Graduate Courses

Spring 2024

Please visit the Registrar’s website for real-time information including section times, course capacity, etc. 

AH 225B Early Modern Art
Charlene Villaseñor Black
M / 11:00 am – 1:50 pm / Dodd 275
Seminar, three hours. Emphasis on selected topic (e.g., particular artist, trend, or problem). Research papers and oral reports required. Language requirements depend on area of focus. May be repeated for credit with consent of adviser. S/U or letter grading.

AH 220B Advanced Studies in Islamic Art
Lamia Balafrej
R / 11:00 am – 1:00 pm / Dodd 275
Seminar, three hours. Monuments or theoretical problems related to Islamic culture and artistic production. May be repeated for credit with consent of adviser. S/U or letter grading.

AH 201 Modern Art
Zirwat Chowdhury
R / 3:00 pm – 4:50 pm / Dodd 275
Seminar, three hours. Critical examination of historiographic traditions of specific areas and fields within discipline of art history, concentrating on particular time periods, geographical areas, artistic traditions, or work of one or more authors. May be repeated for credit with consent of adviser. S/U or letter grading.

AH M258B Topics in Asian Asian Archaeology
Lothar von Falkenhausen
M / 2:00 pm – 4:50 pm / Dodd 275
(Same as Anthropology M216.) Seminar, three hours. Designed for graduate students. Topics may include identification of ethnic groups in archaeology, archaeology of religion, archaeological reflections of commerce and trade and their influence on social development, archaeology of language dispersal, cultural contact and nature of cultural influence. S/U or letter grading.

Winter 2024

AH 200 Art Historical Theories and Methodologies
Lamia Balafrej
W / 3-5:50 / Dodd 275
Seminar, three hours. Critical examination of history of discipline of art history, with studies of various theoretical, critical, and methodological approaches to visual arts from antiquity to present. May be repeated for credit with consent of adviser. S/U or letter grading.

AH 207 Consortium Scholar Seminar at Getty Research Institute
TBA
Seminar, three hours. Intramural graduate seminar at Getty Museum in collaboration with Getty Research Institute. Instructors, topics, and format vary. S/U or letter grading.

AH C214D Topics in Ancient Art: Artistic Exchange in Antiquity
David H. Schneller
T / 1-3:50 / Dodd 275
This seminar draws on recent developments in ancient art history to investigate artistic exchange in eastern Mediterranean antiquity. Past approaches to the phenomenon will be interrogated as we chart new paths of interpretation. We will consult ancient texts in translation and secondary literature on ancient art and archaeology. In addition, we will consider theoretical approaches to time as they relate to cross-cultural exchange, the use of materials and their consequences, the effects of technologies of making, and the mutable meanings of images across time and space. Students interested in art history and/or antiquity broadly conceived are encouraged to enroll. No prior knowledge of ancient art is required.

Fall 2023

AH 225B Early Modern Art
Bronwen Wilson
M / 10-12:50 / Dodd 275
Seminar, three hours.  Emphasis on selected topic (e.g., particular artist, trend, or problem). Research papers and oral reports required. Language requirements depend on area of focus. May be repeated for credit with consent of adviser. S/U or letter grading.

AH M236 Topics in African American Art – Idea of Black Art
Tiffany Barber
T / 10 – 12:50 / Dodd Hall 275
Study traces intellectual history of Black art and its permutations across mediums and geographies during long 20th century. By analyzing texts, art objects, and exhibitions that reflect scope of Black expressive culture in past and present, examination of how and when Black art and Black aesthetics emerged as political ideals and modes of thought, as practices of making and writing, and as methodological basis for interdisciplinary research over time. Students also investigate potential that visual analysis holds for constructing nuanced understandings of Blackness and vision. Study asks what is Black about Black art and Black aesthetics; how individual and collective understanding of these phrases has changed over time and place; how Black art and Black aesthetics are understood within disciplines of art history and Black studies; and what future of Black art may be. (Same as African American Studies M256.) Seminar, three hours. Requisite: course CM235A or CM235B. Topics in African American art from 18th century to present. May be repeated for credit with consent of graduate adviser. S/U or letter grading.

AH C250 Advanced Japanese Art
Kristopher Kersey
W / 3:00 – 5:50 / Dodd Hall 275
Lecture, three hours. Requisite: course 150A. Study in Japanese painting and sculpture. Concurrently scheduled with course C150B. S/U or letter grading.

Spring 2023 

AH 202 Topics in Theory and Criticism in Art History: Seminar 1
Saloni Mathur
T / 10-12:50 / Dodd 275
Seminar, three hours. Focused studies of various theoretical and critical traditions within art history, concentrating on particular issues, authors, or methodologies either within or across historical and cultural areas. May be repeated for credit with consent of adviser. S/U or letter grading.

