A group of students and an instructor discuss a sculpture at the AIC
Art History, Theory, & Criticism

Graduate Overview

Art History Graduate Overview

Reduced Application Fee Deadline: December 1
Application Deadline: January 10

SAIC has long been distinguished by its innovative and extensive curriculum in modern and contemporary topics. Our Art History MA programs draw on the institution's setting in Chicago with its wealth of historic architecture, public sculpture, museums, libraries, cultural facilities, and lively gallery scene.

Art History Master's Degree Programs

Master of Arts in Modern and Contemporary Art History (MAAH)
Students in SAIC’s Master of Arts in Modern and Contemporary Art History program pursue research in a prestigious fine art school connected with a major American art museum. Art History students work with a large department of full-time faculty specializing in modern and contemporary art and design with a global focus, and challenge, debate and interpret the field.

See admission information

Dual Degree: Master of Arts in Modern and Contemporary Art History and Arts Administration and Policy (MAAAP)
The 3-year, 63 credit Dual Degree is a unique program designed to immerse students in both the history of art and arts administration, competitively positioning graduates for work in the areas they choose, from academia to curatorial positions and work in nonprofit organizations.

See admission information

The programs' curricula incorporates historical, theoretical, and critical perspectives on art, design, and contemporary visual cultures. Fifteen full-time faculty teach modern and contemporary art history from diverse scholarly perspectives in a global context. Graduate students in our Art History master's degree programs join a vibrant art/design school community engaged with contemporary visual practices. Our graduate students have gone on to be curators, professors, writers, critics, publishers, gallerists, arts administrators, and activists.

Curriculum

  • Historiography seminar

    Select one of the following:

    • ARTHI 5007 History of Art History (3)
    • ARTHI 5008 History of Art Criticism and Theory (3)

    3

     

    Global Issues Seminar 

    Graduate seminary (5000-level only) that focuses on art worlds outside of Europe and North America or focuses on Global Art Theory. A list of courses that satisfy this requirement is available from the department every semester. 

    3

     

    Graduate seminars in Art History, Theory, and Criticism (5000-level) 12
    Additional courses or seminars in Art History, Theory, and Criticism (4000 to 6000 level or above)6
    Interdisciplinary or Art History electives at 4000-level or above    6

    Thesis research and writing     

    • ARTHI 5999 Thesis I (3)
      ARTHI 6999 Thesis II (Independent Study) (3)

    6

     

    Completion of thesis—a final thesis must be submitted to and approved by the thesis readers and the Department of Art History, Theory, and Criticism.     
    TOTAL CREDIT HOURS36

    Degree requirements and specifications

    1. Completion schedule: Students have a maximum of four years from entry into the program to complete coursework and submit a final, approved thesis. This includes time off for leaves of absence. Credit for Thesis Research and Writing (ARTHI 5999 and 6999) is granted only after the thesis is approved and final copies are submitted to the Department.
    2. Thesis in Progress: Students who have not submitted a finished thesis for review and approval by the end of the final semester of enrollment are given a Thesis in Progress grade (IP). All students with a Thesis in Progress grade (IP) will be charged the Thesis in Progress Fee in each subsequent full semester until the thesis is completed and approved and the grade is changed to Credit (CR). If the statute of limitations is reached without an approved thesis, the grade will be changed to No Credit (NCR).
    3. Transfer credits: A minimum of 30 credit hours must be completed in residence at SAIC. Up to six transfer credits may be requested at the time of application for admission and are subject to approval at that time. No transfer credit will be permitted after a student is admitted.
    4. Curriculum: The program requires 36 credit hours, and each individual course is generally three credit hours. Courses are subject to approval by the Art History Graduate Program Director.
    5. Art History requirement: From the Graduate Seminars and additional courses in Art History, at least one course (3 credit hours) must be taken from the list of courses designated 19th-century art history and at least one course (3 credit hours) designated early-20th-century art history. A list of courses that satisfies this requirement is available from the Department of Art History, Theory, and Criticism every semester.
    6. Electives: Electives can be taken from the following departments and programs without additional approval from the Graduate Program Director: Art History, Theory, and Criticism; Visual and Critical Studies; Arts Administration and Policy; Art Education; and Writing. Graduate seminars and upper-level courses in departments other than those listed above may be allowed as electives, contingent upon prior approval from both the Art History Graduate Program Director and the course instructor.
    7. Internship/Co-op Option: Students have the option of taking up to three hours of credit through the co-op internship program. These credit hours can be taken as part of additional courses or electives, but internship credits never count toward the required number of seminar credit hours.
    8. Full-time Status Minimum Requirement: 9 credit hours

Visiting Scholars

The department supports an active research culture with frequent lectures by visiting scholars, critics, and curators. Most important of these is the annual Lifton Memorial Lecture and seminar that brings a significant figure engaged with modern and contemporary art to campus. Recent speakers have included Ming Tiampo, Adrienne Brown and Rashad Shabazz, Saloni Mathur, Hannah B Higgins and Deborah Willis. In addition, graduate students annually select an Art History End-of-Year Lecturer to speak every spring and have recently invited Amanda Boetzkes, Jessica L. Horton and Luis Castañeda, among many others. Across SAIC, contemporary artists give talks every week through studio departments and the Visiting Artists Program.

