Dual Degree: MA in Arts Administration & Policy & MA in Modern and Contemporary Art History Admissions Information

A group of students and an instructor discuss a sculpture at the AIC

Graduate Dual Degree

Application deadline: January 10

SAIC's graduate dual degree option in Modern and Contemporary Art History and Arts Administration and Policy provides students with a means to earn two synergistic degrees as efficiently as possible while maintaining the integrity and high standards of each degree.

Application and Admissions Information

Priority Deadline: December 1 - $45 Application Fee
Application Deadline: January 10 - $90 Application Fee
Apply online via SlideRoom
If you are also interested in applying to the Arts Administration program, please ONLY submit a single application to the Dual Degree: Modern & Contemporary Art History AND Arts Administration & Policy.
SAIC requires applicants to apply online. Filing an online application requires a valid credit card and a current email address. You may apply to up to three programs with one application and fee. If you are applying to either the MFA in Studio or the Post-Baccalaureate Certificate in Studio you may select up to three departments of entry.
Applications must be submitted prior to 11:00 p.m. (CST) on the appropriate deadline. When you click the "submit" button on the Graduate Application form, you will be prompted to enter credit card information to pay the application fee. Your application form is not fully submitted until you have entered your credit card information.
Under no circumstances will an application fee be waived or refunded. After you submit the application form you will be directed to a dashboard where you can begin working on your ePortfolio(s).
A conferred four-year baccalaureate degree or its equivalent is required for admission to all graduate programs at SAIC. Transcripts are records of your studies that list the courses you completed, the grades received, and provide evidence of degree conferral. They may include grade sheets, exam results, final diplomas, degrees, or graduation certificates. Official copies are issued in the original language directly by your university. Copies must bear the official stamp or seal of the institution, as well as the signature of the appropriate official such as the dean, rector, registrar, controller of examinations, or office of teaching affairs. Photos, notarized copies, facsimiles, or email transmissions are not acceptable.
Official translations are expected for all educational documents issued in a language other than English. A translation agency or university language department should issue official translations typed on official stationary and the translator must attest proficiency in the original language and indicate their translations are accurate word-for-word.
During the application process an unofficial transcript is acceptable for review pending an Admissions decision. Official transcripts are required upon admission. Include transcripts both official and unofficial from all universities/colleges from which a degree was obtained or prerequisites were fulfilled. You can attach unofficial transcripts as .pdf or .jpg files in the Educational History section of the application form. If you are in the process of completing a bachelor's degree when you apply, a transcript showing your first three years of study is acceptable.
Transcripts are considered official if sent directly from the degree- or credit-granting institution to the SAIC Graduate Admissions Office. Hard copy transcripts are considered official if the documents remain in the registrar's original signed and sealed envelopes. Official transcripts can be sent both in digital and hard-copy format. Digital transcripts can be sent from the degree- or credit-granting institution to gradmiss@saic.edu. Hard copy transcripts can be mailed to:
SAIC Graduate
36 S. Wabash Ave., Suite 1201
Chicago, IL 60603
Students admitted to a graduate program who have not received a high school diploma, GED or equivalent are not eligible for federal Title IV financial aid funds.
Please submit two responses in your statement of purpose document:
Write a 500- to 700-word statement of purpose that describes the history of your interests and experiences in Arts Administration, your personal and professional motivations and goals, and your reasons for pursuing graduate study at SAIC, and thoughts on potential future directions.
Write a 500 to 700 word statement that describes your Art History work or research. Discuss how you came to focus on the medium, body of work, or academic area you wish to pursue at the graduate level. Also discuss future directions or goals for your work, and describe how this area of study is particularly suited to your professional goals.
A statement of intent is required for all graduate programs though the content varies by department. You will upload your statement of purpose to the Attachments section of your E-Portfolio.
3 letters of reference are required.
You are responsible for securing letters of recommendation from persons who are qualified to write about your potential for success at SAIC. If you are currently a student or are a recent graduate, we recommend you request letters of recommendation from current or former instructors.
Letters of recommendation should be submitted electronically via the References section of the application form. In this section you will be asked to provide an email address for each of your references. Once you click "send request," an email will be sent from SlideRoom to your references with instructions on how to submit their recommendations online.
If your references cannot provide an online recommendation please contact the Graduate Admissions office at gradmiss@saic.edu.
A current résumé is required.
A resume is required for all graduate programs. Upload your résumé to the Attachments section in your E-Portfolio.
For the Master of Arts in Arts Administration and Policy program, submit a sample of your critical writing, up to 2,000 words in length. This can be either an essay assignment from a previous course of study, an excerpt from a longer research paper, or a recently published article.
For the Master of Arts in Modern and Contemporary Art History program, submit a 15 to 25 page critical writing sample that demonstrates knowledge of the field, ability in research, and clarity of argumentation. Submissions should be written on a topic in modern or contemporary art history from the 19th century to the present, but papers dealing with earlier historical eras will be accepted if they are in dialogue with current debates and methods. Additionally, topics dealing with relevant theories and philosophies, visual studies, and film studies will be considered.
Applicants are required to submit an E-Portfolio, though the content varies by department. Please visit your individual program of interest to find details. You must submit a separate E-Portfolio for each program or studio department to which you apply. After you pay the application fee and submit the application form, an E-Portfolio for each of the programs you selected in the application form will automatically appear in your SlideRoom dashboard.
Submission Specifications
Images: .jpg, .gif, .pdf (up to 5 MB each)
Videos: .flv, .wv, .mov (up to 60 MB each)
Audio: .mp3 (up to 10 MB each)
Text documents: MUST be in .pdf format (up to 10 MB each)
TOEFL: 100
IELTS: 7
DUOLINGO: 120
International applicants are required to submit evidence of English language proficiency. You are waived from this requirement if you meet any of the following conditions:
Your native language is English
You have an undergraduate degree conferred by a U.S. accredited university
You have an undergraduate degree conferred by a university whose primary language of instruction is English
If you do not meet one of these conditions, you must submit official English language proficiency test scores. You are strongly encouraged to schedule a language proficiency test appointment as early as possible in order to receive official test scores prior to the application deadline.
SAIC accepts official scores from the Test of English as a Foreign Language (TOEFL), International English Language Testing System (IELTS), and Duolingo. The TOEFL Institution Code for SAIC is 1713. Please upload an unofficial copy of your test score results to the International Requirements section of the application form.
The department conducts interviews by invitation only. Applicants who pass the preliminary review will be invited to schedule an interview in Mid-February. Notification will be sent by late January. For students at a distance or unable to travel, interviews may be conducted remotely.