AH 230D Modern Art: Enlightenment: Art, Aesthetics, and Empire
Zirwat Chowdhury
R / 3-4:50 / Dodd 275
Seminar, two hours. Changing topics in modern art (including illustration and other popular forms) that reflect interests of particular faculty members. Political and economic factors affecting arts of France and Germany at various times. May be repeated for credit with consent of adviser. S/U or letter grading.

AH 232 Contemporary Art: Seminar 1
Miwon Kwon
F / 2-4:50 / Dodd 275
Seminar, three hours. Selected topics in contemporary art, criticism, and theory. S/U or letter grading.

AH 217B Selected Topics in Medieval Art: Materiality in Art History
Meredith Cohen
F / 11-1:50 / Dodd 275
Lecture, three hours. Variable topics in medieval art that reflect interests of individual regular and/or visiting faculty members. May be repeated twice for credit. Concurrently scheduled with course C117B. S/U or letter grading.

AH 236 Topics in African American Art: Idea of Black Art
Tiffany E. Barber
W / 3-5:50 / Dodd 275
(Same as African American Studies M256.) Seminar, three hours. Requisite: course CM235A or CM235B. Topics in African American art from 18th century to present. May be repeated for credit with consent of graduate adviser. S/U or letter grading.

AH M272B Principles, Practice, and Ethics in Conservation of Cultural Heritage
Glenn Wharton
W / 9-11:50 / Dodd 275
(Formerly numbered 272B.) (Same as Conservation M221.) Seminar, three hours. Introduction to preservation of cultural heritage materials, including what should be preserved and why, as well as who should be involved in decision-making process. Use of several examples of issues and problems involved in preservation of works of art, from L.A. Murals to Sistine Chapel, from ancient wall paintings to Statue of Liberty. Discussion of issues of preservation and restoration of these cultural heritage materials both in museum and outdoor environment contexts. Materials and techniques used to make cultural heritage materials, in relation to preservation efforts needed to prevent decay and loss. Introduction to examples of conservation issues related to sites, buildings, monuments, and collections. Ethical and contextual aspects with reference to changing values in conservation of cultural materials, illustrating how cultural materials may have been treated differently according to those values. S/U or letter grading.

Winter 2023

AH 200 Art Historical Theories and Methodologies
George Baker
M / 2:00 pm – 4:50 pm / Dodd Hall 275
Seminar, three hours. Critical examination of history of discipline of art history, with studies of various theoretical, critical, and methodological approaches to visual arts from antiquity to present. May be repeated for credit with consent of adviser. S/U or letter grading.

AH 203 Topics in Architectural History and Theory: Seminar 1
Stella Nair
W / 10:00 am – 12:50 pm / Dodd Hall 275
Seminar, three hours. Focused studies of various theoretical and critical traditions within architectural history, concentrating on particular issues, authors, or methodologies either within or across historical, geographic, and cultural areas. May be repeated for credit with consent of adviser. S/U or letter grading.

Fall 2022

AH 200 Art Historical Theories and Methodologies
George Baker
M / 2:00 pm – 4:50 pm / Dodd Hall 275
Seminar, three hours. Critical examination of history of discipline of art history, with studies of various theoretical, critical, and methodological approaches to visual arts from antiquity to present. May be repeated for credit with consent of adviser. S/U or letter grading.

AH 203 Topics in Architectural History and Theory: Seminar 1
Stella Nair
W / 10:00 am – 12:50 pm / Dodd Hall 275
Seminar, three hours. Focused studies of various theoretical and critical traditions within architectural history, concentrating on particular issues, authors, or methodologies either within or across historical, geographic, and cultural areas. May be repeated for credit with consent of adviser. S/U or letter grading.

AH 220B Advanced Studies in Islamic Art: Seminar 1
Lamia Balafrej
R / 2:00 pm – 3:50 pm / Dodd Hall 275
Seminar, three hours. Monuments or theoretical problems related to Islamic culture and artistic production. May be repeated for credit with consent of adviser. S/U or letter grading.

AH C248G Gardens in Chinese Art and Culture
Hui-shu Lee
TR / 9:30 am – 10:45 am / Dodd Hall 146
Lecture, three hours. Overview of practice, theory, and representation of Chinese gardens in their historical, philosophical, artistic, social, and cultural contexts through literary writings, paintings, and aspects of material culture. Concurrently scheduled with course C148G. S/U or letter grading.

AH C249A Selected Topics in Chinese Art: Lecture 1
Lothar Von Falkenhausen
M / 9:00 am – 11:50 am / Dodd Hall 247
Lecture, three hours. Variable topics in Chinese art that reflect interests of individual regular and/or visiting faculty members. May be repeated twice for credit. Concurrently scheduled with course C149. S/U or letter grading.

AH 251B Japanese Art: Lecture 1
Kristopher Kersey
T / 2:00 pm – 4:50 pm / Dodd Hall 275
Lecture, three hours. Advanced studies in secular and religious artistic traditions of Japan. May be repeated for credit with consent of adviser. S/U or letter grading.