Recently Offered Art History Courses

The recently offered Art History undergraduate courses are listed on this page (see link below for recent graduate courses). For a complete list of the courses that may be offered in other years, please visit the Academic Calendar.

2023 Winter/Summer Term Undergraduate Courses

Offered jointly by the Departments of Art History and Art Conservation & History, this interdisciplinary course offers students a rare opportunity to learn how to use specialized 3D laser imaging technology to digitally document a National Historic Site, the Kingston Penitentiary.

Course Description

An artwork's origins: Technical Art History looks closely at the materials and techniques used to create art -- from Classical Antiquity to Piet Mondrian's abstract paintings -- and better understand how and why these artworks were created.

Instructor: R. Spronk.

Course Description (765KB)

Backed by the expansive histories of Early Christianity, Islam, and the papacy, this course explores the art and architecture of c.300-1400, including the Arch of Constantine to Hagia Sophia, the Book of Kells, the Great Mosque of Cordoba, and Chartres Cathedral.

Instructor: D. Cunningham.

Course Description (194KB)

Ever wonder why the Mona Lisa smiles or Michelangelo's David has such big hands? Immerse yourself in the beautiful, monstrous, and violent art of the Renaissance and study the lords, ladies, popes, preachers, and pornographers for whom this art was made.

Instructor: U. D'Elia.

Course Description (414KB)

Can art play a role in creating social change? What are the implications of involving art and its audiences in social justice work? 

Instructor: J. Kennedy.

Course Description (13KB)

Today alone, more than 100 million new photos will be shared on Instagram—far more than were taken during the first 100 years of photography. Learn how the invention of photography in the 1830s changed the world.

Instructor: M. Rombout.

Immerse yourself in the vast, vibrant, and fascinating art and visual cultures of Africa. This course will introduce you to traditional and ceremonial arts, and bring you up to the contemporary, while examining the changing contexts of cultural objects as they travel outside the continent.

Instructor: J. Bevilacqua.

The tension of the Romanesque period: an up-close look at the art and history that comes out of the cultural battles between kings and popes, monks and theologians, citizens and rulers, and Christians and Muslims.

Instructor: Dr. Dawn Cunningham.

Course Description (244KB)

What happens when you mix cameras with social protests and public demonstrations? In this class you’ll explore how photography changes the way we relate to each other, our political worlds, and our social norms. 

Instructor: M. Rombout.

A deep dive into 17th-century Dutch painter Rembrandt van Rijn and his contemporaries, placed against a backdrop of modern colonialism and Dutch artists' responses to issues of race, class, and gender.

Instructor: S. Dickey.

Course Description (600KB)

How can our cities be sustainable? We look at the design of cities as well as the confluences of nature, culture, technology, and economics in those spaces.

Instructor: K. Romba.

Course Description (152KB)

Education in practice: Art History and Fine Art students can apply for a practical internship at a museum or gallery, taking on research or curatorial activities. Applications must be approved in advance by the Undergraduate Chair. 

Instructor: Various.

Course Description (76KB)

Early Netherlandish paintings, as material objects, are complex layered structures that were produced with a broad range of materials in distinct stages: This seminar will focus on the materials and techniques of Jheronimus Bosch (d. 1516).

Instructor. R. Spronk.

Course Description (15KB)

Did Kim Kardashian ruin Marilyn Monroe's dress? If one of the bulbs in a Dan Flavin installation burns out, can you replace it? Does an artwork retain its meaning and authenticity after conservation?

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Instructor: A. Behan.

The goals of the seminar are inspired by Blueprint for a Counter Education, a 1970 “counter-university,” which took the form of a poster series and accompanying publication mapping the lines of mutual influence between radical political thought, activism, and artistic practices from modernism to the present. 

Instructor. J. Kennedy.

Course Description (14KB)

Despite traditional misogynist literature, women in early modern Europe created a community where they could defy cultural stereotypes and exchange ideas, be creative, and produce knowledge in arts and sciences.

Instructor: S. Dickey.

Course Description (800KB)

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Recently Offered Graduate Courses

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Academic Calendar

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2022 Fall Term Undergraduate Courses

This full-year course is a survey of famous and lesser-known works of painting, sculpture, architecture, and other art forms from Antiquity, the Middle Ages, the Renaissance, the Baroque, and the Modern Age. Themes include politics, religion, mythology, gender roles, techniques, conservation and intersections with non-western cultures.

Instructor: D. Cunningham (Fall), K. Romba (Winter).

Instructor: A. Morehead.

Instructor: J. Russell-Corbett.

