Current
Academic Calendar
2024/25
Academic Calendar 2024/25
Art History
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English language proficiency requirements Students registering in post-secondary level courses (numbered 100 to 499) will be required to meet the requirements. Students in ELS or the University Foundations programs can register in those courses identified in the with lower levels of language proficiency. |
Please note that not all courses are offered every semester.
3 credits
History of Art & Culture in a Global Context
Prerequisite(s): None.
Corequisite(s): None.
Pre- or corequisite(s): None.
A study of visual art and culture in a global context. Thematic approaches to the art of various cultures, including Indigenous peoples in British Columbia and beyond, will encourage students to appreciate distinct cultural traditions while also considering collisions, connections, and cross-fertilization between cultures.
3 credits
Art and Culture in the West to 1400
Prerequisite(s): None.
Corequisite(s): None.
Pre- or corequisite(s): None.
An introduction to visual arts and culture from Prehistory to 1400. Historical and geographical contexts will be considered, along with the dominant political, religious, and social concerns that inform the works examined.
3 credits
Art and Culture in the West from 1400 to the Present
Prerequisite(s): None.
Corequisite(s): None.
Pre- or corequisite(s): None.
An introduction to visual arts and culture from the Renaissance to the contemporary era, with a focus on understanding how artistic production informs and responds to the political, social, and religious concerns of its time and place.
3 credits
Art History and Its Methods
Prerequisite(s): 15 university-level credits.
Corequisite(s): None
Pre- or corequisite(s): None
An introduction to a variety of critical approaches to the study of art, emphasizing the value of applying different theoretical methods to enrich and broaden an understanding of the visual arts.
3 credits
History of Posters - The Art of Persuasion
Prerequisite(s): None.
Corequisite(s): None
Pre- or corequisite(s): None
Posters have played a role in times of revolution, war, protest, and for cultural and commercial circulation. Investigation of world posters will address the artistic, socio-political, and economic motivations behind their production as well as their diverse audiences and contexts.
3 credits
Indigenous Art of the Northwest Coast
Prerequisite(s): None
Corequisite(s): None
Pre- or corequisite(s): None
Students will consider how the art and visual culture of the Indigenous peoples of the Northwest Coast of British Columbia have functioned in rituals and have been appropriated for financial gain, politicized as a vision of Canada and as a tool of Indigenous activism, and integrated into globalized display cultures.
3 credits
Art Practices and Popular Culture
Prerequisite(s): 15 university-level credits.
Corequisite(s): None.
Pre- or corequisite(s): None.
An examination of popular culture in relation to historical and contemporary art-making practices. Students will apply critical methods to the study of relevant historical artistic movements (e.g. Cubism, Dada, Pop), and examine the social and political role of art and the artist.
3 credits
Contemporary Canadian Art
Prerequisite(s): 15 university-level credits.
Corequisite(s): None.
Pre- or corequisite(s): None.
An introduction to Canadian art produced since 1945. Focus on emergence of Canadian modern and postmodern art, with significant attention paid to the work of Indigenous artists, providing numerous opportunities to learn about Indigenous ways of knowing and being in the world.
3 credits
Classical Art and Its Legacy
Prerequisite(s): 15 university-level credits.
Corequisite(s): None.
Pre- or corequisite(s): None.
A contextual examination of the visual culture of Classical Antiquity from its origins in Ancient Greece and Rome through its enduring and often politically-fraught global legacy.
3 credits
Issues in Exhibition
Prerequisite(s): 3 credits of lower-level Art History.
Corequisite(s): None.
Pre- or corequisite(s): None.
A field experience course in which students will analyze curatorial objectives, elements of display, and supportive exhibition materials. This course may be combined with a study tour experience that may vary in length and location from local institutions to international sites.
3 credits
Art and Religion
Prerequisite(s): 15 university-level credits.
Corequisite(s): None.
Pre- or corequisite(s): None.
An introduction to the visual culture of spiritual and religious beliefs and practices from a variety of geographic, cultural and chronological contexts. Buddhist, Christian, Hindu, Indigenous, Islamic, Judaic and Sikh traditions, among others, will be considered.