Design History Track

Dual Degree students writing their thesis in Art History and electing to follow the Design History pathway are expected to take ARTHI 5007 as their methods seminar followed by at least four seminars in the Design History curriculum. Thesis topics should address the history and theory of design or architecture.

Specialization in Design History within the Master of Arts (MA) in Modern and Contemporary Art History

Graduate students in the Department of Art History, Theory, and Criticism's graduate degree programs may elect to follow a specialized pathway in Design History. Coursework in this specialization focuses on the production of knowledge, discourses, practices, and domains of objects that have been understood to fall under the broad category of design. As with the MA in Modern and Contemporary Art History degree as a whole, seminars and research topics focus on the modern and contemporary periods.

Students following the Design History pathway will study the theories and practices of design and examine the conception, production, interpretation, and consumption of design.

MA in Modern and Contemporary Art History students electing to follow the Design History pathway are expected to take ARTHI 5007 as their methods seminar, followed by at least four seminars in the Design History curriculum. Thesis topics should address the history and theory of design or architecture.

Recent graduate seminars and courses in Design History include:

ARTHI 5101: Theories of Things: Art/Design/Object
ARTHI 5111: Urbanization and Its Discontents
ARTHI 5122: Critical Terms in Modern Architecture
ARTHI 5547: Typographic Modernity & Print
ARTHI 5571: Design and the Body
ARTHI 5575: Extraordinary Bodies: Disability/Art/Design
ARTHI 4547: Biopolitics and Data Visualization
ARTHI 5480: Vernacular, Colonial, Global: Modern Architecture at the End of Empire

Curricular Requirements for the Design History Pathway	36 credit hours total
ARTHI 5007: History of Art History	3 credit hours
4 graduate seminars (5000-level) in Design History	12 credit hours
Global Issues seminar (5000 level) that focuses on art worlds outside of Europe and North America or focuses on Global Art Theory. A list of courses that satisfies this requirement is available from the department every semester.	3 credit hours
2 additional seminars in Art History	6 credit hours
2 interdisciplinary electives (4000-6000 level) or additional Art/Design History seminars	6 credit hours
ARTHI 5999 and ARTHI 6999 Thesis sequence in second year	6 credit hours
Completion of thesis