Thesis Abstracts

Each year, the School of the Art Institute of Chicago celebrates the culmination and closure of students' studies at the masters level. In studio areas, the celebration takes place in the form of the thesis exhibitions. The academic areas complement this with the publication of students' theses. The SAIC Thesis Repository contains theses for the MA in Modern and Contemporary Art History and the Dual Degree submitted since November 2013.

Course Listing

Title Catalog Instructor Schedule

Description

This course is an introduction to art and design. Specific content varies by instructor and covers diverse ways of seeing and understanding the visual world. The course articulates connections between selected art of the past and contemporary practices. Students will gain first-hand knowledge from visits to and exercises in the Art Institute of Chicago and other collections.
Ultimately, the course teaches skills that enable students to understand their own practices better, orient themselves in relation to theories of art and design, and navigate our present moment where visual literacy is increasingly crucial.

This course introduces students to key aspects of the history and theory of art and design. Students will become familiar with selected art of the past and how it has been connected to contemporary practices.

Class Number

1035

Credits

3

Department

Art History, Theory, and Criticism

Location

MacLean 302

Description

This course is an introduction to art and design. Specific content varies by instructor and covers diverse ways of seeing and understanding the visual world. The course articulates connections between selected art of the past and contemporary practices. Students will gain first-hand knowledge from visits to and exercises in the Art Institute of Chicago and other collections.
Ultimately, the course teaches skills that enable students to understand their own practices better, orient themselves in relation to theories of art and design, and navigate our present moment where visual literacy is increasingly crucial.

This course introduces students to key aspects of the history and theory of art and design. Students will become familiar with selected art of the past and how it has been connected to contemporary practices.

Class Number

1036

Credits

3

Department

Art History, Theory, and Criticism

Location

MacLean 302

Description

This course is an introduction to art and design. Specific content varies by instructor and covers diverse ways of seeing and understanding the visual world. The course articulates connections between selected art of the past and contemporary practices. Students will gain first-hand knowledge from visits to and exercises in the Art Institute of Chicago and other collections.
Ultimately, the course teaches skills that enable students to understand their own practices better, orient themselves in relation to theories of art and design, and navigate our present moment where visual literacy is increasingly crucial.

This course introduces students to key aspects of the history and theory of art and design. Students will become familiar with selected art of the past and how it has been connected to contemporary practices.

Class Number

1037

Credits

3

Department

Art History, Theory, and Criticism

Location

MacLean 302

Description

This course is an introduction to art and design. Specific content varies by instructor and covers diverse ways of seeing and understanding the visual world. The course articulates connections between selected art of the past and contemporary practices. Students will gain first-hand knowledge from visits to and exercises in the Art Institute of Chicago and other collections.
Ultimately, the course teaches skills that enable students to understand their own practices better, orient themselves in relation to theories of art and design, and navigate our present moment where visual literacy is increasingly crucial.

This course introduces students to key aspects of the history and theory of art and design. Students will become familiar with selected art of the past and how it has been connected to contemporary practices.

Class Number

1083

Credits

3

Department

Art History, Theory, and Criticism

Location

Lakeview - 1608

Description

This course builds on the lessons of ARTHI 1001 by discussing specific issues in modern and contemporary art and design. It focuses on examining objects and concepts, addressing theoretical and critical issues. It also explores the historical, intellectual, and socioeconomic changes reflected in the works of artists and designers, highlighting their relevance to contemporary practices. Museum visits and group exercises supervised by the instructor and the teaching assistants will contribute to the important hands-on experience of works of art.

Note: ARTHI 1001 is the recommended prerequisite for ARTHI 1002.

Class Number

1039

Credits

3

Department

Art History, Theory, and Criticism

Location

MacLean 302

Description

This course builds on the lessons of ARTHI 1001 by discussing specific issues in modern and contemporary art and design. It focuses on examining objects and concepts, addressing theoretical and critical issues. It also explores the historical, intellectual, and socioeconomic changes reflected in the works of artists and designers, highlighting their relevance to contemporary practices. Museum visits and group exercises supervised by the instructor and the teaching assistants will contribute to the important hands-on experience of works of art.

Note: ARTHI 1001 is the recommended prerequisite for ARTHI 1002.

Class Number

1045

Credits

3

Department

Art History, Theory, and Criticism

Location

MacLean 302

Description

This is an advanced course that surveys developments in nineteenth and twentieth century art and architecture. It is intended for BAAH students and Scholars Program students. Particular emphasis is placed on theoretical and critical issues, as well as the historical, intellectual, and socioeconomic changes that are reflected or addressed in the works of artists and architects. ARTHI 1201: Discussion Section for Advanced Survey of Modern to Contemporary Art & Architecture is required.

Class Number

1050

Credits

3

Department

Art History, Theory, and Criticism

Location

MacLean 302

Description

This course builds on the lessons of ARTHI 1001 by discussing specific issues in modern and contemporary art and design. It focuses on examining objects and concepts, addressing theoretical and critical issues. It also explores the historical, intellectual, and socioeconomic changes reflected in the works of artists and designers, highlighting their relevance to contemporary practices. Museum visits and group exercises supervised by the instructor and the teaching assistants will contribute to the important hands-on experience of works of art.