From Ancient Mesopotamia to Europe during WWII and Syria today, this course examines the enormous impact of war and other military conflicts on cultural heritage, focusing on monuments and works of art. In lectures that move both chronologically through time and geographically from place to place, several themes are explored: cultural damage and destruction during conflict (Temple of Bel, Palmyra), the looting of works of art (Napoleon and the Nazis), erecting monuments to celebrate military victory (Trajan’s Column in Rome), human responses to heritage destruction including restoration and rebuilding (Coventry Cathedral), the desire for recovery of national heritage (Parthenon Marbles) and the rise of international efforts to safeguard heritage (UNESCO). 

Instructor: C. Hoeniger.

Download the full course description (1.4MB)

Instructor: G. Bailey.

Instructor: A. Behan.

Instructor: K. Romba.

Instructor: J. Bevilacqua.

Instructor: J. Kennedy.

Instructor: U. D'Elia.

Instructor: R. Spronk.

Instructor: A. Behan.

Students in Art History and Fine Art can apply to take a practical internship in a museum or gallery, where they would undertake research or curatorial activities. All internships must be approved in advance by written application to the Undergraduate Chair. Approval will depend on the quality of the proposal and the academic record of the applicant. Students are required to write a report about their experience and are evaluated jointly by the employer and a faculty member from the Department of Art. It is the responsibility of students to arrange internships. Please review the Internship Guidelines and Internship Application Form and Internship Description Template

NOTE: Depending on location, substantial travel and subsistence costs may be involved. All internships must meet COVID-19 related public health guidelines.

Download the ARTH 395 Course Description (76KB)

Instructor: Various

Cultural heritage preservation will be examined both in an expansive way and through specific case studies drawn from all over the world. Emphasis is given to the damage of cultural sites in war and natural disasters, and to different approaches to restoration, as well as to the looting of portable heritage objects, often during periods of conflict. We will focus on the 20th-century achievements in heritage protection, involving international laws and legal conventions, the development of ethical practices in art and architectural conservation, and the rise of organizations such as UNESCO to protect cultural and natural sites worldwide. Students will be introduced to the subject through weekly readings and discussions of important themes, and they will also gain more specialized knowledge and research skills by investigating independently a pair of World Heritage sites. The course format is a seminar with discussions of the readings and presentations of student research.

Download the full course description (200KB)

Instructor: C. Hoeniger.

Instructor: J. Bevilacqua.

Instructor: K. Romba.

Instructor: G. Bailey

Instructor: U. D'Elia.

2021-2022 Academic Year

An introduction to the arts of the Middle Ages (c.300-1400) from the origins of Christian art under the Emperor Constantine, through the Early Christian, Byzantine, Romanesque and Gothic Periods. The focus will be on major monuments and personalities. PREREQUISITE: Level 2 or above or permission of the Department.

Instructor: M. Reeve.

Download the ARTH 212 Course Description. (914KB)

A study of Renaissance art and architecture before 1500 within the context of the social, political and economic history of Western Europe. Key monuments, themes and concepts will be stressed. PREREQUISITE: Level 2 or above or permission of the Department.

Instructor: C. Hoeniger.

Download the ARTH 214 Course Description (141KB)

A study of Renaissance art and architecture after 1500 within the context of the social, political and economic history of Western Europe. Key monuments, themes and concepts will be stressed. PREREQUISITE: Level 2 or above or permission of the Department.

Instructor:  D. Cunningham.

Winter 2021 course will be fully asynchronous.

Download the ARTH 215 Course Description. (111KB)

The course presents an introduction to the arts and visual culture of Africa, encompassing traditional or “classic” African arts, as well as modern and contemporary African arts. It explores the diversity and shifting concepts of African art over time, and the ways objects related to specific African communities circulated and gained new meanings outside the continent. Through theoretical and practical analyses, students will be stimulated to reflect on how the African art field was shaped by scholars, curators, artists, and public interaction during its main turning points. PREREQUISITE: Level 2 or above or permission of the Department.

Instructor: J. Bevilacqua.

A survey of the visual culture of Europe and its colonies in the Baroque age (ca. 1580-1750). Attention is given to developments in all aspects of the visual arts, with emphasis on painting, sculpture, architecture, and the graphic arts, and on the achievements of artists such as Rembrandt, Rubens, Poussin, Velasquez, and Bernini. PREREQUISITE: Level 2 or above or permission of the Department.

Instructor: N/A

An investigation of the impact of war on art and architecture, as well as human attempts to preserve cultural heritage. A chronological or thematic approach may be taken, with focus placed on one or more case studies, such as: the Sacks of Rome, the Napoleonic wars, Nazi looting, the Cultural Revolution in China, Afghanistan under Taliban rule. PREREQUISITE: Level 2 or above or permission of the Department.

Instructor: C. Hoeniger.