Degree Requirements and Specifications

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.
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).
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.
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.
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.
Global Issues Seminar: If the Global Issues seminar is also designated as Design History, students may use it to also fulfill one of the four graduate seminars in Design History. In this case, students would then be expected to take 3 Additional seminars in Art History rather than 2.
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.
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.
Full-time Status Minimum Requirement: 9 credit hours

Core Design History Faculty

Shiben Banerji, Design History Coordinator and Assistant Professor, Dept. of Art History, Theory, and Criticism
Michael Golec, Associate Professor, Dept. of Art History, Theory, and Criticism
Bess Williamson, Associate Professor, Dept. of Art History, Theory, and Criticism

World-Class Resources

SAIC students have special access to incomparable resources including the Art Institute of Chicago and its Modern Wing, SAIC’s John M. Flaxman Library and Special Collections, numerous on- and off-campus collections, and public programs.

Students also have at their disposal a diverse array of arts, cultural and community organizations in Chicago, and have the opportunity to work in partnership with them on a variety of projects sponsored and led by the department’s Management Studio.

On-Campus Opportunities

Students engage directly with current trends in the fields of art history through numerous events and lectures hosted by the Art History department. The Visiting Artists Program has brought in such distinguished artists as Graham Pullin, Arlene Shechet, Anab Jain, Lewis Hyde, Irene Hofmann, Xaviera Simmons, Kendell Geers, Ron Athey, Beatriz Milhazes, and Iñigo Manglano-Ovalle.

Each year, as part of the Lifton Lecture, a prominent scholar presents a public lecture on a topic related to modern and contemporary art history. A theme over the years has been an emphasis on women art historians and their contributions to the field. Students in their final year present their thesis before the department’s faculty and students.

Dual degree students participate in the production of E-merge: journal of arts administration and policy. E-merge is an online journal produced by graduate students in the School of the Art Institute of Chicago’s Master of Arts Administration and Policy and Dual degree programs, featuring collaborations with guest editors from the SAIC Community. The journal is dedicated to fostering creative discussions amongst leading professionals, academics, and students, and provides dual degree candidates with valuable publication and journal-management experience.