3 credits
Art and the Metropolis
Prerequisite(s): None.
Corequisite(s): None.
Pre- or corequisite(s): None.
A case study of a specific city, the study tour destination, as a site vested with cultural and symbolic meaning. Examines the historical and present contexts of the city by focusing on its art and architecture. This course is offered in the winter semester and prepares students for the biannual VA study tour.
Note: This course will be offered under different letter designations (e.g. C-Z), representing different cities. Students may only take the course once for credit.
3 credits
Architecture and Nature: Building Between Earth and Sky
Prerequisite(s): 15 university-level credits.
Corequisite(s): None.
Pre- or corequisite(s): None.
An examination of the changing relationship between architecture and nature from prehistory to the present day that encompasses architecture, urban planning, garden design, and commemorative monuments. This course references both built and imagined examples in art and visual culture.
Note: This course may include field trips.
3 credits
A Critical History of Photography
Prerequisite(s): 15 university-level credits.
Corequisite(s): None.
Pre- or corequisite(s): None.
A history of photography from its beginnings in the 19th century to the present day. Students will analyze critical issues around the development of the medium, including its relation to mass culture, fine art, colonial aims of anthropologists, missionaries, and government agents, as well as Indigenous resistance, through the use of photography. Students will also engage with current debates around censorship, pornography, copyrights, consumption, and social media.
4 credits
Studies in Medieval Art
Prerequisite(s): 45 university-level credits or 6 credits of Art History.
Corequisite(s): None.
Pre- or corequisite(s): None.
A focus on developments in visual culture ranging from the 5th through the 15th centuries. Specific topics will vary and could include a focus on a particular region, culture, and/or theme such as early Islam, Gothic Europe, or manuscript arts, or present a broader consideration of the global middle ages. Please consult the department for specific topical focus of a given iteration of the course.
4 credits
Studies in Renaissance Art
Prerequisite(s): 45 university-level credits or 6 credits of Art History.
Corequisite(s): None.
Pre- or corequisite(s): None.
A focus on developments in the visual culture of early modern Europe within a global context from the 14th through the 16th centuries. Intense artistic productivity and global expansion stimulate profound changes in the production, circulation, and reception of visual art. Historical and geographical contexts, and the dominant political, religious, and social concerns of the period provide frameworks for study. Please consult the department for specific topical focus of a given iteration of the course.
4 credits
Studies in Baroque Art and Architecture
Prerequisite(s): 45 university-level credits or 6 credits of Art History.
Corequisite(s): None.
Pre- or corequisite(s): None.
From the vantage points of the Counter-Reformation and rise of modern European states, this course addresses visual culture from the late 16th through the early 18th century in relation to the rise of the art academies, art theory, religious conflict, scientific discovery, and colonial expansion. It also explores the global cultural impact of Indigenous and hybrid styles. Please consult the department for specific topical focus of a given iteration of the course.
4 credits
Arts in Context: Romanticism
Prerequisite(s): 45 university-level credits or 6 credits of Art History.
Corequisite(s): None.
Pre- or corequisite(s): None.
An examination of visual arts and culture from the late 18th to the mid-19th century, with a primary focus on Romantic art in Western Europe. Romanticismās dominant themes will be considered in relation to the era's profound political and social upheavals.
4 credits
Arts in Context: Contemporary
Prerequisite(s): 45 university-level credits or 6 credits of Art History.
Corequisite(s): None.
Pre- or corequisite(s): None.
Students will learn about production, circulation, and reception of contemporary arts in their relation to social upheaval, political movements, globalization, and emerging critical thought on race, gender, sexuality, Indigeneity, and class.
4 credits
Arts in Context: Gender, Art, and Society
Prerequisite(s): 45 university-level credits or 6 credits of Art History.
Corequisite(s): None.
Pre- or corequisite(s): None.
An examination of how gender has influenced the creation and reception of visual arts including a consideration of interrelations of gender, class, race, and sexuality, as well as the impact of feminism and critical theory. The complexities of decolonization and Indigenization regarding gender and art are also addressed.
