History of Art 101, 102, 103 and 108, while covering different areas, are all considered equivalent introductions to the History of Art. These three introductory survey courses consider not only art objects as aesthetic experiences but also the interaction which exists between the artist and society. The lecture and discussion sections explore various historical, social, religious, and intellectual phenomena which are reflected in the style and content of works of art. Attention is also given to the creative act and to the problems of vision and perception which both the artist and his public must face. The three courses are numbered sequentially but they do not form a sequence.
Although it would be logical to move from History of Art 101 to History of Art 102, either History of Art 101 or 102 along with History of Art 103 and 108 serve as a satisfactory introduction to the history of art.
Course requirements and texts vary with individual instructors, but an effort is always made to introduce students to works of art in the collections of the university as well as in the museums of Detroit and Toledo. Most of the upper division courses in history of art require one of these three introductory courses as a prerequisite. The introductory courses are directed toward students interested in the general history of culture and are especially valuable cognates for students in the fields of history, philosophy, literature, and musicology as well as the creative arts. Photographic material is available for study in the Image Study Gallery, G026 Angell/Haven Connector. Examinations usually include short essays and slides which are to be identified, compared, and discussed.
101. Near Eastern and European Art from the Stone Age to the End of the Middle Ages. (4). (HU).
This course offers an introduction to major monuments and periods of art from antiquity through the Middle Ages. Its purpose is not only to acquaint students with key works of Egyptian, Greek, Roman, Byzantine, Islamic, Romanesque and Gothic art and architecture, but also to help them develop a vocabulary for the description and analysis of works of art, and to provide them with a basic understanding of the methods and aims of art historical study. Lectures will be supplemented by weekly discussion sections on readings drawn from a general art historical survey and a course pack. Written work will consist of two short papers on objects in the Kelsey Museum and the Museum of Art; there will be a midterm and a final examination. This course, with H.A. 102, is meant to provide a foundation in the history of western art and will be useful to students taking higher-level courses in the department. Cost:2 WL:4 (Thomas)
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102. Western Art from the End of the Middle Ages to the Present. No credit granted to those who have completed 104 and 105, or 150. Two credits granted to those who have completed one of 104 or 105. (4). (HU).
This course is a survey of topics in European and American Art from the late 14th century to the present, as well as an introduction to the techniques of art history. It will examine institutions such as patronage and the art market, the changing roles of artists in society, and the changing functions of art. Weekly discussion sections will be devoted to building skills in visual analysis and critical reading of art-historical literature. Requirements: informed participation in section meetings, regular reading assignments, two short papers, midterm, and a final examination. There are no prerequisites for this course. Cost:3 WL:4 (Zurier)
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108/CAAS 108. Introduction to African Art. (4). (HU).
This course offers a general introduction to the arts of African cultures south of the Sahara desert. It reviews the history of African art from about 10,000 B.C. through the twentieth century. The survey is based on a carefully selected corpus comprising prehistoric rock paintings and engravings, old and recent sculptures in terracotta, metal, wood, and ivory; and textile and bodily arts. While it adopts an historical approach, it will also explore some prevailing themes in African art, such as African approaches to representation and the social function and meaning of art. Last, it will highlight a number of significant cultural transformations that resulted from contact between African peoples and western societies. Scheduled lectures will be supplemented with written and reading assignments, videofilms, tours of African art exhibitions in museums and private collections in the Detroit area. Cost:2 WL:4 (Quarcoopome)
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112/Art 112. History of Photography. (4). (HU).
This course will explore the history of photography in the 19th and 20th century through a comparative study of photographs, photographers, and theories about the nature of photography. The goal is to create an understanding of the themes and issues, concepts and contexts associated with photographic image-making - from American and international perspectives. One intent is that at the end of the study the student should be aware of some of the diverse concerns in present day photography and be able to identify their origins and influences. The class should interest students from a wide range of disciplines. Class structure combines three hours of lecture sessions a week for general structured presentation of material, with one hour of discussion section that meets weekly for deeper study of the main theories about the nature of photography and its role in shaping our understanding of the world. Assignments will include readings from course texts and completion of some computer-based tasks using special programs developed for use with this program. Grades will be based on participation in discussion sections, a term paper/project, and three slide-essay exams. Cost:2 WL:4 (Kirkpatrick)
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113/Art 113. Introduction to the Visual Arts. This course is for non-art majors only. (3). (Excl).