Course Listing

Title	Catalog	Instructor	Schedule
World Cultures and Civilizations: Prehistory to the Nineteenth Century	1001 (002)	Artie Foster	Wed 12:15 PM - 3:00 PM In Person
Description Art has been many things to many people. This class introduces students to the history of art and art-like things on Earth from prehistory to ca. 1800 CE. It covers canonical examples from older scholarship alongside works and contexts emerging in recent art histories. Students will learn to perform basic art historical analysis and research, and the course will prepare them to form personal art histories, applying such art histories to their own work. The course surveys historical art in a global scope, from the beginnings of known culture to the dawn of the Industrial Revolution. It introduces students to a range of interdisciplinary frameworks for parsing the production, reception, and conceptualization of art. And it challenges students to think about the relationships between past and present, highlighting how later artists and cultures have engaged earlier art and history. There is a small amount of required reading each week-on average about 20 pages. Written work includes weekly reading responses, two in-class quizzes, an annotated bibliography project, and a take-home final exam.	Class Number 1096	Credits 3	Department Art History, Theory, and Criticism Location MacLean 302
World Cultures and Civilizations: Prehistory to the Nineteenth Century	1001 (003)	Zack Martin	Mon 12:15 PM - 3:00 PM In Person
Description Art has been many things to many people. This class introduces students to the history of art and art-like things on Earth from prehistory to ca. 1800 CE. It covers canonical examples from older scholarship alongside works and contexts emerging in recent art histories. Students will learn to perform basic art historical analysis and research, and the course will prepare them to form personal art histories, applying such art histories to their own work. The course surveys historical art in a global scope, from the beginnings of known culture to the dawn of the Industrial Revolution. It introduces students to a range of interdisciplinary frameworks for parsing the production, reception, and conceptualization of art. And it challenges students to think about the relationships between past and present, highlighting how later artists and cultures have engaged earlier art and history. There is a small amount of required reading each week-on average about 20 pages. Written work includes weekly reading responses, two in-class quizzes, an annotated bibliography project, and a take-home final exam.	Class Number 1097	Credits 3	Department Art History, Theory, and Criticism Location MacLean 302
World Cultures and Civilizations: Prehistory to the Nineteenth Century	1001 (004)	Zack Martin	Fri 3:30 PM - 6:15 PM In Person
Description Art has been many things to many people. This class introduces students to the history of art and art-like things on Earth from prehistory to ca. 1800 CE. It covers canonical examples from older scholarship alongside works and contexts emerging in recent art histories. Students will learn to perform basic art historical analysis and research, and the course will prepare them to form personal art histories, applying such art histories to their own work. The course surveys historical art in a global scope, from the beginnings of known culture to the dawn of the Industrial Revolution. It introduces students to a range of interdisciplinary frameworks for parsing the production, reception, and conceptualization of art. And it challenges students to think about the relationships between past and present, highlighting how later artists and cultures have engaged earlier art and history. There is a small amount of required reading each week-on average about 20 pages. Written work includes weekly reading responses, two in-class quizzes, an annotated bibliography project, and a take-home final exam.	Class Number 1098	Credits 3	Department Art History, Theory, and Criticism Location MacLean 302
World Cultures and Civilizations: Prehistory to the Nineteenth Century	1001 (005)	Joana Konova	Tues 8:30 AM - 11:15 AM In Person
Description Art has been many things to many people. This class introduces students to the history of art and art-like things on Earth from prehistory to ca. 1800 CE. It covers canonical examples from older scholarship alongside works and contexts emerging in recent art histories. Students will learn to perform basic art historical analysis and research, and the course will prepare them to form personal art histories, applying such art histories to their own work. The course surveys historical art in a global scope, from the beginnings of known culture to the dawn of the Industrial Revolution. It introduces students to a range of interdisciplinary frameworks for parsing the production, reception, and conceptualization of art. And it challenges students to think about the relationships between past and present, highlighting how later artists and cultures have engaged earlier art and history. There is a small amount of required reading each week-on average about 20 pages. Written work includes weekly reading responses, two in-class quizzes, an annotated bibliography project, and a take-home final exam.	Class Number 1100	Credits 3	Department Art History, Theory, and Criticism Location MacLean 302
