Art History
Department of Visual Studies
College of Arts and Sciences
608 Clemens Hall
North Campus
Buffalo, NY 14260-4640
Phone: 716.645.2435
Fax: 716.645.5978
Web: www.visualstudies.buffalo.edu
Charles Carman
Chair
Jolene Rickard
Director of Undergraduate Studies
About the Program
The Department of Visual Studies Art History Program is committed to exploring what the visual arts (painting, sculpture, performance art, graphic arts, architecture, photography, and decorative arts) reveal about the cultures that produced them. Using a diverse range of methodological approaches, the art history faculty helps students acquire the necessary tools and knowledge to make sense of our visual world. Courses cover all of the world�s major geographic areas, with individual professors exploring specific interests in social history, gender and race, postcolonialism, problems of taste and patronage, myth and narrative. An art history major is ideal for students who wish to pursue a career in the arts, but it is equally valuable for those seeking to develop visual, analytical, and communicative skills. Recent graduates have gone on to work in museums and art galleries, enroll in a variety of humanities graduate programs, and pursue careers in law, government, and business.
Acceptance Information
All students are urged to apply to the department in person as early as possible, preferably during the sophomore year.
Advisement
See the director of undergraduate studies for advisement. Students are strongly urged to consult faculty members regarding their choice of individual courses.
Academic Requirements
Majors begin by taking three survey courses (AHI 101, AHI 102, and AHI 103) that introduce the issues and major monuments of art history. Building on this foundation, students complete six upper-level courses, distributed among four geographic areas: the Americas, Africa, Asia, and Europe. These advanced courses provide more focused examinations of the history and concerns of specific societies. Majors are additionally required to take a pro-seminar, which provides a basic introduction to the debates and methods of the field; a methods course; and four sequential semesters of language study, or the equivalent. While a senior honors thesis is not required, majors are encouraged to consider undertaking such a project during their final year.
These requirements apply to all majors admitted to the Department of Visual Studies beginning with the fall 2004 semester. Majors accepted previously have the option of completing either the new or the older requirements.
Transfer Policy
All art history transfer courses must be evaluated and approved by the department. Forms may be obtained from the Office of Admissions, 15 Capen Hall. Generally, the following transfer courses will be accepted: the equivalent of AHI 101 and AHI 102 covering the history of art from ancient to modern, and any two of the area courses. Transcripts are required for all courses, and course descriptions are required for any of the area courses.
Honors, Awards, and Scholarships
For majors who plan to attend graduate school in art history, or for those students who simply wish to immerse themselves in a focused art history project, the department encourages enrollment in the senior honors program. Under the guidance of faculty advisors, an honors student develops, researches, and writes a senior thesis over the course of the senior year. Majors who secure faculty support for their projects and who have a minimum departmental GPA of 3.5 and a minimum GPA of 3.3 overall may be admitted to a senior honors program. A special designation of University Honors Scholar appears on the final transcript of those who successfully complete the program.
Opportunities for Undergraduate Research and Practical Experience
Independent Study
With the approval of a faculty sponsor, students may sign up for a 3-credit independent study to pursue an issue or topic emerging from their coursework in art history. An independent study may not be used as a substitute for required courses.
Museum Internship
Internships are frequently available to art history majors and minors at such local museums and galleries as the Albright-Knox Art Gallery, the Anderson Art Gallery, Big Orbit, Burchfield-Penney Art Center, the Castellani Art Museum, the Center for Exploratory and Perceptual Art (CEPA), the CFA Art Gallery, and Hallwalls. While internships may not be used to fulfill distribution requirements, they may be taken for credit.
Notable Program Features
Departmental graduates have been quite successful in entering varied careers. Majors pursuing a career in teaching have gone on to graduate study in art history at universities such as Yale, Columbia, Michigan, North Carolina, CCNY, Delaware, and New Mexico. Other students have complimented their undergraduate degree in art history with graduate study in fields such as business, library science, management, and law, and are successfully pursuing careers in libraries, stock brokerage firms, advertising, museums, art galleries, design firms, and conservation. Students with no additional training have also found a variety of careers.
UNDERGRADUATE ART HISTORY CLUB
An active undergraduate club meets regularly. Faculty participate with the club on trips to museums and exhibitions, cultural events, lectures and discussions of interest (e.g., career possibilities).
Career Opportunities/Further Study
Junior Year Abroad.
The Visual Studies Department Art History Program encourages majors to consider a study abroad program. Such programs afford unique opportunities to gain first-hand knowledge of foreign cultures. Interested students should make inquiries with the Study Abroad Advisor, Office of International Student and Scholar Services, 210 Talbert Hall, (716) 645-2258.
Art History - B.A.
Acceptance Criteria
Minimum GPA of 2.0 overall.
Minimum GPA of 2.0 in departmental courses.