Visual arts are a part of the human experience in all cultures and all time periods. The ability to appreciate, to understand, and to assess the quality of visual art can enrich a person's life and broaden one's thinking. This course will introduce students having no formal art or art historical background to the major forms of visual expression through human history from the Stone Age to the present. We will examine works of art in various media such as painting, drawing, printmaking, photography, sculpture, architecture, graphics, and industrial design. Students will learn how artists use the language of form to communicate information, to express emotion, to explore the world of nature and the world of the mind. Students will learn the basic techniques of the various media. Students will learn how the art of a time and place defines and expands the boundaries of that culture. Assigned readings and visits to museums and galleries will help students become critical consumers of the visual culture as they learn to see, appreciate, and assess art forms. Requirements include periodic quizzes, a final exam, and a term paper. Students will also make some ungraded drawings and paintings as analytical tools. (Kapetan)
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194. First Year Seminar. (3). (HU).
Section 001 - Artemisia Gentileschi: Woman Painter in 17th-Century Italy and the Art of Art History. Easily one of the most memorable creative personalities of the Baroque, and arguably the most powerfully expressive and influential women painter ever, Artemisia Gentileschi (1593-1652) has become the central figure in the long overdue recovery of the history of art produced by women. With Artemisia's pictorially aggressive and emotionally compelling pictures providing the focus, this limited-enrollment course proposes to stand as a case study of how historians of art operate in attempting to understand works of art within the complex sociocultural and personal contexts in which they were produced. Formal analysis, iconography, patronage, feminism, and psychoanalysis will be among the many areas of inquiry. Original works of art, the eye of the investigator, primary source material, library holdings, and scientific data will be among the tools, and through a combination of assigned reading, discussion, research, and oral and written reports students will sharpen their visual sensitivity, their ability to think critically and to recognize quality in art, their awareness of diversity, their communication skills, and in all their appreciation of the demands and rewards of intellectual inquiry. Cost:2 WL:4 (Bissell)
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Section 002 - The Crusades. This seminar has as its focus the Crusades to the Holy Land which took place in the 11th and 12th centuries and Muslim and Byzantine responses to them. We will concentrate on interrelationships between the several cultures of the European and Mediterranean worlds in the Middle Ages, examining art and architecture which seems to express these interrelationships and/or seems to be illuminated by an understanding of them: pictorial publicity for the Crusades in art of the Latin West; the military and religious architecture of the Crusaders in the Near East; expressions of jihad and Holy War in the art of both Christians and Muslims; Christian and Islamic representations of the "infidel." (Gillerman)
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211/WS 211. Gender and Popular Culture. (4). (HU).
"Popular culture" is a complex social system, and this course concentrates on its visual manifestations in various media. We focus on women as signs or emblems, as producers, and as consumers, of "popular culture," with attention also to the representation of masculinity and of race/ethnicity. Mainstream and marginal, appropriated and subverting, reflective and formative, the "popularity" of certain cultures often places them outside an academic framework, but this course seeks to alter that exclusion. After a brief thematic introduction, we focus on contemporary American culture, examining such examples as advertising; Ken and Barbie dolls; parental roles in film and television; romance in fiction or films like Pretty Woman and Waiting to Exhale; the "buddy" system in action movies and Thelma and Louise; women in music, including Madonna. Student participation will include several short papers, a research paper, a final exam, and regular discussion in classes. Cost:2 WL:4 (Simons)
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221/Class. Arch. 221. Introduction to Greek Archaeology. (4). (HU).
See Classical Archaeology 221. (Talalay)
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