Note: ARTHI 1001 is the recommended prerequisite for ARTHI 1002.

Class Number

1047

Credits

3

Department

Art History, Theory, and Criticism

Location

MacLean 302

Description

This course builds on the lessons of ARTHI 1001 by discussing specific issues in modern and contemporary art and design. It focuses on examining objects and concepts, addressing theoretical and critical issues. It also explores the historical, intellectual, and socioeconomic changes reflected in the works of artists and designers, highlighting their relevance to contemporary practices. Museum visits and group exercises supervised by the instructor and the teaching assistants will contribute to the important hands-on experience of works of art.

Note: ARTHI 1001 is the recommended prerequisite for ARTHI 1002.

Class Number

2114

Credits

3

Department

Art History, Theory, and Criticism

Location

MacLean 302

Description

This course builds on the lessons of ARTHI 1001 by discussing specific issues in modern and contemporary art and design. It focuses on examining objects and concepts, addressing theoretical and critical issues. It also explores the historical, intellectual, and socioeconomic changes reflected in the works of artists and designers, highlighting their relevance to contemporary practices. Museum visits and group exercises supervised by the instructor and the teaching assistants will contribute to the important hands-on experience of works of art.

Note: ARTHI 1001 is the recommended prerequisite for ARTHI 1002.

Class Number

2254

Credits

3

Department

Art History, Theory, and Criticism

Location

MacLean 302

Description

This course builds on the lessons of ARTHI 1001 by discussing specific issues in modern and contemporary art and design. It focuses on examining objects and concepts, addressing theoretical and critical issues. It also explores the historical, intellectual, and socioeconomic changes reflected in the works of artists and designers, highlighting their relevance to contemporary practices. Museum visits and group exercises supervised by the instructor and the teaching assistants will contribute to the important hands-on experience of works of art.

Note: ARTHI 1001 is the recommended prerequisite for ARTHI 1002.

Class Number

1038

Credits

3

Department

Art History, Theory, and Criticism

Location

MacLean 302

Description

This class reveals the fine art, photography and art theories of late 19th century to the present day. The first half of the semester focusing on the period 1851 to the economic crash of 1929; which had been a time of rapid social, economic and political change impacted by revolutions in communication systems, technology and easy availability of reproductions. Students will gain a comprehensive and chronological picture of the major art movements and their engagement with or reaction against previous art and artists.

The major artists of the major movements of Impressionism, Cubism, Purism, Expressionism, Futurism, Surrealism and Abstraction will be addressed in regards to their aims and achievements.These include - to name the most prominent - Claude Monet, Paul Cezanne, Picasso, Braque, Leger, Kirchner, Severini, Magritte, Dali and Kandinsky and Mondrian.The class ending with major 20th century artists from Pollock and De Kooning of Abstract Expressionism to Pop artists Andy Warhol and Roy Lichtenstein to current times and how they relate to this legacy and the concept of an art museum in terms of urban capitalism, Colonialism, Nationalism and Internationalism.

This class has weekly reading assignments from two major texts ; one written by art historian Richard Brettell and one written by artist Alex Katz. Written questions about these readings will be assigned as well. The class also often has sketching and student discussions in the museum. There is also one final paper on the artist covered most admired by each student.

Class Number

1048

Credits

3

Department

Art History, Theory, and Criticism

Location

Lakeview - 1608

Description

Students will review the materials from the previous week?s lecture, both the class's main thematic and conceptual points, and also the names, practices, and places that may be required for quizzes. The TA will also lead workshops in which students exchange ideas about their notebooks, maps, papers, curated projects, or installations.

Prerequisites

Corequisite: ARTHI 1002.

Class Number

2240

Credits

0

Department

Art History, Theory, and Criticism

Location

Lakeview - 206

Description

Students will review the materials from the previous week?s lecture, both the class's main thematic and conceptual points, and also the names, practices, and places that may be required for quizzes. The TA will also lead workshops in which students exchange ideas about their notebooks, maps, papers, curated projects, or installations.

Prerequisites

Corequisite: ARTHI 1002.

Class Number

2241

Credits

0

Department

Art History, Theory, and Criticism

Location

MacLean 818

Description

Students will review the materials from the previous week?s lecture, both the class's main thematic and conceptual points, and also the names, practices, and places that may be required for quizzes. The TA will also lead workshops in which students exchange ideas about their notebooks, maps, papers, curated projects, or installations.

Prerequisites

Corequisite: ARTHI 1002.

Class Number

2242

Credits

0

Department

Art History, Theory, and Criticism

Location

MacLean 919

Description

Students will review the materials from the previous week?s lecture, both the class's main thematic and conceptual points, and also the names, practices, and places that may be required for quizzes. The TA will also lead workshops in which students exchange ideas about their notebooks, maps, papers, curated projects, or installations.

Prerequisites

Corequisite: ARTHI 1002.

