Art History Courses
FILM 1010 | Foundations in Film Studies
Spring 2026, Online, Instructor: Danielle Green
This course covers an overview of key histories, methodologies, and concepts in film studies and investigates aesthetic, stylistic, political, and theoretical approaches to the study of cinema. Students explore Expressionism, the French New Wave, Neo-Realism, and Third Cinema.
- CI - Communications Intensive
- DHA - Depth Humanities
FILM 3210 | Classics & Cinema
Spring 2026, Instructor: Dr. Alvaro Ibarra
In this course, students will compare cinematic representations of ancient Greece and Rome to known classical artifacts and literature. On the most basic level, students must be able to identify discrepancies present in film. However, beyond noting inaccuracies, students will work toward analyzing creative choices made by filmmakers. Investigations will reveal our changing attitudes toward classics in the modern age as expressed through cinema. Students will be challenged to apply those revelations toward the development of a term project.
- CI - Communications Intensive
- DHA - Depth Humanities
FILM 3330 | The Documentary
Spring 2026
This course explores diverse documentary styles, from cinéma vérité and participatory modes to poetic and performative forms. Students analyze landmark films and through screenings, discussions, and creative projects, gain insight into documentary storytelling’s aesthetic, cultural, and social dimensions.
- CI – Communications Intensive
FILM 3370 | Film Genres
Spring 2026
This course examines the major film genres, including horror, comedy, drama, science fiction, and noir. Students explore each genre’s conventions, themes, and evolution through key films and critical readings. By analyzing style, narrative, and audience expectations, students will deepen their understanding of how genres shape cinematic storytelling and cultural meaning.
- CI – Communications Intensive
ARTH 2720 | Survey of Western Art: Renaissance to Post Modern
Spring 2026, Instructor: Dr. Marissa Vigneault
This course surveys painting, sculpture, architecture, and other media, 1400 to the present. We will examine the complex relationships between art, culture, and society. Our class will highlight themes including the secularization of art, the role of the artist in society, the adoption of technological advances, the materials of art, the rise of art criticism, and the socio-political contexts of patronage and audience.
- BHU – Breadth Humanities
ARTH 3755/6755 | Contemporary Art
Spring 2026, Instructor: Dr. Marissa Vigneault
This course will focus on the artistic production of the contemporary period, from c. 1989 to the present. Some of the major questions we will address include: Why the shift from modern to postmodern to contemporary? What is the current scholarship on ideas of “the contemporary?” How did the breakdown of convention categories affect artistic production, and is the category of Art and its subcategories (painting, sculpture, etc.) still viable? How are personal/social politics and art related during this time? What role does theory (literary, philosophical, psychoanalytic, feminist, queer, etc.) play in artistic production, criticism, and the writing of art history? How has the introduction of a variety of new mediums into the realm of art (digital photography, film, video, NFTs, etc.) affected artistic production? Where do we stand with the study of art history today?
- CI – Communications Intensive
ARTH 4260 | Latin American Art
Spring 2026, Instructor: Dr. Danielle Stewart
The word “America” is often used as shorthand for the United States, but America spans two continents including 35 countries, 20 of which are “Latin American.” The tradition of Latin American art, spanning from the Pre-Columbian era to the present, is rich and varied. Latin American artists have been cosmopolitan and provincial, spiritual and secular, representational and abstract. As Latin American artists become increasingly influential in the global contemporary market, a knowledge of Latin American and Latinx histories is essential to understanding “American” art.
- CI – Communications Intensive
- DHA – Depth Humanities
ARTH 4900 | Art Historical Research & Methods
Spring 2026, Instructors: Ibarra, Sand, Gelfand, Stewart, Vigneault, and Wall
This course functions as the capstone for art history majors. Graduate students are also welcome. Methods is a team-taught experience designed to reinforce student knowledge of a number of prevalent topics in the discipline of Art History. Each week, students will consider a new issue, perspective, or method and learn to apply it toward their own array of analytical strategies. The course primes students for entry into graduate programs and/or participation in the professional art world.
- CI - Communications Intensive