This introductory-level course surveys the arts of select cultures from west and central Africa. The course will focus on the arts of royalty as a means by which to introduce basic concepts and larger issues within the field. The arts of groups who borrow from royal iconography, such as diviners, religious cults, societies of elders, and others, will also be investigated. Themes pertinent throughout the course include issues of gender, colonialism, cultural interaction, and historical change in both visual art and the nature of kingship. Cross-listed with ABD 246. Formerly ART 246.

An introduction to major developments of art and architecture across Asia including South Asia, Southeast Asia, the Himalayas, and East Asia. This course examines not only painting, sculpture, and architecture, but also gardens, ceramics, and prints. Special emphasis will be placed on religious arts of Buddhism and Hinduism, along with landscape and figural painting of China and Japan. Formerly ART 242.

What is distinctive about art created over time on the American continents? This class begins to answer the question by examining some of the principal developments in art history from the ancient indigenous cultures (particularly those of Meso- and South America), through the period of European colonialism (especially Spanish and English), to the modern art movements across the sovereign nations, including the United States and Canada. Since time permits only a sampling of artistic forms across time, lectures are often issue-oriented, with a focus on selected problems facing scholars. Periodic discussions allow students to weigh in on topics and offer their own critiques. This class argues that the distinctiveness of American visual forms springs from the heterogeneous cultural traditions that simultaneously divide and unify its inhabitants.

An introduction to the art historical methods and their application to a broadly chronological and select survey of the European world from pre-history to the 20th century. Field trips to Chicago art institutions extend the visual traditions and critical methods taught in class lectures and discussions. Formerly ART 102.