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

Graduate Overview

Art History Graduate Overview

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.

Reduced Application Fee Deadline: December 1

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

1027

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

1028

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

1029

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

1031

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

1035

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

1040

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

1037

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

1066

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

1038

Credits

3

Department

Art History, Theory, and Criticism

Location

Lakeview - 1608

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

2148

Credits

3

Department

Art History, Theory, and Criticism

Area of Study

Theory

Location

Lakeview - 202

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

1085

Credits

3

Department

Art History, Theory, and Criticism

Location

Lakeview - 202

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

1047

Credits

3

Department

Art History, Theory, and Criticism

Location

Lakeview - 202

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

1032

Credits

3

Department

Art History, Theory, and Criticism

Location

Lakeview - 202

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

1083

Credits

3

Department

Art History, Theory, and Criticism

Area of Study

Art/Design and Politics, Costume Design, Museum Studies

Location

Lakeview - 203

Description

This course introduces Korean visual culture by examining images and objects in their historical, social, religious, and philosophical contexts. It covers key examples of paintings, ceramics and Buddhist art from the Three Kingdoms period to the Choson dynasty, through Modern Korean art, This course helps students gain a comprehensive understanding of traditional Korean visual culture and its modern legacy.

Prerequisites

Prerequisite: Art History Survey Requirement

Class Number

2374

Credits

3

Department

Art History, Theory, and Criticism

Location

MacLean 301

Description

Please see topic description for more information.

Prerequisites

Prerequisite: Art History Survey Requirement

Class Number

2098

Credits

3

Department

Art History, Theory, and Criticism

Area of Study

Theory

Location

Gene Siskel Film Center 203

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

1044

Credits

3

Department

Art History, Theory, and Criticism

Area of Study

Gender and Sexuality

Location

Lakeview - 202

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

1056

Credits

3

Department

Art History, Theory, and Criticism

Location

MacLean 707

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

1072

Credits

3

Department

Art History, Theory, and Criticism

Area of Study

Graphic Design

Location

MacLean 707

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

1045

Credits

3

Department

Art History, Theory, and Criticism

Location

Lakeview - 1608

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

2024

Credits

3

Department

Art History, Theory, and Criticism

Location

Lakeview - 206

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

1080

Credits

3

Department

Art History, Theory, and Criticism

Area of Study

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

Location

MacLean 707

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

1053

Credits

3

Department

Art History, Theory, and Criticism

Area of Study

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

1039

Credits

3

Department

Art History, Theory, and Criticism

Area of Study

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

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

1055

Credits

3

Department

Art History, Theory, and Criticism

Area of Study

Books and Publishing, Comics and Graphic Novels, Illustration

Location

Online

Description

In assessing currents and concepts in contemporary art, this course examines the various elements in all media that have come to define postmodernism. The course places special emphasis on women artists during the 1980s, the European contribution to contemporary art, and the exploration of recent art in Chicago.

Prerequisites

Prerequisite: Art History Survey Requirement

Class Number

2094

Credits

3

Department

Art History, Theory, and Criticism

Location

Lakeview - 203

Description

This course surveys the history of Japanese prints of the late 19th and 20th centuries. Beginning from the last phase of the ukiyo-e woodblock prints, we will examine the two major art movements, shin hanga and sosaku hanga, and also some contemporary prints. The variety of expressions were cultivated by artists reviving and renewing traditional prints, reflecting social cultural changes, individual interests and styles, as well as by refining printing techniques. Alongside gaining understanding of historical developments, the course considers the wide array of ideas on what the print medium can characteristically express.
The works we will examine range from the traditional print subjects such as landscapes or figures to completely abstract subjects such as emotions. Examples of the artists who might be studied include Hashiguchi Goyo, Ito Shinsui, Kawase Hasui, Kasamatsu Shiro, Yoshida Hiroshi, Yamamoto Kanae, Onchi Koshiro, Kawakami Sumio, Azechi Umetaro, Munakata Shiko, Hamaguchi Yozo, Saito Kiyoshi, Komai Tetsuro, Ikeda Masuo, and many others. Individuals, some artists' groups, and art magazines that were important to the development of the print history will be reviewed. There will be visits to the AIC to view the actual print examples of the artists we will study in the classes.
Course work will vary but typically includes weekly reading, two writing assignments, presentation, and one exam.

Prerequisites

Prerequisite: Art History Survey Requirement

Class Number

2096

Credits

3

Department

Art History, Theory, and Criticism

Location

MacLean 707

Description

Slowness and speed are universally applicable problematics in the creation, criticism, and historical understanding of artwork, especially in modernity and in contemporary culture. This class will help students understand how to articulate possibilities for their work (as artists) and meanings of their work (as critics and historians) based on a very wide range of cultural and historical precedents.
Tehching Hsieh, Marina Abramovi¿, Francis Alÿs, William Pope L., Janine Antoni, philosophy of speed and slowness, art criticism by Grigely, Clark, Elkins, and others.
Project I: Slow Life/Fast Life ¿ Exercises and artworks based on perception, observation, and time-intensive processes.
Project II: Slowness as Resistance ¿ Works that consider slowness as protest, political gesture, or embodied practice.
Project III: Final Project + Artist Talk ¿ A culminating work synthesizing studio practice with art-historical/theoretical research.