Class Number

2243

Credits

0

Department

Art History, Theory, and Criticism

Location

Lakeview - 1427

Description

This course plunges students into content and ideas that universities often leave until graduate school, as we consider the role played by the 'critical' in 'visual and critical studies.' For the past ten years, it has been referred to as 'a primer for the art world.' It will still, mostly, provide you with a working vocabulary and crash course as to bodies of knowledge integral to the study of visual culture. At the same time, to productively engage in a reflective critique of society and culture, it will consider 'texts' from as diverse and contemporaneous a group of scholars, theorists, critics, and cultural producers as possible, from both inside and outside the academic institution.

Prerequisites

Prerequisite: Art History Survey Requirement

Class Number

2163

Credits

3

Department

Art History, Theory, and Criticism

Area of Study

Theory

Location

MacLean 920

Description

If a society?s order of reasons disempowers its citizens, why not weaponize the irrational? This was the premise of various, systemic reactions against the ?ego? in the midlate 20th century. In Europe, the United States, and former colonies, some of this activity can be read as an extension of the historical avant garde?s investigation of altered states of consciousness and ?madness.? The neo-avant garde sometimes used the tools of rational science to deconstruct its premises, reconstruct the real, and promote a more demotic culture. This course takes an international approach and samples practices and discourses of Dadaism, Surrealism, free jazz, performance and conceptual art, dance, film, ?relational aesthetics,? and experimental poetics. We will place a special emphasis on the way indeterminacy claims to ameliorate conflicts between political commitment and aesthetic quality.

Expect to encounter works by Francis Alys, Anthony Braxton, John Cage, Aime Cesaire, Fischli & Weiss, Helio Oiticica, Huang Yong Ping, Jorge Macchi, Jackson MacLow, Gerhard Richter, Apichatpong Weerasethakul, Hannah Weiner, and others.

Course work will vary but typically includes weekly written responses, moderate reading assignments, listening and viewing, avid participation in class discussions, one creative/curatorial project, one research presentation, and a final essay.

Prerequisites

Prerequisite: Art History Survey Requirement

Class Number

2165

Credits

3

Department

Art History, Theory, and Criticism

Area of Study

Class, Race, Ethnicity, Economic Inequality & Class, Community & Social Engagement

Location

MacLean 608

Description

What is sculpture, and what separates it from other media? How did modernity and modernism change the artists¿ understanding of sculpture and its relationship to the human body, scale, and space? This course will present an overview of modern sculpture, from Rodin¿s figurative work to Smithson¿s land art, concluding with discussions about the role of contemporary sculpture in society. We will examine how technological innovations, societal transformations, and the myths of modernism influenced the artists¿ approaches to the medium. The course will primarily focus on European and North American sculptors but will also explore their understanding of colonialism and globalization.
The course will overview various examples of artworks by Auguste Rodin, Karl Ioganson, Naum Gabo, Kurt Schwitters (Merzbau), Alexander Calder, Henry Moore, Barbara Hepworth, Magdalena Abakanowicz, Richard Serra, Robert Smithson, and other representatives of late 19th-20th century sculpture. Secondary readings will include Rosalind Krauss¿ ¿Passages on Modern Sculpture,¿ selections of Megan Luke's and Maria Gough's monographs on Kurt Schwitters and Constructivism, as well as relevant academic articles. We will also discuss and contextualize primary texts and manifestos by Naum Gabo, Carola Giedion-Weckler, Katarzyna Kobro, Barbara Hepworth, and Johann Winckelmann (some read in their entirety, some as selections).
Formal analysis of a selected sculpture ¿ 1000-1500 words
Presentation ¿ 5-10 minutes
Final essay comparing three sculptures and relating them to concepts from class ¿ 3000-4000 words

Prerequisites

Prerequisite: Art History Survey Requirement

Class Number

2484

Credits

3

Department

Art History, Theory, and Criticism

Location

MacLean 707

Description

Ancient art and architecture often provides the backdrop for National politics and in many countries is the art which one first encounters outside of a museum. This course will introduce students to ancient art and architecture in a way that highlights its modern importance in terms of cultural heritage and the art making practices of modern artists.

Readings will address the contemporary relevance of ancient art, the particularities of that artwork, and the way that ancient artwork and the modern art it inspires are a manifestation of cultural values both past and present.

Students will be required to present readings to other students on a biweekly basis, take exams based on the artwork presented in lectures, and complete a research project. The research project involves the study of one repatriated artwork's provenience and provenance and the presentation of that research to the class

Prerequisites

Prerequisite: Art History Survey Requirement

Class Number

1058

Credits

3

Department

Art History, Theory, and Criticism

Location

Lakeview - 1608

Description

The course examines the history of designed objects and their place in a variety of material contexts. Even within our increasingly digitalized existences today, physical objects continue to play a key role in determining our experiences as humans. Our objects are designed by us and at the same time design us by extending the possibilities of what it means to be human and exist in a world.

The designed object will be considered under the conditions of global exchange, in relation to questions of health, disease, and the body, as well as urbanism. We will also reflect on the designed object through the lenses of craftsmanship, technology, materials, activism, identity, and cultural heritage.