Advising Notes
It is advantageous if the student has already taken both UGC 111 World Civilizations I and UGC 112 World Civilizations II as well as a course in literature, language, philosophy, or music history, though none is required.
Prerequisite Courses
Completion of or registration in any two of three required introductory courses: AHI 101, AHI 102, AHI 103.
Required Courses
AHI 101 Survey of Art History: Egypt to Renaissance
AHI 102 Survey of Art History: Italian Renaissance to Contemporary
AHI 103 Survey of Art History: non-Western
AHI 107 Introduction to Methods of Research in Art History
AHI 494 Methods of Art History
Six 200/300-level electives
Foreign language courses (0-16 credit hours)*
*Proficiency in a foreign language through the second semester of the second year or its equivalent is required, to be demonstrated through classroom courses or through alternatives outlined on page TK. S/U grading may not be selected for courses taken to fulfill this requirement.
Summary
Total required credit hours for the major...31-47
See Baccalaureate Degree Requirements for general education and remaining university requirements.
Recommended Sequence of Program Requirements
FIRST YEAR
Fall - AHI 101, AHI 107
Spring - AHI 102
SECOND YEAR
Fall - AHI 103, AHI 494, first semester of a language*
Spring - 200/300-level Americas AHI elective, second semester of a language*
THIRD YEAR
Fall - 200/300-level European AHI elective, third semester of a language*
Spring - 200/300-level Asia AHI elective, 200/300-level African/Caribbean AHI elective, fourth semester of a language*
FOURTH YEAR
Fall - AHI 494, 200/300-level European AHI elective
Spring - 200/300-level Americas AHI elective
AHI Electives
AHI electives include any six courses from the core geographical areas, including one from Africa (continental and diaspora), one from Asia, one from the Americas, and one from Europe. Each area must be covered, leaving two electives.
AFRICA
AAS 417 Contemporary Issues in Black Film Culture
AHI 253 Blacks in Film
AHI 347 African American Art
AHI 353 Art of Islam
AHI 354 Topics in Islamic Art: Iran
PRS 374 Art & Architecture of the Caribbean
ASIA
AHI 206 Introduction to Chinese Art
AHI 341 East Asian Art
AHI 345 Modern Chinese Art
AHI 348 Modern & Contemporary Asian Art
AHI 353 Art of Islam
AHI 354 Topics in Islamic Art: Iran
AHI 383 Chinese Calligraphy
EUROPE
AHI 204 Mythology in Ancient Art
AHI 210 Art of the Middle Ages
AHI 251 Introduction to Modern Art
AHI 254 Art of 19th-Century France
AHI 275 Art and Revolution
AHI 276 Modern Art and the Law
AHI 302 Art of Greece
AHI 304 Narration in Ancient Art
AHI 307 Art of Egypt and Crete
AHI 310 Early Medieval Art
AHI 312 Romanesque Art
AHI 314 Gothic Art
AHI 317 Art of the Middle Ages
AHI 322 Italian Renaissance Art
AHI 324 Italian Mannerist Art
AHI 325 Greek Art and Mythology
AHI 328 Renaissance Architecture
AHI 330 Italian Baroque Art
AHI 331 Michelangelo and His Era
AHI 350 18th-Century European Art and Ideas
AHI 353 Art of Islam
AHI 354 Topics in Islamic Art: Iran
AHI 358 Impressionism and Postimpressionism
AHI 372 Art Between World Wars I and II
AHI 386 20th-Century Architecture
AHI 395 Contemporary Art
AHI 410 Problems in Iconography
AMERICA (NORTH, CENTRAL AND SOUTH AMERICA, AND THE CARIBBEAN)
AHI 262 Art in America: An Introduction
AHI 311 Non-Western Arts: Past, Present (Native American)
AHI 334 Native American Art: Economic Renewal or Ruin
AHI 342 Photography and the Colonial Gaze
AHI 352 19th-Century Architecture
AHI 360 Frank Lloyd Wright
AHI 363 Eakins, Homer, and Turn-of-the-Century America
AHI 364 American Realisms
AHI 365 Art and Culture in Victorian America
AHI 380 Image and Gender
AHI 387 American Art
AHI 390 American Architecture I: Native American to 1860
Art History - Minor
Acceptance Criteria
Minimum GPA of 2.0 in AHI 101 Survey of Art History: Egypt to Renaissance, AHI 102 Survey of Art History: Italian Renaissance to Contemporary, or AHI 103 Survey of Art History: Non-Western.
Required Courses
Any two of the three survey courses (AHI 101, AHI 102, AHI 103)
Four courses above the 100 level; which must include a minimum of three geographic areas
Summary
Total required credit hours for the minor - 18
Course Descriptions
AHI 101 Survey of Art History: Egypt to Northern Renaissance
Credits: 3
Semester: F
Prerequisites: None
Corequisites: None
Type: LEC
Chronological survey of painting, architecture, and sculpture from the birth of civilization to the Northern Renaissance; stylistic analysis of works of art within social and historical contexts.