Prerequisites

Must have completed First Year ARTHI Survey Requirement; Must enroll in PTDW 3398 at the same time

Class Number

2275

Credits

3

Department

Art History, Theory, and Criticism

Area of Study

Art/Design and Politics, Community & Social Engagement, Social Media and the Web

Location

280 Building Rm 325

Description

This class examines Buddhist art in India and Southeast Asia historically and conceptually from its early iconic representations to more recent works by contemporary artists who call themselves Buddhist or use Buddhist ideas in their work. We also question the use of the term 'Art' when used in a religious context.

Prerequisites

Prerequisite: Art History Survey Requirement

Class Number

2091

Credits

3

Department

Art History, Theory, and Criticism

Location

Lakeview - 1608

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

1043

Credits

3

Department

Art History, Theory, and Criticism

Location

Lakeview - 1608

Description

This course explores the expression of social imagination in modern China, from the early 20th century to the present day, through the cinematic medium. Taking a selection of representative films and film criticism particular to the mainland, the course will survey constructions of social space throughout distinct historical periods. These include the mise-en-scene of the 1930s silver screen (Wu Yonggang?' The Goddess), Maoist revolutionary representation (Jiang Qing's model opera-ballets), as well as critical portrayals of globalization in the 21st century (Jia Zhangke's The World).

Prerequisites

Prerequisite: Art History Survey Requirement

Class Number

2093

Credits

3

Department

Art History, Theory, and Criticism

Location

MacLean 1307

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

1049

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

1061

Credits

3

Department

Art History, Theory, and Criticism

Area of Study

Sustainable Design

Location

Lakeview - 1608

Description

Taxidermy became the most important tool of knowledge of natural history museums during the Victorian period when it fascinated audiences with its hyperrealist aura. Yet, it was never considered a form of fine art. Today taxidermy has entered the gallery space, but not on the merit of its accurate realism. The opposite is true: unrealistic taxidermy is the symptom of a difficult relationship with nature and alterity that marks today's ecological and capitalist global crises.

Prerequisites

Prerequisite: Art History Survey Requirement

Class Number

1064

Credits

3

Department

Art History, Theory, and Criticism

Location

MacLean 707

Description

In the mid-1960s, artists and musicians ran away from home, thumbing their collective nose at the structure and security provided by their modernist parents. On the road and in the streets, in dive bars and coffeehouses, on records and off the record, artists and musicians re-wrote not just the rules of art, but the rules that structured values, ideas, and lives. Rock and roll wasn?t just the soundtrack for these changes, but an active participant.

Prerequisites

Prerequisite: Art History Survey Requirement

Class Number

1052

Credits

3

Department

Art History, Theory, and Criticism

Location

MacLean 707

Description

This class examines diverse perspectives on the production, consumption, and use of design. Reading key primary writings by designers and observers, we will consider topics such as the role of technology in design change, the uses and functions of design in relations to commerce and social reform.

Readings will include written texts by modern and post-modern designers; as well as well as critics, historians, and theorists responding to design and the designed environment.

Course work typically includes responses to readings in relation to object analysis, a modest research paper, and mid-term and final exams.

Prerequisites

Prerequisite: Art History Survey Requirement

Class Number

2090

Credits

3

Department

Art History, Theory, and Criticism

Location

Lakeview - 1608

Description

The perceived passivity and resilient silence of plants have relegated the vegetal world to the cultural background of human civilization. However, the recent emergence of plants in the gallery space is an invitation to reappraise this relationship at a time of deep ecological and social crisis. This course focuses on plants to unravel histories of colonialism, address gender biases, racial discrimination, and social injustice. We explore how artists and scholars working at the intersection of art, science, philosophy, and indigenous knowledge are rethinking our relationships with plants in order to envision more sustainable and fairer futures.

This course proposes a rich, diverse, and multicultural perspective on the many roles plants play in our lives. It inlcudes lectures, close readings, screenings, museum visits, discussions, collaborative coursework, and contributions by Chicago-based organizations working with local communities and plants. The work of scholars and artist Yota Batsaki, Elain Gan, Vivien Sansour, Vandana Shiva, Mogaje Guihu, Anna Tsing, Monica Gagliano, Eduardo Kac, Jamaica Kinkaid, Derek Jarman, Wangari Maathai, Zayaan Khan, Kapwani Kiwanga, Maria Thereza Alves, Shela Sheikh, Michael Marder, Monica Galliano, Rashid Johnson, Uriel Orlow and many more will provide students with a comprehenisve and global and very contemporary perspective on the subject.