Course participants will read texts relevant to the theoretical and historical aspects of the designed object and its representations, contribute to weekly discussions, conduct object-based analyses, and engage in a series of team and individually written critical writing assignments.

Prerequisites

Prerequisite: Art History Survey Requirement

Class Number

1040

Credits

3

Department

Art History, Theory, and Criticism

Location

MacLean 707

Description

This course studies the medieval book in Europe and the visual arts crafted in medieval Paris as well as their connections to the global medieval world through exchange and gifting. The medieval cosmos in Islamic and European cultures, humans? relationship with the natural world, and artist?s practices of making will be studied as well as manuscripts, textiles, metal work, and more. Books in the medieval world include narratives of heroes, saints, love, magic, scientific knowledge, and documentation of artistic techniques. This course is Eurocentric however includes arts of Middle East and North Africa for a broader understanding of the medieval world.

Coursework includes field trips to view Chicago's medieval manuscript and art collections at the Newberry and the Art Institute. Readings include works by Sharon Farmer, ?Surviving Poverty in Paris,? Edson and Savage-Smith, ?Medieval Views of the Cosmos,? Michael Camille, ?Nature of Gothic,? Madeline Caviness, ?Patron or Matron?,? Jonathan Bloom and Sheila Blair, ?Islamic Penmen and Painters,? and more.

Coursework will vary but typically includes discussions, reading responses, in-class quizzes, short presentations and a research paper.

Prerequisites

Prerequisite: Art History Survey Requirement

Class Number

2370

Credits

3

Department

Art History, Theory, and Criticism

Area of Study

Books and Publishing

Location

MacLean 920

Description

Often fashion refers to history, as it will in this course. We will explore the culture of Europe within the Renaissance era and the fashions created in that time, including the various occasions when men in their uniforms and women in their gowns stepped out in velvets, satins, leather, beading, metalwork and embroideries.

Turner Wilcox, Andre Castel, David Herlihy, Colin McEvedy, William McNeill, Rublack & Hayward, Anthony McIntyre
READINGS:
Excerpts from: Trucco e Bellezza nell' Antichita Rossana ed Cesaris; Fashion as a Cultural Intertext
Michaela Malickova; Pandora in the Box
Lydia Marie Taylor; For A Contemporary Vision of the Other History and Phenomenology of Fashion
Alessia M. M. Giurdanella; Fashion in the Middle Ages
Margaret Scott; Medieval Households
David Herlihy; First Book of Fashion edited by U. Rublack and M. Hayward; Plagues and People
William H. McNeill; Memoirs of Hadrian
Marguerite Yourcenar; Arms and Armour
Visual Books; Flowering of the Italian Renaissance
Andre Chastel; Medieval Households
David Herlihy; Penguin Atlas of Ancient History
Colin McEvedy; Alla Mensa degli Antichi - the ceramics of the table - collezione Costantini

Students should expect to create around 3 presentations and 3 written essays, a combination of written and visual.

Prerequisites

Prerequisite: Art History Survey Requirement

Class Number

2475

Credits

3

Department

Art History, Theory, and Criticism

Area of Study

Costume Design, Art/Design and Politics, Museum Studies

Location

MacLean 707

Description

This course introduces 20th and 21st century Korean through major themes, including the introduction of Western art, the unique formation of Korean Modernism, the Avant-garde art movement, people?s art, feminist art, and the globalization of the Korean art scene. We also address Korean artists working internationally and major thematic Korean art exhibitions held in America.

Prerequisites

Prerequisite: Art History Survey Requirement

Class Number

1067

Credits

3

Department

Art History, Theory, and Criticism

Location

MacLean 707

Description

This course presents an overview of the academic field known as Media Art Histories as well as the specific genealogies of relevant academic disciplines (i.e. of film art, video art, new media art, both filmic and digital experimental animation, interactive digital systems, and video games) as well as genealogies of specific media technologies (i.e. still and film cameras, television, computers, software, video games, the internet, and aglorithms). These interwoven histories of shared theory/practices are investigated in relationship to independent/experimental/art media in contemporary cultures by asking: How do film, video, and new media artists develop methods to work with, against, and around these techno-social forms? Readings will include Marshall McLuhan, Tom Gunning, André Breton, Maya Deren, Laura Mulvey, Bell Hooks, Angela J. Aguayo, Rosalind Krauss, Rosa Menkman, and Legacy Russell. Established genealogies will be presented and critically examined alongside screenings and discussions about works by media artists whose practices embodied and challenged the techno-cultural media environment of their time, from the advent of photography and film to the contemporary moment of ultra-high-definition digital video, networked streaming, online algorithmic media sharing and consumption, and 3D capturing and rendering.

Prerequisites

Prerequisite: Art History Survey Requirement

Class Number

1074

Credits

3

Department

Art History, Theory, and Criticism

Area of Study

Theory

Location

MacLean 1307

Description

This course explores the rich and diverse landscape of African cinema from its origins to the present day. Students will examine seminal works from pioneers like Ousmane Sembène and Souleymane Cissé alongside contemporary voices such as Abderrahmane Sissako, Wanuri Kahiu, and Baloji. The course covers major film movements including Nollywood's commercial revolution, the author-driven traditions of West African cinema, and more recent experimental films from Central and Southern Africa.