AHI 102 Survey of Art History: Italian Renaissance to Present
Credits: 3
Semester: Sp
Prerequisites: AHI 101 Recommended
Corequisites: None
Type: LEC
Chronological survey of painting, architecture, and sculpture from the Italian Renaissance to modern European and American art; stylistic analysis of works of art within social and historical contexts.
AHI 103 Survey of Art History III
Credits: 3
Semester:
Prerequisites: None
Corequisites: None
Type: LEC
Surveys art and culture of the Third and Fourth Worlds and the Americas with reference to indigenous people globally. Examines multiple historical markers of visual expression from precontact to contemporary Native, African, and Spanish/Latino/Latina America. Thematically, addresses �art� through creation or emergence stories; significance of land, corn, and ceremony; and the construction of colonial representation to the present day.
AHI 107 Introduction to Methods of Research in Art History
Credits: 1
Semester:
Prerequisites: None
Corequisites: None
Type: SEM
Introduces students to the various methods employed in art historical investigation. Includes presentations on and discussions about methods of research developed from roughly the 19th into the late 20th centuries. Also includes two sessions on library research techniques.
AHI 152 Visual Studies
Credits: 3
Semester:
Prerequisites: None
Corequisites: None
Type: LEC
Functions as a foundation course for the Departments of Art, Art History, and Media Study. Introduces students to a critical knowledge and understanding of images and image systems: their history and intersection with the culture as a whole.
AHI 155 Introduction to Contemporary Art
Credits: 3
Semester:
Prerequisites: None
Corequisites: None
Type: LEC
Surveys contemporary art practices and the ideas that form them. Gives special attention to issues involved in the art featured in the University Art Gallery and other regional venues.
AHI 200 Sophomore Tutorial
Credits: 1
Semester:
Prerequisites: None
Corequisites: None
Type: TUT
The content of this course is variable and therefore it is repeatable for credit. The University Grade Repeat Policy does not apply.
AHI 203 Special Topics
Credits: 3
Semester:
Prerequisites: None
Corequisites: None
Type: LEC
The content of this course is variable and therefore it is repeatable for credit. The University Grade Repeat Policy does not apply.
Examines a current topic of interest in art history, i.e. architecture, medieval, non-Western, Asian, etc.
AHI 204 Mythology in Ancient Art
Credits: 3
Semester:
Prerequisites: None
Corequisites: None
Type: LEC
Greek and Near Eastern mythologies in ancient art; mythological representations in the art of these cultures and the differences in the manner each represented similar myths; readings in mythology.
AHI 206 Introduction to Chinese Art
Credits: 3
Semester:
Prerequisites: None
Corequisites: None
Type: LEC
Familiarizes students with the major and minor arts of China from Neolithic to the Modern periods. Requires no prior exposure to the arts and culture of China. The course considers the artistic history of China in terms of its material culture, looking at techniques, materials, and processes, as well as stylistic influences and evolution.
AHI 210 Art of the Middle Ages
Credits: 3
Semester:
Prerequisites: None
Corequisites: None
Type: LEC
Drawing upon examples of the made and built environment from ca. 300 to ca. 1400, the course considers a number of topics of current interest to medievalists: becoming Christian, the power of the image, who makes art, who sees art, such liminal experience as pilgrimage and crusade, the cult of relics, the construction of the ruler, imperial and papal programs, and civic and individual patronage.
AHI 212 Special Topics
Credits: 3
Semester:
Prerequisites: None
Corequisites: None
Type: LEC
The content of this course is variable and therefore it is repeatable for credit. The University Grade Repeat Policy does not apply.
Examines a current topic of interest in Art History, i.e. architecture, medieval, non-Western, Asian, etc.
AHI 251 Introduction to Modern Art
Credits: 3
Semester:
Prerequisites: None
Corequisites: None
Type: LEC
Major ideas defining the art of the modern world; painting, sculpture, architecture, and related arts; what these works mean and how they illustrate changing views of modernity.
AHI 254 Art of Nineteenth-Century France
Credits: 3
Semester:
Prerequisites: None
Corequisites: None
Type: LEC
Painting and sculpture in France and its relationship to contemporary political, social, intellectual, and cultural developments; David, Ingres, G�ricault, Delacroix, Daumier, Courbet, Manet, Monet, Degas, Rodin, C�zanne, Seurat, Van Gogh, and Gauguin; the modern artist in a society characterized by an accelerating sense of change.
