Current Semester Courses

Spring 2013

Updated: 11-16-2012

The Art History Department welcomes students of all disciplines. Our courses provide students with the skills needed to analyze the visual arts on their own, and to build an understanding of the relationships between artistic traditions and the cultures that produce them.

ARTH 11100-all sections EPISODES IN WESTERN ART LA HU 3b, g h 
3 credits
INSTRUCTOR: Stephen Clancy, Gannett 117, Ext. 4-1261, clancy@ithaca.edu
ENROLLMENT: 28 per section
PREREQUISITES: None.
STUDENTS: Mainly first and second year students seeking an introduction to art history. THIS COURSE IS NOT OPEN TO SENIORS. 
COURSE DESCRIPTION: The course will introduce students to the study of art, by focusing on particular times and places that have played key roles in shaping our view of western art history. We will investigate art that was produced around these crucial points in western history, as well as what preceded and what followed these turning points. The course will also pursue recurrent themes in western art history, such as conceptions of the body, forms of visual narrative, the art of spirituality, images of death and mortality, and images of power and propaganda. In addition, we will explore the ways in which western cultural production has been defined through contact with cultures deemed to be "outside" of the western tradition. Basic methods and vocabulary of art historical investigation will be stressed. 
COURSE FORMAT/STYLE: Discussion and lecture.
COURSE REQUIREMENTS & GRADING: Exams and written assignments; consideration given to attendance and class participation in grading.

ARTH 11400-all sections ARCHITECTURE ACROSS CULTURES LA FA 3b, g h 
3 credits
INSTRUCTOR: Itohan Osayimwese, Gannett 119, Ext. 4-1380, iosayimwese@ithaca.edu
ENROLLMENT: 28
PREREQUISITES: None.
STUDENTS: Students of all disciplines with an interest in architecture. THIS COURSE IS NOT OPEN TO SENIORS. 
COURSE DESCRIPTION: An investigation of the history of world architecture in its local and global contexts with attention to the architectural impacts of differing climates, materials, histories and belief systems and the ways in which cultural identities can be read in the built environment. In addition to locating architectural forms within specific cultural histories, we will consider trans-cultural human needs, capacities and aspirations that result in common architectural features across cultures.
COURSE FORMAT/STYLE: Digital presentation with discussion.
COURSE REQUIREMENTS & GRADING: Course reader and textbooks. Exams, reading responses, project. Grading based on written work and class participation.

ARTH 13500-01, 02 INTRODUCTION TO VISUAL CULTURE LA HU 3b, g h
3 credits
INSTRUCTOR: Paul Wilson; Gannett 116, Ext. 4-3281, pwilson@ithaca.edu
ENROLLMENT: 28 per section
PREREQUISITES: None.
STUDENTS: Those with little or no background in art history. THIS COURSE IS NOT OPEN TO SENIORS.
COURSE DESCRIPTION: Susan Sontag has written, “A society becomes modern when one of its chief activities is producing and consuming images.” Today, producing and consuming images isn’t one of our chief activities, it is our chief activity. “Visual Culture” is a course about the study of visual images in a cultural and art historical context. Rather than a traditional study of the chronological, stylistic, or thematic development of visual works of art, this course will involve students in examining the broader interactions between art objects, visual images, and the cultures that create them. Through historical and contemporary case studies, students will develop and explore questions about the ways in which images form a foundation of knowledge in the modern and contemporary world. 
COURSE FORMAT/STYLE: Slide lecture and discussion.
COURSE REQUIREMENTS & GRADING: Grade based on participation, exams, and short papers.

ARTH 16000-all sections ART ACROSS CULTURES LA HU 3b, g h
3 credits
INTRUCTOR: Jennifer Jolly, Gannett 111, Ext 4-1254, jjolly@ithaca.edu
ENROLLMENT: 28 per section
PREREQUISITES: None.
STUDENTS: Mainly first and second year students who want an introduction to art history. THIS COURSE IS NOT OPEN TO SENIORS.
COURSE DESCRIPTION: This course offers a cross-cultural comparison of artistic and visual production and introduces fundamental concepts, terms, and visual analysis skills used in art history. By juxtaposing a variety of artistic cultures across time and space, this course will address how and why various peoples create art and communicate visually. Organization by theme will highlight different visual conventions and approaches to a range of subjects as well as the cultural and historical reasons for those differences.
COURSE FORMAT/STYLE: Lecture with discussion.
COURSE REQUIREMENTS & GRADING: Exams, paper, class participation. Grade based on all written work, plus attendance.