World Cultures and Civilizations: Prehistory to the Nineteenth Century	1001 (007)	Rhoda Rosen	Tues 8:30 AM - 11:15 AM In Person
Description Art has been many things to many people. This class introduces students to the history of art and art-like things on Earth from prehistory to ca. 1800 CE. It covers canonical examples from older scholarship alongside works and contexts emerging in recent art histories. Students will learn to perform basic art historical analysis and research, and the course will prepare them to form personal art histories, applying such art histories to their own work. The course surveys historical art in a global scope, from the beginnings of known culture to the dawn of the Industrial Revolution. It introduces students to a range of interdisciplinary frameworks for parsing the production, reception, and conceptualization of art. And it challenges students to think about the relationships between past and present, highlighting how later artists and cultures have engaged earlier art and history. There is a small amount of required reading each week-on average about 20 pages. Written work includes weekly reading responses, two in-class quizzes, an annotated bibliography project, and a take-home final exam.	Class Number 1125	Credits 3	Department Art History, Theory, and Criticism Location Lakeview - 1608
World Cultures and Civilizations: Prehistory to the Nineteenth Century	1001 (008)	Rhoda Rosen	Tues 12:15 PM - 3:00 PM In Person
Description Art has been many things to many people. This class introduces students to the history of art and art-like things on Earth from prehistory to ca. 1800 CE. It covers canonical examples from older scholarship alongside works and contexts emerging in recent art histories. Students will learn to perform basic art historical analysis and research, and the course will prepare them to form personal art histories, applying such art histories to their own work. The course surveys historical art in a global scope, from the beginnings of known culture to the dawn of the Industrial Revolution. It introduces students to a range of interdisciplinary frameworks for parsing the production, reception, and conceptualization of art. And it challenges students to think about the relationships between past and present, highlighting how later artists and cultures have engaged earlier art and history. There is a small amount of required reading each week-on average about 20 pages. Written work includes weekly reading responses, two in-class quizzes, an annotated bibliography project, and a take-home final exam.	Class Number 2320	Credits 3	Department Art History, Theory, and Criticism Location Lakeview - 1608
World Cultures and Civilizations: Prehistory to the Nineteenth Century	1001 (009)	Rhoda Rosen	Tues 3:30 PM - 6:15 PM In Person
Description Art has been many things to many people. This class introduces students to the history of art and art-like things on Earth from prehistory to ca. 1800 CE. It covers canonical examples from older scholarship alongside works and contexts emerging in recent art histories. Students will learn to perform basic art historical analysis and research, and the course will prepare them to form personal art histories, applying such art histories to their own work. The course surveys historical art in a global scope, from the beginnings of known culture to the dawn of the Industrial Revolution. It introduces students to a range of interdisciplinary frameworks for parsing the production, reception, and conceptualization of art. And it challenges students to think about the relationships between past and present, highlighting how later artists and cultures have engaged earlier art and history. There is a small amount of required reading each week-on average about 20 pages. Written work includes weekly reading responses, two in-class quizzes, an annotated bibliography project, and a take-home final exam.	Class Number 2321	Credits 3	Department Art History, Theory, and Criticism Location Lakeview - 1608
World Cultures and Civilizations: Prehistory to the Nineteenth Century	1001 (010)	Anneliese Hardman	Thurs 8:30 AM - 11:15 AM In Person
Description Art has been many things to many people. This class introduces students to the history of art and art-like things on Earth from prehistory to ca. 1800 CE. It covers canonical examples from older scholarship alongside works and contexts emerging in recent art histories. Students will learn to perform basic art historical analysis and research, and the course will prepare them to form personal art histories, applying such art histories to their own work. The course surveys historical art in a global scope, from the beginnings of known culture to the dawn of the Industrial Revolution. It introduces students to a range of interdisciplinary frameworks for parsing the production, reception, and conceptualization of art. And it challenges students to think about the relationships between past and present, highlighting how later artists and cultures have engaged earlier art and history. There is a small amount of required reading each week-on average about 20 pages. Written work includes weekly reading responses, two in-class quizzes, an annotated bibliography project, and a take-home final exam.	Class Number 2446	Credits 3	Department Art History, Theory, and Criticism Location Lakeview - 1608
Adv Hist World Art:Prehst-1850	1001 (01S)	James Elkins	Tues 12:15 PM - 3:00 PM In Person