AHI 262 Art in America: an Introduction
Credits: 3
Semester:
Prerequisites: None
Corequisites: None
Type: LEC
Offers a highly selective survey of U.S. painting, sculpture, architecture, photography, and popular culture from the Colonial era to the present. Focusing on five thematic units--gods, nature/culture, consumer culture, gender, and the body--the class provides an overview of U.S. art, suggesting how our material record both expresses and forms America�s social, political, and cultural climate.
AHI 275 Art and Revolution
Credits: 3
Semester:
Prerequisites: None
Corequisites: None
Type: LEC
Relationship between the artist and revolutionary society; uses revolutions of 1789, 1830, 1848, and 1917 to examine artists like David, Delacroix, Daumier, Courbet, and Malevich.
AHI 300 Junior Tutorial
Credits: 1 - 4
Semester:
Prerequisites: None
Corequisites: None
Type: TUT
The content of this course is variable and therefore it is repeatable for credit. The University Grade Repeat Policy does not apply.
AHI 301 Art & Archaeology of Egypt
Credits: 3
Semester:
Prerequisites: None
Corequisites: None
Type: LEC
Introduces the student to the sculpture, painting and architecture of Ancient Egypt, tracing its development stylistically and chronologically. Art will be presented in its historical and religious context.
AHI 302 Art of Greece
Credits: 3
Semester:
Prerequisites: None
Corequisites: None
Type: LEC
Architecture, painting, and sculpture of ancient Greece; archaic and classical periods; subsequent rise of new forms during the Hellenistic era.
AHI 303 Early Greek Art and the Holy Land
Credits: 3
Semester:
Prerequisites: None
Corequisites: None
Type: LEC
Architecture, painting, and metal work of the Aegean area, 2200 B.C.E. to 1200 B.C.E., art forms of Minoan and Mycenean civilizations and their indebtedness to eastern cultures.
AHI 304 Narration in Ancient Art
Credits: 3
Semester:
Prerequisites: None
Corequisites: None
Type: LEC
Main themes in ancient art and on the manner in which they were narrated. These themes include mythological stories, historical events, political justifications, and propaganda. Media include wall painting, vase painting, and sculpture.
AHI 305 Greek Sculpture
Credits: 3
Semester:
Prerequisites: None
Corequisites: None
Type: LEC
Significance of monumental bronze and marble sculptures of archaic and classical Greece; the development of sculptural style and content through the study of Greek literature and history.
AHI 307 Art of Early Greece
Credits: 3
Semester:
Prerequisites: None
Corequisites: None
Type: LEC
Introduces the student to major monuments and issues of Aegean archaeology. We focus on the architecture, sculpture, and wall painting of the Greek Bronze Age. Archaeological sites to be visited include Lerna, Vasiliki, Knossos, Phaistos, Zakros, Mycenae, Pylos, Phylakopi, and Kea. We consider Aegean foreign relations and trade, cult, social organization, and literacy.
AHI 308 Art and Archaeology of Rome
Credits: 3
Semester:
Prerequisites: None
Corequisites: None
Type: LEC
Ancient Roman art and archaeology; how the monuments of Rome reflect imperial propaganda; how the archaeological remains testify to the daily life of the citizens of the Roman Empire.
AHI 310 Early Medieval Art
Credits: 3
Semester:
Prerequisites: None
Corequisites: None
Type: LEC
Painting, architecture, sculpture, and minor arts from the decline of the Roman Empire through the Ottonian era; the beginnings of Christian art.
AHI 311 Non-Western Arts: Past, Present
Credits: 3
Semester:
Prerequisites: None
Corequisites: None
Type: LEC
Sees the art of North and South American natives, Canadian natives, and aboriginal people of Australia from both the native and the nonnative perspective; discussions focus on differing world views or ideologies, in conjunction with the impact of colonialization.
AHI 312 Romanesque Art
Credits: 3
Semester:
Prerequisites: None
Corequisites: None
Type: LEC
Painting, sculpture, architecture, and minor arts in France, Spain, Italy, and England from A.D. 1050 to A.D. 1150; the course addresses the importance of crusades, pilgrimage, and monastic reform.
AHI 317 Art of the Middle Ages
Credits: 3
Semester:
Prerequisites: None
Corequisites: None
Type: LEC
Drawing upon examples of the made and built environment from ca. 300 to ca. 1400, the course considers a number of topics of current interest to medievalists: becoming Christian, the power of the image, who makes art, who sees art, such liminal experience as pilgrimage and crusade, the cult of relics, the church as heavenly Jerusalem, imperial and papal programs, and civic and individual patronage. LEC
AHI 319 Special Topics
Credits: 3
Semester:
Prerequisites: None
Corequisites: None
Type: LEC
The content of this course is variable and therefore it is repeatable for credit. The University Grade Repeat Policy does not apply.
Examines a current topic of interest in art history, i.e. architecture, medieval, non-Western, Asian, etc.