ARTH 20500-01 CHEMISTRY AND ART LA NS HU 2a 3b 
4 credits
INSTRUCTORS: 
Gary Wells, Gannett 109, Ext. 4-1247, wells@ithaca.edu
Mike Haaf, CNS 363, Ext. 4-7978, mhaaf@ithaca.edu
ENROLLMENT: 20 
PREREQUISITES: One course in the humanities or fine arts. Not open to students that have taken CHEM 11100, 12100, or 12300. 
STUDENTS: This course is cross-listed with Chemistry (CHEM 20500-01). Students may not register for both course numbers. 
COURSE DESCRIPTION: This is a general chemistry course taught in the context of art and art history. Artists and chemists are both interested in the topics of color and form. In this course, color and form will provide the basis for students to investigate, through a variety of lecture and laboratory activities the scientific basis of such topics as paints, metalworking, dyes and fabrics, polymeric materials, art preservation and restoration, and chemical hazards in art. The course is intended to introduce the student to basic chemical concepts and laboratory techniques, as well as modern analytical instruments. Lectures on the material history of art, with case studies, will establish the context for the study of these chemical and analytical concepts.
COURSE FORMAT/STYLE: A combined art history/chemistry lecture will take place on Tuesdays during a double class session, and a hands-on laboratory experimental session will take place on Thursdays during a double class session.
COURSE REQUIREMENTS & GRADING: Weekly readings and homework assignments, one individual project, three in class exams, final exam during final exam week.

ARTH 21900-01 ARTS OF ANTIQUITY: GREECE AND ROME LA FA 3b, g h
3 credits
INSTRUCTOR: Frances Gallart-Marques, Gannett 114, Ext. 4-3482, fgallart@ithaca.edu
ENROLLMENT: 28
PREREQUISITE: Sophomore standing.
STUDENTS: Students of all disciplines are welcome.
COURSE DESCRIPTION: In this course we will study the development of sculpture, architecture, and vase painting in ancient Greece and observe how the Romans progressed along different lines, although sometimes borrowing from their predecessors. The arts will be considered within the context of the social, political, and historical developments of the cultures they served.
COURSE FORMAT/STYLE: Lecture, discussion, and in-class work with images.
COURSE REQUIREMENTS & GRADING: Attendance in class is expected. Exams and a paper or project. Grade based on written work, class participation, and attendance.

ARTH 22100-01 INTRODUCTION TO THE MEDIEVAL WORLD LA HU 3b, g h
3 credits
INSTRUCTOR: Stephen Clancy, Gannett 117, Ext. 4-1261, clancy@ithaca.edu
ENROLLMENT: 28
PREREQUISITES: Sophomore standing. 
STUDENTS: All interested students are welcome.
COURSE DESCRIPTION: The course will explore different facets of medieval life as revealed by the visual and material culture of the Middle Ages. The course will be organized by theme rather than chronology. Topics will include modern fascinations with the "medieval"; medieval maps and world views; religious functions and contexts for medieval images; visual narratives in the Middle Ages; contact and exchange between Jews, Muslims, and Christians; the visual cultures of the aristocracy and middle class; and imagery of death and mortality. The course will investigate a variety of types of objects and images (including buildings, sculpture, manuscript illumination, metalwork, and mosaics), as well as archaeological remains of medieval life.
COURSE FORMAT/STYLE: Discussion, lecture, and collaborative work.
COURSE REQUIREMENTS & GRADING: Exams and projects. Grades based on required work, with consideration given to attendance and class participation.