Description This is an advanced section of the survey of world art and culture, prehistory to 1850. It is intended for BAAH students, Scholars Program students, and students interested in the history of writing about art (and teaching the survey). We will begin at 500,000 BC, and cover approximately 50 cultures; the list is at ow.ly/Y902K. In each case we will also question the ways historians describe the culture; we will study the ways art history textbooks promote certain senses of art and national identity; and we will consider how other institutions have tried to teach the global survey. The class is difficult, and requires a lot of memorization. Concurrent Registration in one ARTHI 1101: Discussion Section for Advanced Survey of World Art Prehistory to 1850 is required.	Class Number 1095	Credits 3	Department Art History, Theory, and Criticism Location MacLean 302
Survey of Modern to Contemporary Art and Architecture	1002 (001)	Hannah Gadbois	Thurs 3:30 PM - 6:15 PM In Person
Description This course surveys developments in nineteenth and twentieth century art and architecture. 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. Note: ARTHI 1001 (or its equivalent) is recommended as a prerequisite for ARTHI 1002.	Class Number 1102	Credits 3	Department Art History, Theory, and Criticism Location MacLean 302
Survey of Modern to Contemporary Art and Architecture	1002 (002)	Mikolaj Czerwiński	Mon 8:30 AM - 11:15 AM In Person
Description This course surveys developments in nineteenth and twentieth century art and architecture. 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. Note: ARTHI 1001 (or its equivalent) is recommended as a prerequisite for ARTHI 1002.	Class Number 1103	Credits 3	Department Art History, Theory, and Criticism Location MacLean 302
Survey of Modern to Contemporary Art and Architecture	1002 (003)	Siamack Hajimohammad	Fri 12:15 PM - 3:00 PM In Person
Description This course surveys developments in nineteenth and twentieth century art and architecture. 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. Note: ARTHI 1001 (or its equivalent) is recommended as a prerequisite for ARTHI 1002.	Class Number 1104	Credits 3	Department Art History, Theory, and Criticism Location MacLean 302
Survey of Modern to Contemporary Art and Architecture	1002 (004)	Mikolaj Czerwiński	Tues 3:30 PM - 6:15 PM In Person
Description This course surveys developments in nineteenth and twentieth century art and architecture. 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. Note: ARTHI 1001 (or its equivalent) is recommended as a prerequisite for ARTHI 1002.	Class Number 1105	Credits 3	Department Art History, Theory, and Criticism Location MacLean 302
Survey of Modern to Contemporary Art and Architecture	1002 (005)	Hannah Gadbois	Wed 8:30 AM - 11:15 AM In Person
Description This course surveys developments in nineteenth and twentieth century art and architecture. 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. Note: ARTHI 1001 (or its equivalent) is recommended as a prerequisite for ARTHI 1002.	Class Number 2447	Credits 3	Department Art History, Theory, and Criticism Location MacLean 302
Survey of Design History: Between Object and Ephemera	1015 (001)	Lara Allison	Thurs 12:15 PM - 3:00 PM In Person
Description This lecture course grounds students in basic critical themes in the history of design and design objects. Through lectures, demonstrations, and readings students study the material and discursive conditions of the history of design. Through lecture, readings, discussions, and museum visits, the class highlights a broad range of objects and formats in graphic design, object design, fashion design, and architectural design. Course works includes object analysis assignments, short research paper, and mid-term and final exams.	Class Number 1133	Credits 3	Department Art History, Theory, and Criticism Location MacLean 302
Modern and Contemporary Moving Image	1016 (001)	Jason Nebergall	Wed 6:45 PM - 9:30 PM In Person
Description In this course, students will learn the basics of film language, cover the evolution of various stylistic and ideological trends throughout the medium, and gain a core understanding of how to critically analyze film and other media forms from formal, historical, and cultural theoretical perspectives. While the specific films screened may vary, course screenings and readings generally cover the development of Hollywood and studio-based filmmaking practices, diasporic and exilic models of filmmaking, European New Waves, televisual practices of media making, and topics in new media. Students will complete quizzes and a comprehensive final exam to demonstrate their understanding of course terminology, concepts, and themes, as well as a number of short written analyses to exhibit their competency and skill in constructing original scholarly argumentation.	Class Number 1106	Credits 3	Department Art History, Theory, and Criticism Location Lakeview - 1608
Discussion Section for Advanced Survey of World Art Prehistory to 1850	1101 (01S)		Tues 3:30 PM - 5:00 PM In Person
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. Concurrent Registration with 1353: ARTHI 1001 005: Advanced Survey of World Art From Prehistory to 1850 section required. Prerequisites Concurrent enrollment in ARTHI 1001 Scholars Section required.	Class Number 1121	Credits 0	Department Art History, Theory, and Criticism Location Lakeview - 206
