individual works and will research a term paper engaging a scholarly controversy regarding one aspect of Giotto's art. Additional Core Requirement Met: Regional Focus.

Gender and Sexuality in 20th Century Art

This seminar will explore the how issues of gender and sexuality have shaped the practices of visual artists in the US and Europe in the 20th century.  We will investigate how artists have engaged directly with these issues in their art, and we will also consider how the field of Art History itself has been impacted by practices and stereotypes about gender and sexuality. Additional Core Requirement Met: Global Connections.