ARTH 23200-01 ARCHITECTURE FROM RENAISSANCE TO REVOLUTION LA FA 3b, g h 
3 credits
INSTRUCTOR: Lauren O'Connell, Gannett 118, Ext. 4-1377, oconnell@ithaca.edu
ENROLLMENT: 28 
PREREQUISITES: Sophomore standing.
STUDENTS: Students interested in architecture, European culture and history.
COURSE DESCRIPTION: An exploration of European architecture from the fifteenth to the eighteenth centuries, focusing on issues of form, space, materials, structure, and representation. The course begins and ends with "rebirths" of antiquity, considering in between architectural ideas that seem to stray as far as possible from the classical tradition. Concepts such as Renaissance, Baroque, Rococo and Neoclassical will be examined, as will relevant political and religious circumstances, patronage patterns, and architectural relationships to place. Geographic focus in France, Italy, and Central Europe.
COURSE FORMAT/STYLE: Digital presentations with discussion. 
COURSE REQUIREMENTS & GRADING: Grading based primarily on exams, readings, and research project.

ARTH 23300-01, 02 GREAT SPACES: AN INTRODUCTION TO URBAN DESIGN LA FA 3b, g h 
3 credits
INSTRUCTOR: Lauren O'Connell, Gannett 118, Ext. 4-1377, oconnell@ithaca.edu
ENROLLMENT: 28 per section 
PREREQUISITES: Sophomore standing.
STUDENTS: Students interested in architectural design, landscape architecture, and city form. 
COURSE DESCRIPTION: Introduction to the history of open space design around the world with emphasis on the city. Examination of the principles that generate successful spaces at several scales, from pocket parks to public squares, and of the cultural meanings embedded in urban space. Case study analysis of local spaces through basic 3-D computer modeling.
COURSE FORMAT/STYLE: Digital presentations with discussion.
COURSE REQUIREMENTS & GRADING: Grading based primarily on exams, modeling projects and participation.

ARTH 24300-01, 02 GENDER & VISUAL CULTURE LA HU 3b, g h
3 credits
INSTRUCTOR: Jennifer Germann, Gannett 113, Ext. 4-1527, jgermann@ithaca.edu
ENROLLMENT: 28
PREREQUISITES: Sophomore standing.
STUDENTS: Student with little or no experience in art history, but with a significant interest in questions about gender.
COURSE DESCRIPTION: This course examines images of women and men in relation to the concepts of gender, race, class, and sexuality in a wide variety of media. We will discuss both the history of art and feminist theory while investigating historical and contemporary representations. A central goal of the course will be to contextualize representations of femininity and masculinity within particular historical and cultural formations, to analyze the beliefs and attitudes held by their creators and shared or resisted by those who viewed them. 
COURSE FORMAT/STYLE: Lecture/discussion.
COURSE REQUIREMENTS & GRADING: Regular class attendance and participation. Written assignments and exams. The grades for this course will be determined by class participation, assignments, and exams.

ARTH 25200-01 TWENTIETH-CENTURY EUROPEAN ART LA HU 3b, g h 
3 credits
INSTRUCTOR: Gary Wells, Gannett 109, Ext. 4-1247, wells@ithaca.edu
ENROLLMENT: 28 
PREREQUISITES: Sophomore standing.
STUDENTS: Students of all disciplines with an interest in the art, history and culture of 20th century Europe.
COURSE DESCRIPTION: This course studies the development of painting and sculpture in Europe from the 1890's until the post-WWII period. Emphasis will be given to the social and historical context of European Art, as well as the contributions of individual artists, like Matisse, Picasso, Kandinsky, and Duchamp. Movements from Post-Impressionism through Surrealism will be examined.
COURSE FORMAT/STYLE: Discussion and in-class activities, based on readings and digital resources.
COURSE REQUIREMENTS & GRADING: Readings from required textbook. Two research projects, mid-term and final exam. Regular class attendance and participation is expected.