AHI 320 Northern Renaissance Art
Credits: 3
Semester:
Prerequisites: None
Corequisites: None
Type: LEC
Examines the variety of artistic achievements during the fifteenth and sixteenth centuries in northern Europe, primarily in Flanders and Germany. The works discussed range from the intense mystical realism of Jan van Eyck and Roger van der Weyden to the classical idealism of Albrecht Durer and to the visionary imagery of Bosch and Bruegel. Emphasizes painting, but devotes some time also to the newly developing art of printmaking and the elaborate tradition of wooden figure sculpture. LEC
AHI 322 Italian Renaissance Art
Credits: 3
Semester:
Prerequisites: None
Corequisites: None
Type: LEC
Painting and sculpture from early fifteenth-century Florentine art to the High Renaissance in Rome and Florence; covers the intellectual developments of fifteenth and sixteenth-century Italy, such as civic humanism and Neoplatonism.
AHI 324 Italian Mannerist Art
Credits: 3
Semester:
Prerequisites: None
Corequisites: None
Type: LEC
Development of central Italian art in the early- and mid-sixteenth century; relationship of mannerism to Renaissance and High Renaissance; current definitions of mannerism.
AHI 325 Greek Art and Mythology
Credits: 3
Semester:
Prerequisites: None
Corequisites: None
Type: LEC
Examines the mythological depictions in Greek vase painting, sculpture, and metalwork during 700-300 B.C.E. Emphasizes Archaic and Classical vase painting and sculpture and its artistic and historical context. Students read Greek mythology and discuss Greek art.
AHI 328 Renaissance Architecture
Credits: 3
Semester:
Prerequisites: None
Corequisites: None
Type: LEC
Reviews major architectural developments of the fifteenth and sixteenth centuries in Italy. Includes major works of Brunelleschi, Alberti, Michelangelo, Leonardo, and many others. Emphasizes how architecture reflects Renaissance humanist ideas. Investigates key building projects, such as St. Peter�s in Rome, to examine the confluence of ideas from several disciplines.
AHI 330 Italian Baroque Art
Credits: 3
Semester:
Prerequisites: None
Corequisites: None
Type: LEC
Art of central Italy, particularly Rome, in the early seventeenth century; its influence on the rest of Italy; how the change in cultural ideology affected artistic change.
AHI 331 Michelangelo and His Era
Credits: 3
Semester:
Prerequisites: None
Corequisites: None
Type: LEC
Painting, sculpture, and architecture of Michelangelo; the uniqueness and impact on the development of Renaissance concepts; major historical events of the sixteenth century affecting Italian art; the Reformation and Counter Reformation; historiography of Michelangelo and his image; his popularity from the sixteenth century until the present day.
AHI 332 Rembrandt and His Era
Credits: 3
Semester:
Prerequisites: None
Corequisites: None
Type: LEC
Studies the art of Holland in the baroque period, concentrating on the life and work of Rembrandt. Also emphasizes the careers of Hals and Vermeer, and the so-called �little masters�. Considers the distinct character of Dutch art and its relationship to that of the rest of baroque Europe.
AHI 334 Native American Art: Economic Renewal or Ruin
Credits: 3
Semester:
Prerequisites: None
Corequisites: None
Type: LEC
Locates discussion at the crossroads of nineteenth- to twentieth-century indigenous North American and Euroamerican exchange. Enables students to understand the relationship among contact, trade, tourism, economics, and cultural confluence. Places art and native women at the center as ongoing strategies for survival. Demonstrates the conflation of Victorian aesthetics with Iroquoian, Algonquian, Cree, Micmac, and Ojibwa traditions in the art.
AHI 335 Northern Baroque Painting
Credits: 3
Semester:
Prerequisites: None
Corequisites: None
Type: LEC
Painting in Holland and Flanders during the seventeenth century; investigates the rise of baroque painting from mannerism throughout Europe; dominant artists in each country.
AHI 341 Special Topics
Credits: 3
Semester:
Prerequisites: None
Corequisites: None
Type: LEC
The content of this course is variable and therefore it is repeatable for credit. The University Grade Repeat Policy does not apply.
Examines a current topic of interest in art history, i.e. architecture, medieval, non-Western, Asian, etc.
AHI 342 Photography and the Colonial Gaze
Credits: 3
Semester:
Prerequisites: None
Corequisites: None
Type: LEC
Critically explores the photographic representation of Native Americans and First Nation Canadians prior to the First World War and the advent of modernism. This period, which also coincides with the early years of photographic practice, covers the attempted assimilation of the Native American and the so-called Indian Wars of the 1850s-1890s.