Discussion Section for Advanced Survey of World Art Prehistory to 1850	1101 (02S)		Thurs 3:30 PM - 5:00 PM In Person
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. Concurrent Registration with 1353: ARTHI 1001 005: Advanced Survey of World Art From Prehistory to 1850 section required. Prerequisites Concurrent enrollment in ARTHI 1001 Scholars Section required.	Class Number 1122	Credits 0	Department Art History, Theory, and Criticism Location Lakeview - 206
Discussion Section for Advanced Survey of World Art Prehistory to 1850	1101 (03S)		Fri 9:45 AM - 11:15 AM In Person
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. Concurrent Registration with 1353: ARTHI 1001 005: Advanced Survey of World Art From Prehistory to 1850 section required. Prerequisites Concurrent enrollment in ARTHI 1001 Scholars Section required.	Class Number 2330	Credits 0	Department Art History, Theory, and Criticism Location 280 Building Rm 120
Discussion Section for Advanced Survey of World Art Prehistory to 1850	1101 (04S)		Wed 9:45 AM - 11:15 AM In Person
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. Concurrent Registration with 1353: ARTHI 1001 005: Advanced Survey of World Art From Prehistory to 1850 section required. Prerequisites Concurrent enrollment in ARTHI 1001 Scholars Section required.	Class Number 2331	Credits 0	Department Art History, Theory, and Criticism Location Lakeview - 206
Issues in Visual Critical Studies	2001 (001)	Joshua Rios	Tues 8:30 AM - 11:15 AM In Person
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 1107	Credits 3	Department Art History, Theory, and Criticism Area of Study Theory Location Lakeview - 203
Issues in Visual Critical Studies	2001 (002)	Patrick Durgin	Mon 8:30 AM - 11:15 AM In Person
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 1142	Credits 3	Department Art History, Theory, and Criticism Area of Study Theory Location Lakeview - 203
Surveying the Shadows	2014 (001)	Simon Anderson	Thurs 12:15 PM - 3:00 PM In Person
Description Since the Exposition des arts incoherents in 1882, the orthodox story of art has been pre-figured, parodied, or echoed by ideas and activities which are less well-known but nevertheless informative about the state of the arts through modernism to today. Including Hydropaths, `pataphysicians and members of groups called Lettrisme or Neoism, propagating ideas ranging from transmental to pandrogenic, this course identifies and contextualizes some of the salient adventures of those who ignore convention to create and play before the vanguard and behind the canon. Prerequisites Prerequisite: Art History Survey Requirement	Class Number 2258	Credits 3	Department Art History, Theory, and Criticism Location MacLean 707
20,000 Years of Clay	2022 (001)	Emily Schroeder Willis	Wed 12:15 PM - 3:00 PM In Person
Description This course surveys the history and production of clay and ceramics, from one of the earliest ceramic objects known, dating back some 20,000 years, to the present use of clay in contemporary art, design and craft. The course will take us through every continent and be looking at the use of ceramic in different cultures at different times though history. Attention will be given to the role clay and ceramic plays in our human development both as ritualistic, artistic and functional handmade and mass-produced objects. From ceramic in an ancient caves to NASA and the use of ceramic in space and everything in between. Prerequisites Prerequisite: Art History Survey Requirement	Class Number 1187	Credits 3	Department Art History, Theory, and Criticism Location 280 Building Rm 120
Introduction to African American Art	2065 (001)	Melanie Herzog	Fri 8:30 AM - 11:15 AM In Person
Description Is it possible to have, or should we even want, an African American Art Historical canon?This class argues that the history of African American Art offers us, in practice and theory, resistant histories of 'high' and 'low' art, everyday objects, and ways of seeing. By conducting a chronological approach to African American Art, we will trace moments of historical continuity as well as emerging practices in order to better understand how the methods, materials, and meanings bracketed under the category of African American Art have been a site of innovation, experimentation, and avant-garde practice. We will spend this semester juxtaposing conventional approaches to art (painting, sculpting, line drawing, installation) with innovative approaches to visual culture (found objects, everyday materials, contemporary performance). Artists of inquiry include Augusta Savage, Aaron Douglass, Hale Woodruff, Charles White, Elizabeth Catlett, Faith Ringgold, Sam Gilliam, Alma Thomas, David Hammons, Senga Nengudi, Marlon Riggs, Arthur Jafa, Rashid Johnson, Sadie Barnette. We will also discuss author-less works, collectives, and collaborate projects. Students are required to complete an annotated bibliography, weekly in-class assignments, and a 3 hour final examination. Prerequisites Prerequisite: Art History Survey Requirement	Class Number 1181	Credits 3	Department Art History, Theory, and Criticism Area of Study Class, Race, Ethnicity, Economic Inequality & Class Location MacLean 620
Beautiful Books: Architectural Prints, Drawings, and Paintings	2146 (001)	Shiben Banerji	Thurs 8:30 AM - 11:15 AM In Person