ARTH 29200-01 INTRODUCTION TO MUSEOLOGY LA HU 
3 credits
INSTRUCTOR: Paul Wilson, Gannett 116, Ext. 4-3281, pwilson@ithaca.edu
ENROLLMENT: 18 
PREREQUISITES: Sophomore standing or above.
STUDENTS: Students of all disciplines interested in museums, particularly those curious about careers in a museum or art gallery.
COURSE DESCRIPTION: At its heart, this course asks the question “What is a museum?” It will provide a broad introduction to the history of art museums and galleries, explore the role of these institutions in society, and address the issues and ethical dilemmas that they face in the contemporary world. We begin with a brief history of art museums, highlighting their architectural and ideological changes over the past two hundred years. Next we explore key debates surrounding history, memory, audience, censorship, public funding, cultural patrimony, and economic development. There will be lectures, field trips, discussions, and presentations. Students will also research and present different careers in museums and galleries. This is a discussion and presentation oriented course that demands active student involvement.
COURSE FORMAT/STYLE: Lectures, reading/topic discussions, and field trips.
COURSE REQUIREMENTS & GRADING: Grading based on journal, oral presentations, short written papers, and active participation in class discussion and activities.

ARTH 30200-01 ARCHITECTURAL STUDIO II LA FA 
4 credits
INSTRUCTOR: Gabriella D’Angelo, Gannett 114, Ext. 4-3482, gdangelo@ithaca.edu
ENROLLMENT: 14
PREREQUISITES: Must have taken ARTH 30100.
COURSE DESCRIPTION: This course builds on skills introduced in ARTH 30100, furthering formal investigations and communication techniques defined within the art of drawing and modeling. Introducing the elements of program, context and site, this studio will focus on spatial, structural, material, and environmental design both at the scale of the architectural object and its urban/environmental context.

ARTH 36600-01 ART AND REVOLUTION IN LATIN AMERICA LA HU
3 credits
INTRUCTOR: Jennifer Jolly, Gannett 111, Ext 4-1254, jjolly@ithaca.edu
ENROLLMENT: 15
PREREQUISITES: Three courses in the humanities and/or fine arts, including at least one art history course; sophomore standing or above. 
STUDENTS: Students with an interest in 20th century art, Latin American Studies, and/or revolutionary politics are encouraged.
COURSE DESCRIPTION: The course investigates painting, photography, graphic art, sculpture, architecture, and film aligned with 20th century revolutions in Latin America. The Mexican, Cuban, and Nicaraguan Revolutions all led to the social and political restructuring of their respective countries, and their repercussions were felt internationally. Art and cultural institutions in all three countries were of necessity part of the revolution. This course will consider definitions of revolutionary art, relationships between political policy and artistic creation, ways in which artists contribute to the construction of revolutionary society, and the viability of 20th century Latin American revolutionary art. 
COURSE FORMAT/STYLE: Lecture and discussion of artworks, readings, and films. 
COURSE REQUIREMENTS & GRADING: Participate, lead discussion, and write essays and a research paper. Assessment of student's written work and class participation.

ARTH 37500-01 SELECTED TOPICS: AFRICAN DIASPORA ARCHITECTURE LA HU FA 
3 credits 
INSTRUCTOR: Itohan Osayimwese, Gannett 119, Ext. 4-1380, iosayimwese@ithaca.edu
ENROLLMENT: 15 
PREREQUISITES: Three courses in the humanities and/or fine arts; sophomore standing or above. 
STUDENTS: Students interested in the built environment and material culture, African culture, race and ethnicity.
COURSE DESCRIPTION: “African art” is one of the most pervasive myths of Western scholarship. In this course, we will explore the architecture and urbanism of the African continent in order to deconstruct this myth. What are the architectural and urban practices that have emerged in “Africa”? Is there some underlying attribute that unites these practices and distinguishes African architecture and urbanism from other historical traditions? How can we distinguish the “Africa” of the Western imagination from the “real” geographically and ethnically diverse cultures of the continent?

Among other topics, we will discuss the earliest records of African artistic production and their “discovery,” North Africa’s relationship with the Mediterranean through classical architecture, discuss African cultures as part of the Islamic world and of the Indian Ocean complex, the great civilizations of southern Africa, and fissures and continuities in African cultures after the slave trade. Even before this point in our chronological study, we will problematize the term “Africa” and move beyond conventional geographic interpretations to understand “Africa” as diaspora: how did Africans transported all across the Americas retain, loose, and “creolize” their cultures? What was the architecture and urbanism of modern colonialism in the colonies and in the Western centers that governed them? Next we will discuss how particular approaches to building and urban design were put into the service of different political agendas in the immediate pre- and post-independence periods on the continent. The course will end with a unit on globalization and the current status and future of African architecture and African cities.
COURSE FORMAT/STYLE: Illustrated lectures combined with seminar-type discussion and in-class projects.
COURSE REQUIREMENTS & GRADING: Course reader and textbooks. Grading based on written work and class participation-- exams, reading responses, project, and presentation.