Prerequisites

Prerequisite: Art History Survey Requirement

Class Number

2480

Credits

3

Department

Art History, Theory, and Criticism

Area of Study

Theory

Location

Gene Siskel Film Center 203

Description

This course covers the history of animated film, from its pre-cinematic beginnings to the beginning of the television era (ca. 1960). It traces the development of the Hollywood studio cartoon, along with parallel developments in European and Japanese animation and experimental and abstract works. Special emphasis is given to the evolution of formal animation techniques and their role in the shaping of the animation aesthetic.

Much attention is given to the groundbreaking work of Disney, the Fleischer studio, and the cartoons of Tex Avery and Chuck Jones. European animators are represented by Lotte Reiniger, Oskar Fischinger, and other experimenters. All films are screened chronologically, with a mix of short works and a handful of features.

There are weekly readings on the history of animation; a ten-page paper; and a final multiple-choice exam.

Prerequisites

Prerequisite: Art History Survey Requirement

Class Number

1042

Credits

3

Department

Art History, Theory, and Criticism

Location

MacLean 1307

Description

This course surveys performance as art throughout the Modern and Postmodern periods?including contemporary and non-Western incarnations?and covers roughly the last one hundred fifty years. Areas of historical and theoretical focus include the philosophy of performance, ethnography, feminism, and the interface of performance with film, video, dance, sculpture, theater, technology, and popular culture. Movements like Futurism, Dada, and Fluxus are explored alongside themes like endurance, performance in everyday life, the culture wars and censorship, performance and AIDS, and postcolonial uses of performance.

Key figures such as Carolee Schneemann and Marina Abramovic are analyzed through comparison of documentaries about their work. Any number of seminal performance pieces are screened, including ones by Yoko Ono, Linda Montano, Diamanda Galas, Guillermo Gomez-Pe?a & Coco Fusco, and Anna Deavere Smith. Further historical context comes from essays and movies about AIDS activism and Punk & New Wave. Readings include primary sources, artist interviews, C. Carr's reviews, and noted works in Performance Studies from Richard Schechner, Peggy Phelan, Amelia Jones, and others.

Students will attend two performances and write reviews, an annotated bibliography assignment provides opportunity to explore historical and non-western performance topics, and there will be much discussion.

Prerequisites

Prerequisite: Art History Survey Requirement

Class Number

1055

Credits

3

Department

Art History, Theory, and Criticism

Area of Study

Gender and Sexuality

Location

Lakeview - 1608

Description

In 1839 a new means of visual representation was announced to a startled world: photography. Although the medium was immediately and enthusiastically embraced by the public at large, photographers spent decades experimenting with techniques and debating the representational nature of this new invention. This course focuses on the more recent history of this revolutionary medium. From the technological advancements that characterized the rise of photography in the commercial world during the 20th century, and the acknowledgement of photography as an artistic medium in its own right, to the digital revolution and its social media applications, we will consider the technological, economic, political, and artistic histories of photography through selected works of art and seminal critical texts.

This course considers photography in a global context. We focus on seminal texts and images in order to explore ethical, commercial, artistic, and political issues that make photography essentially important to our contemporary visual culture. The course explores broad range of photographic practices, techniques, and approaches including the work of Hannah Hoch, Martha Rosler, Hiroshi Sugimoto, Dawoud Bey, Gordon Parks, Nan Goldin, Cindy Sherman, William Eggleston, Shirin Neshat, Wolfgang Tillmans and many more. We regularly visit the collections of AIC and MCoP to enrich our class discussions with private print viewings and exhibition critiques.

Students are expected to share an image of their choice in response to the assigned weekly reading. These images are used in class discussion. There also is a final paper, a final presentation, and an in-class test.

Prerequisites

Prerequisite: Art History Survey Requirement

Class Number

1073

Credits

3

Department

Art History, Theory, and Criticism

Location

Lakeview - 1608

Description

This general survey of graphic design between the 19th and 20th centuries maps the relationships between graphic design and various commercial and cultural institutions under the broad category of the modern. Students study the issues and problems that faced designers, their clients, and their audiences, in the negotiation of commercial and social changes.

Through lectures, readings, discussions, and museum visits, the course examines the cultural, social, economic, political, industrial, and technological forces that have influenced the history of graphic design.

Course work includes object analysis assignments, research paper, and mid-term and final exams.

Prerequisites

Prerequisite: Art History Survey Requirement

Class Number

2220

Credits

3

Department

Art History, Theory, and Criticism

Area of Study

Graphic Design

Location

Lakeview - 1608

Description

Using the works of established critics and writers as models and using the museum and Chicago galleries as subject matter, students learn to write concise reviews and essays. Class time is spent discussing art, assigned readings, and students? writing. Students are required to turn in one short written work at the beginning of each class. The goal of the course is to develop students? powers of observation, clarity of language and ability to form and defend opinions about works of art. Readings include Kimmelman, Berger, Schjeldahl, Hickey, Lippard, Barnet, Fried, Wolfe.