AHI 343 Japanese Architecture
Credits: 3
Semester:
Prerequisites: None
Corequisites: None
Type: LEC
Explores the development of Buddhist art and architecture in Japan from the introduction of Buddhism to Japan in the sixteenth century. Examines paintings, sculpture, and ritual implements, as well as architecture, temple plans, and landscape gardens. Considers the function of art in Buddhist practice; the perception of Buddhist art by lay and clerical audiences; the role of art in Buddhist philosophy; the relationship between the Buddhist arts of Japan and art in China, Korea, and India; syncretic elements in Japanese Buddhist art, especially those arising from Shinto beliefs; and the different forms of religious and artistic expression to be seen in the centers of power and the rural areas of ancient Japan.
AHI 344 Japanese Painting and Prints
Credits: 3
Semester:
Prerequisites: None
Corequisites: None
Type: LEC
Explores the major trends in Japanese pictorial art from the seventh century to the early twentieth century. Focuses on important developments in style and subject matter, particularly emphasizing the relationship between Japanese art and that of continental Asia.
AHI 345 Modern Chinese Art
Credits: 3
Semester:
Prerequisites: None
Corequisites: None
Type: LEC
Offers a general view of the development of modern and contemporary Chinese art by discussing the emergence of Chinese modernism in the pre-modern period, the new modern art movement in the 1930s, Mao�s revolutionary art, and the avant-garde movement in the post-Mao period. Through lectures, readings and discussions, this course investigates the momentous changes--political, economic, and cultural--that have swept through modern Chinese history and have profoundly impacted the development of modern and contemporary Chinese art. Also examines how rapid modernization, changing political realities, and conflicting global, ethnic, and local identities are transforming centuries-old Chinese visual traditions and the cultural assumptions behind them.
AHI 346 Chinese Painting/Calligraphy
Credits: 3
Semester:
Prerequisites: None
Corequisites: None
Type: LEC
Explores the representations of figures and landscapes from the dawn of Chinese painting in the pre-Han period through the Yuan dynasty. Particularly stresses important developments in style and subject matter. Supplements classroom study of visual images with readings from ancient Chinese critical and theoretical writings (in translation) and modern art historical readings. As appropriate, relates issues in style and subject matter to contemporary developments in philosophy, religion, government, society, and culture.
AHI 347 African American Art
Credits: 3
Semester:
Prerequisites: None
Corequisites: None
Type: LEC
Investigates the different forms of African American visual artistic traditions in relation to their historical origins and sociocultural context from the early days of slavery to the present time. Starts with an overview of African art, the experiences of the middle passage, and slavery in relation to African American traditions in the decorative arts, including pottery, architecture, ironwork, quiltmaking, and basketry. This is followed by a fine-art survey starting with the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries, continuing through early twentieth-century Harlem Renaissance up to the present. Also explores certain issues related to African American arts and creativity, such as improvisation, Black aesthetic, Pan Africanism, and gender. Slides, films, and videos are used extensively to illustrate topics discussed in class.
AHI 348 Special Topics
Credits: 3
Semester:
Prerequisites: None
Corequisites: None
Type: LEC
The content of this course is variable and therefore it is repeatable for credit. The University Grade Repeat Policy does not apply.
Examines a current topic of interest in art history, i.e. architecture, medieval, non-Western, Asian, etc.
AHI 349 Junior Seminar
Credits: 3
Semester:
Prerequisites: art history major or permission of instructor
Corequisites: None
Type: SEM
Topics course; the format is largely discussion but also includes classroom presentation and collaborative research. The specific topic varies with the instructor�s area of expertise and involves some faculty-undergraduate research, with a general presentation at the end of the term. The course also takes advantage of current exhibition projects, visiting faculty, and regional events.
AHI 350 Eighteenth-Century European Art and Ideas
Credits: 3
Semester:
Prerequisites: None
Corequisites: None
Type: LEC
European rococo and neoclassical painting of the eighteenth century, including Tiepolo, David, Hogarth, and Gainsborough; sources in baroque and Renaissance art; effects on romantic painting.
AHI 352 Nineteenth-Century Architecture
Credits: 3
Semester:
Prerequisites: None
Corequisites: None
Type: LEC
Development of early modern architecture from the Enlightenment to the close of the nineteenth century; revival styles seen against the concurrent development of engineering technology.
AHI 353 Art of Islam
Credits: 3
Semester:
Prerequisites: None
Corequisites: None
Type: LEC
Introduces Islamic culture and its art and architecture. Uses both a chronological and geographical approach, beginning with the establishment of Islam in Arabia in the seventh century, following the course of its spread throughout Europe, Asian and Africa, and ending with contemporary Islamic art and architecture.
AHI 354 Topiics in Islamic Art: Iran
Credits: 3
Semester:
Prerequisites: None
Corequisites: None
Type: LEC
The content of this course is variable and therefore it is repeatable for credit. The University Grade Repeat Policy does not apply.