Coursework includes weekly reading responses, a formal/final research paper, a test, and a presentation.

Prerequisites

Prerequisite: Art History Survey Requirement OR Graduate Student

Class Number

1002

Credits

3

Department

Art History, Theory, and Criticism

Area of Study

Class, Race, Ethnicity, Economic Inequality & Class, Art and Science

Location

MacLean 920

Description

This course contextualizes English gardens and their design features within larger ideas of land ownership at the level of private ownership, the nation, and Empire. It examines the way the design of 18th and 19th century British landscapes served the needs of early modern industrialists in England and shaped the identity of colonizer in relation to colonized subjects.

In this course, we will study examples of private gardens, early botanic gardens, and other colonial gardens, including plantations, in order to explore at the critical way plants and gardens were used to dispossess people of land and culture in Europe and abroad. In Europe, we will look at the way land enclosure might be said to have produced a British working class. In the colonies, we will look at the role plants and gardens played in extending British authority over its colonial subjects and how the deep knowledge that indigenous and slave communities had about plants was stolen, lost or engaged in that process.

There are weekly readings for this course, and a final scaffolded research paper. Although a final research paper is submitted, students are expected to submit along the way other smaller assignments related to that final research project, such as a paragraph thesis statement, a bibliography, an outline, a full draft and then the final revision.

Prerequisites

Prerequisite: Art History Survey Requirement OR Graduate Student

Class Number

1042

Credits

3

Department

Art History, Theory, and Criticism

Area of Study

Art/Design and Politics, Economic Inequality & Class, Public Space, Site, Landscape

Location

MacLean 608

Description

What the heck is postmodernism? Why does it matter? This course will provide detailed answers to these questions while also reviewing crucial interventions in related 'posts' such as poststructuralism and posthumanism. We will examine the systems of thought that predate these posts ¿ modernism, structuralism, humanism ¿ in order to identify how and why thinkers and artists felt the need to push past these systems, inventing new ones. We will trace these legacies into our own moment of contested values and malleable truth in order to seek insights into how to live, make, and think in the twenty-first century.
This course is reading-heavy and the readings are heavy readings. We will explore the most influential theorizations of the postmodern from writers including Jean-François Lyotard and Frederic Jameson. We will also read the heavy-hitters of poststructuralism and posthumanism. Folks like: Jacques Derrida, Judith Butler, Donna Harraway, Gilles Deleuze, Katherine Hayles, Michel Foucault, Roland Barthes, and Julia Kristeva.
Course work will include weekly reading responses, intensive class discussion, and a final paper.

Prerequisites

Prerequisite: Art History Survey Requirement OR Graduate Student

Class Number

1059

Credits

3

Department

Art History, Theory, and Criticism

Area of Study

Gender and Sexuality, Class, Race, Ethnicity, Economic Inequality & Class

Location

MacLean 620

Description

The art world is a complex ecosystem. What should one know about its geographical and ecological dimensions in order to pursue a rewarding career?
The rise of identity politics, diversity, and multidisciplinarity, as well as the growing
importance of collaborative practices, calls to abolish museums, and intensifying criticism of our cultural institutions' colonialist foundations, have made it more challenging than ever to navigate this rapidly changing landscape. This course deconstructs the romantic myth of the artist to foreground alternative and sustainable eco-models and systems of interdependency. Together, through the analysis of case studies borrowed from posthumanism and specualtive philosophy, we map the contradictions and paradoxes that today shape the relationship between artists, institutions, and the art market, to help practitioners of all kinds redefine their identities and reposition themselves in the contemporary art world.
The course will involve a range of sources and study materials including selected clips from films, novels, classic academic readings on the artworld, and current interviews with artists, curators, and museum directors. The course will address current urgent themes like social justice, equity, accessibility, marginalization, racism/sexism, institutional critique, etc. The work is based on my new book titled 'I'm not an artist: reclaiming creativity in the age of free content that will be published by Bloomsbury in Spring 2025. Important scholarly and professional voices included will feature: Sampada Aranke, James Elkins, Mark Dion, Timothy Morton, Anna Tsing, Donna Haraway, Mandy-Suzanne Wuong, Vivien Sansour, Edgar Heap of Birds, Cannupa Hanska Luger, Pamela Sneed, Anicka Yi, Cecilia Vicuna, Okwui Enwezor, Eyal Weizman, Robin Wall Kimmerer and many more.
Course work will include weekly reading responses, an essay, a report, and a presentation.

Prerequisites

Prerequisite: Art History Survey Requirement OR Graduate Student

Class Number

1065

Credits

3

Department

Art History, Theory, and Criticism

Area of Study

Community & Social Engagement, Economic Inequality & Class, Museum Studies

Location

MacLean 920

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Oct15

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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.