Prerequisites

Prerequisite: Art History Survey Requirement

Class Number

1056

Credits

3

Department

Art History, Theory, and Criticism

Location

Lakeview - 203

Description

The main aim of this intensive course is to learn how to write art history by doing it. Each student will write an original research paper investigating a single, particularly compelling object of her choosing in scaffolded stages over the course of the entire semester, while drawing on a range of library and museum resources and responding to constructive criticism from the teacher and from peers. The course guides students to pose generative questions of their objects, to find and analyze sources, and to make persuasive arguments.

We will also at times study the study of art, examining the history of the museum as a framework for such study, and reflecting on as well as using some key analytical moves often used by art historians. We will not only study statements by scholars reflecting on their own methods, but also exemplars of analysis, which we will in turn take apart to figure out how to do such analysis ourselves.

While this course is required for the BA in Art History and BFA with Art History Thesis, any undergraduate who wants to write art history is warmly welcome.

Prerequisites

Prerequisite: Must be a sophomore to enroll.

Class Number

1068

Credits

3

Department

Art History, Theory, and Criticism

Location

MacLean 816

Description

This course examines the dynamism and complexities of Latinx artistic and cultural production in the United States from the mid-twentieth century to the present. An imperfect yet ultimately generative identifier, Latinx is a gender-neutral term for people of Latin American and/or Caribbean birth or descent living in the United States. In addition to studying the formation of Latinx identities among artistic and creative practitioners, the course will study the context-specific histories that have shaped the aesthetics, ideological frameworks, and socially engaged practices of Latinx art and visual culture.
We will read a variety of texts and publications that debate, conceptualize, and critique Latinx art and visual culture, including academic essays and book chapters, interviews and dialogues, exhibition catalogues, primary documents and manifestos, artists¿ books, and zines. Throughout the class, we will investigate issues concerning race and ethnicity, gender and sexuality, intersectionality, migration and diaspora, social and political activism, family and kinship, religion and spirituality, art markets, and cultural reclamation.
Students can expect to complete weekly reading responses, a midterm exam, a 3-5-page essay on an exhibition or artwork, a final research paper, and a class presentation about their final paper topic.

Prerequisites

Prerequisite: Art History Survey Requirement

Class Number

1057

Credits

3

Department

Art History, Theory, and Criticism

Area of Study

Class, Race, Ethnicity, Community & Social Engagement, Art/Design and Politics

Location

MacLean 920

Description

This museum-based seminar welcomes writers of all kinds, including creative writers, critics, and scholars. We explore literary forms, including poetry, short stories, personal essays, plays, and songs, along with their connections to visual art at the Art Institute of Chicago. Each week, we analyze literary pieces inspired by a work of art and then visit the museum to discuss that art in person. We will examine how the readings enhance or challenge the artwork and debate the impact of the words and images. Additionally, we will hold weekly writing workshops to provide feedback on each other¿s work, focusing on prompt-based assignments that directly engage with the art in the collection while developing both visual acuity and writing craft skills.

Prerequisites

Prerequisite: Art History Survey Requirement

Class Number

2363

Credits

3

Department

Art History, Theory, and Criticism

Area of Study

Class, Race, Ethnicity, Museum Studies, Gender and Sexuality

Location

Lakeview - 205

Description

What is artistic decolonization? How can art be used as a tool for decolonizing culture? In this course, students will explore ways of approaching these questions through specific case studies that look at artistic practices of Africa and West Asia (Middle East), particularly from the mid-twentieth century to the present. Together we will examine how colonialism affected fine arts pedagogy and the response of visual artists, both modern and contemporary, to this violent encounter. We will analyze how artists engaged with multidisciplinary networks working across ¿non-Western¿contexts to reclaim their identity from colonizers and to envision alternative futures. Students will explore how art is intertwined with socio-political issues and how it can amplify Indigenous, feminine, and queer perspectives. Each week will typically focus on an artistic group or a country-specific case study from Africa and West Asia (Middle East). There will be several guest lectures by curators, academics, and artists. Course work will include written weekly responses to assigned readings, presentations, and a final essay or exhibition project proposal.

Prerequisites

Prerequisite: Art History Survey Requirement

Class Number

1066

Credits

3

Department

Art History, Theory, and Criticism

Area of Study

Class, Race, Ethnicity, Art/Design and Politics, Museum Studies

Location

Online

Description

A marginal cinema and history; a course designed for an undergraduate level art history. This course looks at Asian American Cinema experience and historical development as Asian American ethnic cultural diaspora and visionally representations. From political to imaginary, this course will look at works of Asian American representation through cinema and examine the Asian American & pacific Islander American experience as told though cinematic expression such as documentary, short films, feature length narratives, experimental films and mainstream Hollywood releases.

Along with weekly viewings of films and excerpts, the course will also discuss Asian American collective identity and social issues, historical background, economy of film production, racism, negative stereotyping, Hollywood whitewashing, cultural appropriation, and media activism. Historically significant artists, filmmakers and producers will be presented for weekly discussion. Some of the artists introduced in the class are: the matinee idol Sessue Hayakawa (1889?1973), to Anna May Wong (1905?1961), Winifred Eaton Reeve, Renee Tajima, Steven Okazak, Wayne Wang, Kelly Saeteurn, Quentin Lee, Justin Lin and others.