Familiarizes students with Islamic culture and its art and architecture by focusing on specific topics and issues, such as architecture, painting, patronage, or a geographic region. Concentrates on a different theme each time, such as Art of Islamic Iran, Art of the Ottoman Empire, History of Istanbul, Women and Islamic Art, and Islamic Painting.
AHI 355 Painting and Sculpture: 1789-1850
Credits: 3
Semester:
Prerequisites: None
Corequisites: None
Type: LEC
Painting and sculpture produced in the new European democracies for a widening, critical public. Focus on neoclassicism, romanticism, and realism. Considers these styles in light of the Industrial Revolution in England, political revolution in France, and the intellectual currents of the Enlightenment.
AHI 358 Impressionism and Postimpressionism
Credits: 3
Semester:
Prerequisites: None
Corequisites: None
Type: LEC
French art from 1860-1900; Manet, Monet, Renoir, Degas, Seurat, Gauguin, Van Gogh, Toulouse-Lautrec, and C�zanne; the aesthetic nature of their works and the connection to contemporary literary, political, philosophical, and scientific developments. Impact of impressionism and postimpressionism on the art of the twentieth century.
AHI 360 Frank Lloyd Wright
Credits: 3
Semester:
Prerequisites: None
Corequisites: None
Type: LEC
Wright�s sources, innovations, major works, and his position between the nineteenth century and current modernism; visits to some of Wright�s houses in Buffalo.
AHI 363 Eakins and Homer
Credits: 3
Semester:
Prerequisites: None
Corequisites: None
Type: SEM
Undergraduate seminar; begins with a description of the artistic and cultural climate in which Eakins and Homer worked. Each following week addresses a specific theme of central importance to the artists� work. Such themes include realism, the artist in society, the nature/culture divide, masculinity, femininity, whiteness and blackness, and class. In addition to asking students to think about the multiple ways in which the form of art held meaning for different audiences, the seminar exposes students to a range of scholarly studies, encouraging them to evaluate the advantages and disadvantages of particular methodological approaches.
AHI 364 American Realisms: The Evolution of the Real in American Art
Credits: 3
Semester:
Prerequisites: None
Corequisites: None
Type: LEC
Begins with an introduction to European realism and a discussion of its adaptation to an American context during the final quarter of the nineteenth century. The course then denaturalizes Realism�s ties with objectivity, explaining the movement as one in a series of subjective strategies for ordering one�s relation to the world. Focusing then on several discrete artistic movements, the course considers the changing cultural functions of �the real�, ranging from the early nineteenth through the late twentieth centuries. Movements to be addressed include romanticism, sentimentality, naturalism, impressionism, urban realism, regionalism, abstract expressionism, neo-realism, and photorealism.
AHI 365 Art and Culture in Victorian America
Credits: 3
Semester:
Prerequisites: None
Corequisites: None
Type: LEC
Examines how American writers and artists negotiated the complexities of U.S. society during the final third of the nineteenth century. Emphasizing issues ranging from women�s rights to laissez-faire capitalism, and from Reconstruction to manifest destiny, we consider how the era�s cultural products provided artists, patrons, and audiences with metaphoric coping strategies to counteract what Victorians perceived to be the period�s overwhelming social and political changes.
AHI 372 Art Between World Wars I and II
Credits: 3
Semester:
Prerequisites: None
Corequisites: None
Type: LEC
Art produced between 1920 and 1940 in France, Germany, Russia, and the United States; impact of social and political events on culture.
AHI 379 History of Photography
Credits: 3
Semester:
Prerequisites: None
Corequisites: None
Type: LEC
Examines the uses of photographic imagery in our culture, concentrating on the period from the late 19th century to the present, with particular attention of the interactions between photographic activities and 20th century artistic developments.
AHI 380 Image and Gender
Credits: 3
Semester:
Prerequisites: None
Corequisites: None
Type: LEC
Considers the representation of gender (femininity and masculinity) in pictures, and the impact of gender on making and looking at art and media. Discusses works from several historical periods, concentrating on nineteenth- and twentieth-century art and media. Topics and issues considered are the professionalization of the artist and myths of genius; artists and models; the problems of a �feminine� aesthetic; the nude; and the gendered spectator.
AHI 383 Special Topics
Credits: 3
Semester:
Prerequisites: None
Corequisites: None
Type: LEC
The content of this course is variable and therefore it is repeatable for credit. The University Grade Repeat Policy does not apply.
Examines a current topic of interest in art history, i.e. architecture, medieval, non-Western, Asian, etc.
AHI 386 Twentieth-Century Architecture
Credits: 3
Semester:
Prerequisites: None
Corequisites: None
Type: LEC
German expressionism, Frank Lloyd Wright, and the architects of the international style as initiators of contemporary architectural trends; the city as a twentieth-century problem.