Download the ARTH 260 Course Description. (1MB)

This course will introduce students to the history of craft and design since the seventeenth century in the context of the spread of industrialization and colonialism. Students will consider frameworks and key concepts for understanding design and craft, including production, consumption, style, use, materials, technology, ornament, expression vs. standardization, and authorship. PREREQUISITE: Level 2 or above or permission of the Department.

Instructor: A. Behan.

Download the ARTH 275 Course Description (235KB)

An examination of modern architecture in the western world, from 1900 to the present. PREREQUISITE: Level 2 or above or permission of the Department.

Instructor: K. Romba.

Download the ARTH 292 Fall 2020 Syllabus (114KB)

From ancient Egyptian mummies to contemporary selfies, portraits have reflected and shaped ideals of personal and collective identity in diverse cultures and historical periods. This course explores the art of portraiture and its significance in human society. Specific case studies may vary. PREREQUISITE: Level 2 or above or permission of the Department.

Instructor: S. Dickey.

Download the ARTH 293 Course Description (139KB)

A study of selected objects with a focus on materials and meanings. PREREQUISITE: Level 3 or above.

Instructor: A. Behan.

Download the ARTH 301 Course Description

This survey examines key German buildings and monuments from the beginning of German Confederation to the end of the Third Reich. Emphasis will be placed on situating this architecture in its broader cultural and social context. PREREQUISITE: Level 3 or above.

Instructor: K. Romba.

Download the ARTH 306 Course Description (1MB)

This course examines the changes in European art later known as ‘Gothic’. With a focus on England, France, Spain, Italy and Germany, this class will consider major monuments across the media, from manuscript painting to architecture, stained glass, sculpture and ars sacra. Throughout, monuments will be placed in their appropriate social, historical and patronal contexts. PREREQUISITE: Level 3 or above.

This course will examine the connections between art, art history and intersectional feminisms. Students will be introduced to a number of the key issues and critical frameworks that have informed diverse, transnational feminist approaches to art, art history and art criticism. PREREQUISITE: Level 3 or above.

Instructor: N/A.

A study of gender in relation to modern visual culture from the mid-nineteenth to the mid-twentieth centuries using theoretical frameworks drawn from feminist art history and gender studies. Topics to be studied include fashion and modernity, consumer culture, gendered and transgendered artistic identities, and the gendering of Modernism. RECOMMENDATION: ARTH 226/3.0 and ARTH 228/3.0. PREREQUISITE: Level 3 or above.

Instructors: E. Cavaliere, M. Reeve.

An examination of the impact of networked digital technologies on the production, display and reception of global contemporary art. From artists’ early experiments with computers in the 1960s to the post-internet and algorithmic arts of the 21st century, students will be introduced to key practices, technologies, theories and debates. PREREQUISITE: Level 3 or above. It is recommended that students have taken ARTH 120.

Instructor: J. Kennedy.

Download the ARTH 319 Course Description

Through lectures, readings, and research, this course explores the nature, practice, and impact of photography in Canada between 1839 and 1939. By examining how the new medium was used to confirm, complement, and contest older forms of aesthetic expression, written documentation, or visual evidence, it traces the role of photography in Canadian society during this critical period of Canadian nation building. PREREQUISITE: Level 3 or above.

Instructor: J. Schwartz.

This course will examine the sculptures that filled Italian cities from the fourteenth to the sixteenth centuries, some heroic, others pathetic or erotic. We will explore how sculptors worked with a variety of materials to bring to life effigies of diverse bodies, in relation to Renaissance debates about gender, sex, religion, class, and politics. PREREQUISITE: Level 3 or above.

Instructor: U. D'Elia.

Download the ARTH 346 Course Description (6.9MB)

This course will examine the ways in which visual culture can function as social, political or religious propaganda.  With reference to examples produced from c.1600 to the present, it will deal with a variety of media and the ways in which developments in technology contribute to the spread of propaganda.

Instructor: J. Russell Corbett.

Website

Baroque and Rococo architecture and urbanism of Europe and beyond including Italy, France, Iberia, Central and Eastern Europe, Scandinavia, New Spain (Mexico), Peru, Brazil, India, Macau, Phillipines. Includes Italian bel composto, impact of theater, salon culture in Paris, indigenous contributions outside Europe, ephemera, gardens. PREREQUISITE: Level 3 or above.

Instructor: G. Bailey.

This course examines the phenomenon of the city, a settlement of high density that has, throughout history, offered many distinctive social and cultural experiences. The focus of this course will be urban art, architecture, planning, and material culture, and their relationship to those experiences. Specific urban case studies, Western and non-Western, will provide the foundation for our study. PREREQUISITE: Level 3 or above.

Instructor: K. Romba.

