Art History Program

The Art History Minor

Our minor in art history is open to all undergraduates and requires a minimum of five course units. One of the courses must be ART 115, and two art history courses must be at the 300 level. Students must earn a C or higher in courses applied toward the art history minor.

Sample course plan:

1. ART 115, 320, 322

2. Select two courses from:

ART 220: Introduction to Visual Culture (IT, W)

LC 246: Visual Cultures of Modern Spain (IT, G)

HIST 255: Museums: Making History Come Alive!

HIST 311: Art and Architecture of the Roman World (AR)

ART 316: European Art, 1750-1900 (AR)

HIST 322: Love and Death in Freud's Vienna

ART 370: Special Topics in Art History

ART 399: Art Seminar (W)

ART 450: Advanced Studies in Art History (W)

Course Descriptions

ART 110 - Close Looking

The course introduces students to the visual arts through first-hand encounters with works on and near campus. Written assignments and discussion will emphasize art as a visual language comprised of multiple media and conceptual frameworks. The course will provide an understanding of and appreciation for the cultural impact of art. Fulfills the General Education requirements for The Arts (AR)

ART 115 - Introduction to Art History

This course explores the relationship between artistic production and audience in a historical and global context. Students will focus on select works of art to develop the ability to engage visual texts in an analytical and critical manner. Course includes visits to campus galleries and collections. The course fulfills the General Education requirements for The Arts category (AR). Offered each spring

ART 220 - Introduction to Visual Culture

What might our contemporary attitudes toward images share with ancient image beliefs? The course explores the ideas prevalent in a society represented in visual cultural production. Through close reading of primary sources, we will investigate theories that persist and reveal the motivations of image producers endlessly fighting for our consciousness. Fulfills the General Education requirements for the category Intellectual Traditions and the flag Writing Intensive (IT, W)

ART 311 - Art And Architecture Of The Roman World

This course follows the development of the forms and ideologies of Roman art from the republic to late antiquity. The issues to be discussed will include public and private and civic and religious art and architecture, urban planning, and the interaction of Roman art forms and provincial cultures in the forging of identity. The course is cross-listed with GRS/HIST 311 and fulfills the General Education requirements for The Arts category (AR). Offered occasionally

ART 316 - European Art, 1750-1900

An examination of the visual arts and critical ideas shaping Europe from the Enlightenment to the beginnings of Modernism. The course explores the visual culture of the French Revolution, art and colonialism, the major artistic movements, and the rapid technological and societal changes associated with modernity. Familiarity with art history is not required (AR). Offered occasionally

ART 320 - Global Modern Art

The course surveys major developments in global modernisms from the late nineteenth to the mid twentieth century in Africa, Asia, Europe, and North and South America. Key topics include artistic responses to two World Wars, European Imperialism and colonialism, the development of artistic trends, new technologies, the rise of avant-gardism and postcolonial responses that create their own modernisms. Familiarity with art history is not required. The course fulfills the General Education requirements for The Arts category and Encountering Global Diversity (AR, G). Offered each fall

ART 322 - Global Contemporary Art

A critical survey of art since the 1960s, exploring strategies of artistic practice and art in Africa, Asia, Europe, Oceania, North and South America. Course themes include ephemeral and collaborative multimedia projects, performance and process art, the rise of new media, transnational artists, Indigenous artists and decolonialism. The course fulfills the General Education requirements for for the categories of The Arts and Encountering Global Diversity (AR, G). Offered each spring

ART 370 - Special Topics in Art History

May vary in content with each offering. The central focus may be on one or more art movements, particular artistic problems or concepts, time periods or geographical locations which are more or less narrowly defined, or on the work of an individual artist. Each course offering under this title bears a subtitle which indicates the specific subject matter and the type of course experience that is planned. (Recent courses) May be repeated for credit if course content is not duplicated. Offered occasionally

ART 399 - Art Seminar

A seminar on a theme in art and visual culture, open to all upper-level undergraduates and required of seniors in the School of Art. Topics will vary, and the course may be repeated for credit. The seminar is research-focused and fulfills the General Education requirements for a Writing Intensive course (W). Offered each fall

ART 450 - Advanced Studies in Art History

The seminar topic varies with each offering and may include a specified historical moment or group of artists, methodological trends or conceptual problems in the field. The seminar combines discussion and presentation, research and writing. The course fulfills the General Education requirements for a Writing Intensive course (W). Offered occasionally

Art History

Art history explores the historical connections between cultural production and society and engages in the critical analysis of art and visual culture. The Art History Program will train you in the perception, analysis, and global histories of art.

We use engaged learning activities and critical approaches to investigate aic images and their aesthetic, cultural, historical, political, economic, and theoretical contexts within and beyond a particular society. We make frequent visits to local galleries, IWU's Merwin & Wakeley Galleries, and occasional trips to Chicago's museums. Students conduct guided, but independent research.

aic2 Students of art history often seek employment in museum, gallery, conservation, research and educational institutions and may pursue graduate studies to achieve this end. We encourage current students to apply for internships at art museums and related art venues.