In this course, we will focus on a survey of topics that will help us hone the discussion on cultural production, manifestations, and contestations. The course will provide an interdisciplinary perspective grounded in Anthropology, but also including materials from other fields in the social sciences, such as History, and Cultural Studies. The course will also introduce students to the four-field approach in Anthropology (Cultural Anthropology, Biological Anthropology, Archaeology, and Linguistics). The geographical region that will be covered in this class will be South America. This will provide students with a context to discuss topics that include culture, race, and ethnicity, connecting it to the main arguments around cultural difference, identity, political economy, political economy, health, food, environment, language, politics, gender, sports, and religion.

This seminar is titled “Brazil: Race, Class, and Gender,” and while the objective of the course is to attend to and explore each of these facets of Brazilian life, the structure of the course in fact reveals the difficulty and indeed impracticality of isolating for study any of the above components – race, class, or gender. Although drawing primarily on the work of anthropologists, we will also read from an interdisciplinary sampling of sociology, social history, literature, and poetry produced by both Brazilian and foreign authors.

The course begins with a brief, historical overview of contemporary Brazil, starting with the region’s indigenous populations, European contact, colonization, and early nation building. We will examine the significance of slavery in Brazil, explore the multiple meanings of “racial democracy” as the term relates to notions of Brazilian national identity, and unpack shifting racial ideologies of the 20th Century. The course will be similarly concerned with shifting notions of masculinity and femininity, sexuality, and of course what all of this might mean in a country that is understood by much of the “outside world” as an epicenter of sensuality. Finally, this course looks to the history of social thought concerning race, class, and gender in Brazil to make sense of current social and political unrest.

A study of the principles of art applied to visual forms, with emphasis on modern art of the nineteenth and twentieth centuries in Europe and the United States.
The full course site is available at https://arh141.commons.gc.cuny.edu/.

Examine the history of visual art across world cultures from the fourth millennium BCE to the twentieth century CE. Starting with the early civilizations of ancient Mesopotamia, we will explore the ways in which art has shaped, and been shaped by,the development of empires, cities, religions, politics, and social life through history. Our focus will be on major monuments and artworks that are exemplary of their time and place, but we will also look at lesser known objects to nuance and deepen our historical understanding. Classes will be primarily lecture-based, with time for discussion and questions as we explore the issues raised by both the artworks and the required readings.

What is art? Why is it created? What is its meaning? These are some of the questions we will ponder in this class. This course serves as an introduction to art, with an emphasis on visual literacy and historical context. We will explore major works of art and architecture, drawn from a wide range of world cultures and periods, from ancient times to the present.

An introduction to the study of art and its history from ancient times to the present. In this course, we will study the history of Western art, beginning with the first objects created by prehistoric humans around 20,000 years ago and ending with the art and architecture of contemporary times.

The information presented in this course will provide you with the tools to recognize important works of art and historical styles, as well as to understand the historical context and cultural developments of Western art history through the end of the modern period. Introductory readings paired with detailed lectures will provide you with a well-rounded sense of the history, art, and culture of the West up through modern times.

At the end of this course, you will be able to identify key works of art and artistic periods in Western history. You will also be able to discuss the development of stylistic movements and relate those developments to important historical events.

Introductory course offers various windows into the development of human expression through the arts, spanning prehistory to the 21st century. Using art from diverse cultures and time periods, we will explore the way that art functions within broader societal trends and ideas, both reacting to and influencing major historical moments. Students will become comfortable with speaking and writing about specific art-historical styles, issues and key terms, and be able to approach art in both a formal/visual and historic context. They will also learn how to navigate and explore their own specific interests within the history of art and become aware of resources that will guide them to further complexify their own research and writing.

What is art? Why does it matter? This course presents a general global view of art history through slide lectures, class discussions, video resources and a museum visit. It selectively surveys the visual arts, beginning with the first objects created by prehistoric humans around 20,000 years ago and ending with the art and architecture of today, covering concurrent historical periods in Europe, Asia, Africa, and the Americas.

Using art from diverse cultures and time periods, we will explore the way that art functions within broader societal trends and ideas, both reacting to and influencing major historical moments.

You will become comfortable with speaking and writing about specific art historical styles, issues and key terms, and be able to approach art in both a formal/visual and historic context. You will also learn how to navigate and explore your own specific interests within the history of art and become aware of resources that will guide you to further your own academic pursuit

Introduces art and the academic discipline of art history. Using the discipline’s technical vocabulary, analyzes the standard visual, material and symbolic components of art. Addresses cultural products created from the Neolithic through to the end of the Western Middle Ages. Analyzes the purpose of art. Examines painting, drawing, sculpture and architecture in historical, political and cultural context. Analyzes art's function within society. Critiques how successive movements and styles are indebted to the past and to influences from other sources. Introduces key movements, important artworks and the biographies of individual artists.

Syllabus for ART 25500: Identity, Community, and Culture in Art Education at City College

This course will examine the art of the first half of the twentieth century. We will consider the works studies within their relevant political and cultural contexts. Topics addressed will include the rise of abstraction, the liberation of color, the interest in the subconscious. We will begin with precedents to Modernism in the 19th Century and will conclude with WWII. Additionally, students will learn methods of art historical research and develop skills of visual analysis.

ART 3164 (undergrad) course will explore the history of architecture and urbanism in New York City from the colonial period through the present day. We will study well-known monuments along with lesser-known but important works, and consider the political, cultural, and economic factors that fueled the development of New York’s built environment. This course will situate the architecture of New York City within the broader discourse of American architectural history, and will examine the impact that New York had on nationwide architectural trends. Classroom lectures will be supplemented regularly with site visits across the city.

ART 7097 History of Architecture and Urbanism in New York City
This course will explore the history of architecture and urbanism in New York City from the colonial period through the present day. We will study well-known monuments along with lesser-known but important works, and consider the political, cultural, and economic factors that fueled the development of New York’s built environment. This course will situate the architecture of New York City within the broader discourse of American architectural history, and will examine the impact that New York had on nationwide architectural trends. Classroom lectures will be supplemented regularly with site visits across the city.

This class is an introduction to non-Western art. We will study the unique aesthetics and the basic ideas behind the arts made in the Islamic world, Asia, Africa, the Americas, and their diaspora. The course will consider the exhibition as a politicized arena and determine how particular ways of selecting and displaying the artworks or their lack of representation in museums can influence our knowledge. Students are encouraged to choose images and write their papers to communicate their ideas about the four focal areas and their diaspora. They are encouraged to think about how their knowledge and worldview can complement the existing world.

Entails exploration of a variety of methodological approaches to object-based learning within a museum setting. Our goal is the achievement of a comprehensive understanding of methods in museum education.

This site was developed as an open educational resource (OER) for the CUNY / Brooklyn College course, ARTD 3105 The Development of the Silk Road, taught by Professors Jennifer L. Ball and Shuming Lu.

Syllabus for an introductory undergraduate Art History course, surveying the discipline from pre-historic to contemporary art.