AHI 387 American Art
Credits: 3
Semester:
Prerequisites: None
Corequisites: None
Type: LEC
Surveys the development of twentieth-century U.S. art, emphasizing art since 1945. Through a close examination of a diverse range of visual arts, including painting, film, video, photography, sculpture, earth works, and performance art, we explore what contemporary art reveals about American culture. While offering students exposure to many issues that are of critical concern to contemporary society, the course pays particular attention to questions surrounding sexuality, gender, race, and consumer culture.
AHI 390 American Architecture I: Native American to 1860
Credits: 3
Semester:
Prerequisites: None
Corequisites: None
Type: LEC
This course is an American pluralism cognate
Native American building, colonial, neoclassical, and eclectic styles, and the rise of industrialism, the impact of builders� guides, and the development of the architectural profession highlight this survey of American architecture to the Civil War.
AHI 391 American Architecture II: Civil War to Present
Credits: 3
Semester:
Prerequisites: None
Corequisites: None
Type: LEC
A continuation of AHI 390: examines Victorian style and values; early modernism in Richardson, Sullivan, and Wright; the impact of European modernism; and the emergence of postmodernism in an effort to discover if there is any identifiably American architecture in the twentieth century.
AHI 395 Contemporary Art
Credits: 3
Semester:
Prerequisites: None
Corequisites: None
Type: LEC
Art of contemporary life; art criticism; art and politics; art in the media; pop and minimal art; conceptual art, earthworks, realism, feminist art, and performance. Requires attendance at events and exhibitions at local galleries.
AHI 400 Senior Tutorial
Credits: 1 - 4
Semester:
Prerequisites: permission of instructor
Corequisites: None
Type: TUT
The content of this course is variable and therefore it is repeatable for credit. The University Grade Repeat Policy does not apply.
A written proposal outlining and justifying the work must be presented to and approved by the faculty member with whom the work is to be done.
AHI 402 Honors Thesis Tutorial
Credits: 3
Semester:
Prerequisites: permission of instructor
Corequisites: None
Type: TUT
Accepted seniors pursue a specialized, independent study leading to an honors thesis. For further information, please contact the director of undergraduate studies.
AHI 411 Special Topics
Credits: 3
Semester:
Prerequisites: None
Corequisites: None
Type: LEC
The content of this course is variable and therefore it is repeatable for credit. The University Grade Repeat Policy does not apply.
Examines a current topic of interest in art history, i.e. architecture, medieval, non-Western, Asian, modern, etc.
AHI 461 Architectural Preservation: History, Theory, and Practice
Credits: 3
Semester:
Prerequisites: None
Corequisites: None
Type: LEC
Introduces students to the history, theory, and practice of historic building preservation, a field that began in the nineteenth century and has continued to expand its scope and develop and refine its approaches and techniques throughout the twentieth century. Following a grounding in historic styles and the history and development of approaches to historic preservation, the course culminates with site visits and student presentations on specific local preservation projects and issues. Buffalo and Western New York function as a laboratory for case studies of individual preservation projects.
AHI 480 Museum Studies
Credits: 3
Semester:
Prerequisites: None
Corequisites: None
Type: SEM
Provides an understanding of the purpose, function, and organization of art museums and introduces managerial and curatorial skills and techniques essential to museum work. Writing assignments are intended to have students carefully examine works of art, compile information about works of art, describe works of art and express opinions and ideas about works of art.
AHI 494 Aims and Methods of Art History
Credits: 3
Semester:
Prerequisites: None
Corequisites: None
Type: SEM
Looks closely at the ways in which influential art historians have analyzed and discussed works of art, and at the significance of the strategies that these art historians developed. The first half of the semester covers subjects like iconography, connoisseurship, formal and structural analysis, and psychoanalytical approaches.
AHI 496 Museum Internship
Credits: 3
Semester:
Prerequisites: None
Corequisites: None
Type: TUT
Museum and gallery internships are available at such institutions as the Albright-Knox Art Gallery, the CFA Art Gallery, the University Art Gallery, the Amherst Museum, and the Castellani Art Museum of Niagara University. The opportunity is by permission only. Students are encouraged to take AHI 480 Museum Studies, before applying for an internship.
AHI 497 Honors Thesis Tutorial
Credits: 3
Semester:
Prerequisites: Permission of Instructor
Corequisites: None
Type: TUT
Accepted senior pursue a specialized, independent study leading to an honors thesis. For further information, please contact the director of undergraduate studies
AHI 499 Independent Study
Credits: 3
Semester:
Prerequisites: None
Corequisites: None
Type: TUT
One 3-credit-hour independent study may be undertaken with a faculty member. It must be an outgrowth of course study already completed, and not a substitution for any of the required coursework. Only one 3-credit-hour course may be applied toward the degree.
Updated: Aug 8, 2006 10:09:25 AM