Download the ARTH 383 Course Description (139KB)

This project-based seminar explores the interface of digital technologies, museums, and cultural heritage interpretation. Students build practical knowledge and theoretical understandings around technology, audience interpretation and knowledge creation. PREREQUISITE: Level 4 and registration in an ARTH Major or Medial Plan and a GPA of 1.9 and 24.0 units in ARTH.

Instructor: N. Vorano.

An investigation of how cultural heritage has been preserved in different parts of the world in the past and the present, focusing on methods used to ameliorate or prevent damage and destruction caused by the environment, war, looting and restoration. Case studies will be drawn from the UNESCO World Heritage list. PREREQUISITE: Level 4 and registration in an ARTH Major or Medial Plan and a GPA of 1.9 and 24.0 units in ARTH

Instructor: C. Hoeniger.

Download the ARTH 405 Course Description (700KB)

This course traces the global flows of textiles and focuses on understanding how labour, desire, and economics shape textile production, circulation, and consumption. It will trace changes in economics, technology, and taste from the mid-sixteenth century to the present day. PREREQUISITE: Level 4 and registration in an ARTH Major or Medial Plan and a GPA of 1.9 and 24.0 units in ARTH

Instructor: A. Behan.

Download the ARTH 410 Course Description (900KB)

A detailed study of one area or topic in the history of medieval European art. PREREQUISITE: Level 4 and registration in an ARTH Major or Medial Plan and a GPA of 1.9 and 24.0 units in ARTH

Instructor: M. Reeve.

Download the ARTH 415 Course Description (179KB)

A consideration of the history of collecting and public collections; of museum policy and practice; and of Western notions of art and culture as they are applied in the museum to non-Western art. PREREQUISITE: Level 4 and registration in an ARTH Major or Medial Plan and a GPA of 1.9 and 24.0 units in ARTH. 

Instructor: A. Behan.

This course will examine a range of anthropological theories and will assess their potential methodological roles in art historical analysis. PREREQUISITE: Level 4 and registration in an ARTH Major or Medial Plan and a GPA of 1.9 and 24.0 units in ARTH. 

Instructor: K. Romba.

Download the ARTH 436 Course Description (82KB)

This seminar focuses on historical and contemporary critical writing to explore historical and contemporary perspectives on the nature, theory, and practice of photography. It is a course about ideas rather than images - ideas about photographs, about looking at photographs, and about reading photographs - ideas that have governed the way we look at, respond to, and draw meaning from photograph. PREREQUISITES: Level 4 and registration in an ARTH Major or Medial Plan and a GPA of 1.9 and 24.0 units in ARTH. 

Instructor: J. Schwartz.

Explores Caravaggio, Artemisia Gentileschi and contemporaries in Baroque Italy. Considers issues such as naturalism/idealism, patronage, populist piety, gender. One of the goals is to look at the ways in which these artists' personalities have been projected onto their work by scholars, essayists, novelists, and filmmakers. PREREQUISITE: Level 4 and registration in an ARTH Major or Medial Plan and a GPA of 1.9 and 24.0 units in ARTH. 

Instructor: G. Bailey.

This seminar, held at the Agnes Etherington Art Centre, integrates historical, theoretical, and practical approaches to contemporary curatorial issues.

Anne Whitelaw has suggested that: “While the object is the fundamental component in the study of the visual arts, we come to know that object through the mediation of art institutions.” Those very same art institutions fundamentally shape curatorial practices. Each week this course will investigate the formation and significance of one type of art institution in the Canadian context – archive, history museum, public gallery, university gallery, artist run center, heritage center, commercial gallery, publishing – thinking about issues such as mandate, funding, collecting practice, exhibition design, community relationships, and the role of the artist as shaping curatorial practices. Throughout this course you will be offered opportunities to research your own emerging specialized curatorial interests as they might be shaped by institutional forces, as well as assignments that provide practical experience with curatorial tasks. You will come away from the course with the ability to think critically about exhibition policy and practice, and with a working knowledge of the ways various institutions shape art collection and drive artistic practices in the Canadian context. PREREQUISITE: Level 4 and registration in an ARTH Major or Medial Plan and a GPA of 1.9 and 24.0 units in ARTH.

Instructor: J. Bevilacqua.

Download the ARTH 460 Course Description (KB)

The study of how words and images interact in visual and material culture. Topics may vary to address a selected theme, historical period, artist, movement, or art form, such as: illustrated books or manuscripts; art as inspiration for literary works or vice versa; scientific and technical illustration; words as images; film and digital media.  PREREQUISITE: Level 4 and registration in an ARTH Major or Medial Plan and a GPA of 1.9 and 24.0 units in ARTH. 

Instructor: J. Schwartz.

A study of selected topics in the art of the 17th century. PREREQUISITE: Level 4 and registration in an ARTH Major or Medial Plan and a GPA of 1.9 and 24.0 units in ARTH. 

Instructor: G. Bailey.