Weekly viewings of films and journals, One Midterm assignment and one final Paper.

Prerequisites

Prerequisite: Art History Survey Requirement

Class Number

1049

Credits

3

Department

Art History, Theory, and Criticism

Area of Study

Class, Race, Ethnicity, Playwriting/Screenwriting, Community & Social Engagement

Location

MacLean 1307

Description

This course offers a survey of the history of manga (Japanese comics) from its premodern predecessors to the present. Beginning with narrative picture scrolls in the medieval period, it will touch on forms of humor and political cartooning in the 19th and early 20th centuries, before moving onto multi-page stories, serials, and standalone books within the serially paneled comics medium. Related developments in non-Japanese comics and media like film, animation, illustration, and painting will also be considered.

Among the major artists to be considered in this course are: Hokusai, Tagawa Suiho, Tezuka Osamu, Tatsumi Yoshihiro, Shirato Sanpei, Tsuge Yoshiharu, Hagio Moto, Otomo Katsuhiro, Takahashi Rumiko, and Tagame Gengoro.

Students will be required to complete weekly readings, including translated manga and historical/interpretive essays, in addition to occasional reading responses, a research paper, and a final exam.

Prerequisites

Prerequisite: Art History Survey Requirement

Class Number

1070

Credits

3

Department

Art History, Theory, and Criticism

Area of Study

Illustration, Comics and Graphic Novels, Books and Publishing

Location

Online

Description

This course is a survey covering the major works of architecture and art from the Islamic world. It discusses the architecture of this civilization in greater depth than many surveys of Islamic art, over a period ranging from the beginnings of Islam in the 7th century up to and including the 20th century. Emphasis will be on the major stylistic differences between the building traditions of the Medieval Spain, the Maghreb region, Egypt and Syria, the Seljuq and Ottoman empires in Turkey, Persian and Central Asian architecture, the Mughal empire and lastly Islamic architecture as it has developed in the Far East, in countries such as China, and Malaysia. In addition, the course will also cover the applied arts in Islam, such as ceramics, carving, Oriental carpets, calligraphy and miniature painting.

Required work consists of three quizzes and three short research papers of 5-6pages in length each. Two assignments will involve analyzing Arab architecture and non-Arab monuments. The third will cover an area in the decorative arts/painting.

Prerequisites

Prerequisite: Art History Survey Requirement

Class Number

1054

Credits

3

Department

Art History, Theory, and Criticism

Location

MacLean 707

Description

This course surveys the development of commercial, institutional and residential architecture and interiors in Europe from 1890 to 1965. It examines significant movements and individuals that shaped modern architecture's history through an analysis of the theoretical literature that accompanied the built forms now understood as 'modern.' Seminal texts analyzed include those by Morris, van de Velde, Loos, Gropius, van Doesburg, Le Corbusier, Aalto, Rowe, Stirling and Rossi, among others.

Prerequisites

Prerequisite: Art History Survey Requirement

Class Number

1060

Credits

3

Department

Art History, Theory, and Criticism

Location

Lakeview - 1608

Description

This course examines the career of America's best known architect alongside the work of his followers. Consideration is given to the origins of the Prairie School, how it achieved broad patronage, and why its popularity declined after World War I. Also examined are the Prairie School's eclecticism, its relationship to modernism, and its principles of organic design. On-site explorations include Wright's Oak Park Home and Studio and the Wright Prairie School Historic District in Oak Park. Other architects considered for their interpretations of the style are W.B. Griffin, B. Byrne, Tallmadge and Watson, W. Drummond, and G.W. Maher.

Prerequisites

Prerequisite: Art History Survey Requirement

Class Number

1086

Credits

3

Department

Art History, Theory, and Criticism

Area of Study

Sustainable Design

Location

MacLean 608

Take the Next Step

Graduate Admissions Events

Learn how to prepare a competitive application, meet with faculty and staff, and explore our programs and facilities. LEARN MORE

Dual Degree Admissions Information
MA Modern and Contemporary Art History Admissions Information

Visit the graduate admissions website or contact the graduate admissions office at 312.629.6100, 800.232.7242 or gradmiss@saic.edu.

Upcoming Events

A photo of a woman interacting with an art installation in a gallery setting
Oct18

Chicago Graduate Portfolio Day and Open Studio Night

Graduate Portfolio Day provides the opportunity for prospective students to receive immediate feedback on their portfolios, as well as have the opportunity to learn more about the curricula, faculty, and application procedures from a number of colleges.

Participants who attend Graduate Portfolio Day are also invited to join us for Graduate Open Studios! Graduate studios and galleries across campus will be open to the SAIC community and GPD attendees. Meet with and view the work of more than 300 students pursuing graduate degrees at SAIC! Maps and more info will be available at the GPD. 

Saturday, October 18 10:00 a.m. - 2:00 p.m. CDT at School of the Art Institute of Chicago 280 S. Columbus Dr. Chicago, IL 60603