4 credits
Art and Culture: Special Topics
Prerequisite(s): 45 university-level credits or 6 credits of Art History.
Corequisite(s): None.
Pre- or corequisite(s): None.
Topics will vary. Students will encounter the artistic and cultural production of a society, period, place, or theme not covered in regular Art History course offerings.
Note: This course will be offered under different letter designations (e.g. C-Z) representing different topics, and may be repeated for credit provided the letter designation differs.
4 credits
Canada: Contact Zone
Prerequisite(s): 45 university-level credits or 6 credits of Art History.
Corequisite(s): None.
Pre- or corequisite(s): None.
An exploration of post-contact art and visual culture as a mediator between Indigenous and settler communities in pre-and post-Confederation Canada. Considers the social, political, economic, and aesthetic implications of such cross-cultural exchanges, shaped by conflict, negotiation, appropriation, and resistance.
Note: Students with credit for AH 320D cannot take this course for further credit.
4 credits
Arts in Context: Modernity and Modernism, 1850-1900
Prerequisite(s): 45 university-level credits or 6 credits of Art History.
Corequisite(s): None.
Pre- or corequisite(s): None.
Examines the development of the visual arts from 1850 to 1900. Major artistic movements from Realism through Impressionism, to Symbolism and Art Nouveau are explored. Will also address shifts in critical conceptions and art historical problems surrounding modernity and multiple modernisms from post-colonial and Indigenous perspectives.
Note: Students with credit for AH 314 cannot take this course for further credit.
4 credits
Arts in Context: Avant-Garde Art, 1900-1945
Prerequisite(s): 45 university-level credits or 6 credits of Art History.
Corequisite(s): None.
Pre- or corequisite(s): None.
An examination of art agitation and artistic experimentations from around 1900 to 1945. The course focuses on how the arts in Europe and America participated in a redefinition of the past and present in times of political conflict and social upheaval. Beside āmaster narrativesā, multiple and diverse modernisms are discussed.
Note: Students with credit for AH 314 cannot take this course for further credit.
4 credits
Museum Principles and Practices
Prerequisite(s): 45 university-level credits or 6 credits of Art History.
Corequisite(s): None.
Pre- or corequisite(s): None.
Exploration of how museums perpetuate aesthetic, cultural, and political interests and how they construct meaning and determine public taste. By analyzing their collections and exhibition practices, this course investigates institutional mandates as well as specific curatorial objectives, issues of display, and issues of reception. It also confronts the colonial legacies of museums.
4 credits
Art and Fashion
Prerequisite(s): 45 university-level credits or 6 credits of Art History.
Corequisite(s): None.
Pre- or corequisite(s): None.
Students will examine art and fashion with attention to wardrobe as cultural phenomenon and means of communication. The course considers emblematic dimensions of dress and purpose of dress beyond mere functionality. Effects of and resistance to colonial legacies in fashion and art are examined.
Note: Students with credit for AH 341 cannot take this course for further credit.
4 credits
Senior Seminar I
Prerequisite(s): Two upper-level Art History courses, to include AH 314 or AH 315, plus 30 additional university-level credits.
Corequisite(s): None
Pre- or corequisite(s): None
This course presents an overview of key theoretical issues important to the practice and reception of contemporary art. Modern and contemporary cultural theories, art theory, and art criticism are examined.
Note: This course is offered as AH 401 and VA 401. Students may take only one of these for credit.
3 credits
Senior Seminar II
Prerequisite(s): AH 401/VA 401.
Corequisite(s): None
Pre- or corequisite(s): None
This seminar explores advanced theoretical issues pertaining to art-making practices. Research will be conducted on contemporary art practice, cultural theory, and art criticism.
Note: This course is offered as AH 403 and VA 403. Students may take only one of these for credit.
4 credits
Directed Studies in Art History and Visual Studies
Prerequisite(s): 60 university-level credits, including 12 credits of Art History with a minimum of 4 credits of 300- or 400-level Art History, and department permission.
Corequisite(s): None.
Pre- or corequisite(s): None.
For upper-level students who wish to pursue an independent course of concentrated study in a topic not otherwise offered.
Last updated: May 14, 2024