ARTH 39200-01 MUSEUM PRACTICES AND METHODS NLA FA 
3 credits
INSTRUCTOR: Cheryl Kramer 
ENROLLMENT: 12
PREREQUISITES: Three courses in the fine arts or humanities, including at least one art history course; junior standing or above. 
STUDENTS: Students interested in museum, library or archival work, as well as conservation of works of art.
COURSE DESCRIPTION: Collections form the core of a museum’s research and public education programs and activities. Registrars are responsible for documenting works of art and managing the collection. The acquisition and possession of collections impose legal and ethical obligations to provide proper management, preservation, and use of the collections and their associated information. Museums must address critical issues in the management and care of their collections to preserve them for future generations and to fulfill their missions. This Museum Practices course will concentrate on Registrarial Practices and will introduce various elements in the management of collections, focusing on the practical application of policies and procedures necessary to establish and maintain intellectual and physical control of these collections. This course combines lecture, discussion, demonstrations, and field trips with "hands on" projects in the Handwerker Gallery. Topics covered will include the administration, handling, physical care, recording, and study of museum collections. 
COURSE FORMAT/STYLE: Practicum with lectures, discussions, demonstrations, field trips, and practical work in the Handwerker Gallery.
COURSE REQUIREMENTS & GRADING: Attendance, participation, quizzes, assignments, field trips, presentations, final portfolio and interview. Grading based on above requirements including student attendance and participation.

ARTH 49005-01 SEMINAR: THINGS, STUFF, & OBJECTS LA HU
3 credits 
INSTRUCTOR: Jennifer Germann, Gannett 113, Ext. 4-1527, jgermann@ithaca.edu
ENROLLMENT: 12 
PREREQUISITES: 3 courses in art history including one art history course at the 300-level or 3 courses in art history and senior standing.
STUDENTS: Students with an interest in art history and museum studies, bust also students with a strong interest in material culture studies.
COURSE DESCRIPTION: Art history traditionally privileges images over objects, pictures over things. What is the significance of ‘stuff’? In this seminar, we will investigate objects often at the center of lived experience but on the periphery of academic study, including furniture, textiles, composite objects, porcelain and pottery, and glass. These objects will be studied in relation to their use, settings, and circulation in a global context. This course will be organized as case studies of the larger social, historical and theoretical issues surrounding the cultural significance of objects.
COURSE FORMAT/STYLE: Seminar
COURSE REQUIREMENTS & GRADING: Class participation, a formal presentation, and multiple writing assignments.

ARTH 49400-01 INTERNSHIP NLA
1 to 4 credits
INSTRUCTOR: Staff
ENROLLMENT: 5
PREREQUISITES: Three courses in art history, sophomore standing or above, permission of the instructor.
COURSE DESCRIPTION: The internship provides opportunity to gain practical experience working in a gallery or museum, under the joint supervision of a member of the museum staff and an Ithaca College faculty member. Internships are arranged individually at the student’s request, subject to the availability of an appropriate museum or gallery slot.

ARTH 49700-01 INDEPENDENT STUDY LA HU FA
1 to 4 credits
INSTRUCTOR: Staff
ENROLLMENT: 5
PREREQUISITES: Offered only on demand and by permission of instructor.
COURSE DESCRIPTION: Program of special reading and research under the supervision of a specialist in art history.

ARTH 49800-01 SENIOR INTERNSHIP NLA
3 to 4 credits
INSTRUCTOR: Staff
ENROLLMENT: 5
PREREQUISITES: Art History major with senior standing or permission of the department Chair and permission of the instructor.
COURSE DESCRIPTION: An opportunity for senior Art History majors to gain practical experience in the fields of art and architectural history, under the joint supervision of a site supervisor and an Ithaca College faculty member. Internships are arranged individually by the student and are subject to the availability of an appropriate internship position.