Description This seminar examines inter-related practices of bookmaking, drawing, painting, and printmaking from Mexico-Tenochtitlan, Renaissance Venice, Safavid Isfahan, Mughal Delhi, Ottoman Jerusalem, colonial Ireland, Baroque Rome, Qing Wutaishan, and Tokugawa Edo. We scrutinize octavos, folios, codices, and albums. We look at how graphite, ink, watercolor, and engraving tools were used to embellish images, and alter the boundaries separating prints, drawings, and paintings. Writing assignments emphasize close looking, close reading, and careful revision. Class discussions focus on representations of architecture, paying particular attention to innovations in visual form and their cultural and political meanings. Students are expected to write and revise short essays responding to texts and images produced by architects. Prerequisites Prerequisite: Art History Survey Requirement	Class Number 2278	Credits 3	Department Art History, Theory, and Criticism Area of Study Books and Publishing Location Lakeview - 203
History Of Architecture & Design I	2191 (001)	Joseph Socki	Tues 3:30 PM - 6:15 PM In Person
Description This course surveys the history of architecture and design, including furnishings, decorative arts and interiors, from the earliest settlements of the Neolithic Era until the onset of Neoclassicism in the late Eighteenth Century. Special attention is given to the developments that have remained most influential within the architecture and design of today, with particular emphasis on ancient Greece and Rome, Early Christian, Byzantine and early Islam, the European Middle Ages, and the Renaissance, Baroque and Rococo cultures. Through extensive lectures and readings, special focus in this class is devoted to the art of the Greek temple, Roman civil engineering, the rise of monasticism in the early Middle Ages, early Byzantine and early Islamic religious design, pilgrimage and Romanesque church building, Gothic Europe and the age of cathedrals, Italian Renaissance architecture and the rise of Humanism, Baroque churches and papal patronage, French chateaux and absolute monarchy, and the origins of Modernism during the eighteenth-century Enlightenment. Students will complete a combination of in-class and take-home exams along with a final research paper on a topic chosen in consultation with the instructor. Prerequisites Prerequisite: Art History Survey Requirement	Class Number 1108	Credits 3	Department Art History, Theory, and Criticism Location Lakeview - 202
Modern and Contemporary Latin American Art	2206 (001)	Deanna Ledezma	Mon 12:15 PM - 3:00 PM In Person
Description This is an undergraduate survey of modernism and postmodernism in Latin America from the 1920s through the present. Topics will include national identity and 'anthropophagy' in the first wave of modernism in the region, debates over Surrealism and realism in the 1930s, the transition from 'concrete to 'neo-concrete' form and the link between architecture and developmentalism in the 1940s, 1950s and 1960s, conceptual art and politics in the 1960s and 1970s, and more recent sculptural, photographic, performance, and relational practices. Specific topics include the cosmopolitan avant-garde that appeared in Mexico at the start of the 1920s, the theorization of anthropofagia in Brazil and indigenismo in Peru, Cuba?s Grupo Minorista, Mexican muralism and surrealism, Joaquin Torres-Garcia?s introduction of abstraction to Uruguay and Argentina, links between art and architecture in Venezuelan and Brazilian developmentalism, the rise of kinetic and participatory approaches in the 1950s and 1960s, conceptual art as a response to the dictatorships of the 1960s and 1970s, Latinx and Chicanx actions and performance in the United States, the politics of memory in post-dictatorship/violence art in Chile and Colombia, persistent questions of borders and internationalism in contemporary approaches to ?relational aesthetics? in Central America and the Caribbean, and many other examples. This course requires weekly reading responses, two papers, and a final exam. Prerequisites Prerequisite: Art History Survey Requirement	Class Number 1134	Credits 3	Department Art History, Theory, and Criticism Location MacLean 707
Beyond Oriental: 20th Century Asian American Art	2385 (001)	Larry Lee	Thurs 3:30 PM - 6:15 PM In Person
Description This course examines the emergence, growth and evolution of art by Asian Pacific Islander Americans throughout the twentieth century especially in the aftermath of the Civil Rights Movement that also spawned a genesis of Asian American identity, culture and activism to the late 1980?s during the apex of multiculturalism and the politics of representation to the transnationalism of the new millennium and beyond. Through readings, field trips, and film screenings, our class will consider the ongoing debate of what constitutes Asian American art by looking at artists including Isamu Noguchi, Roger Shimomura, Nam June Paik, Yoko Ono, Maya Lin, Tseng Kwong Chi and others within these historical, cultural and political contexts to discuss how questions related to stereotype, cultural difference, gender politics, and identity construction affected and shaped its development and meaning. Course work will include in-class presentation, two research papers as well as a mid-term and final exam. Prerequisites Prerequisite: Art History Survey Requirement	Class Number 1162	Credits 3	Department Art History, Theory, and Criticism Area of Study Class, Race, Ethnicity Location MacLean 707
History of Korean Art	2460 (001)	Yeonsoo Chee	Fri 3:30 PM - 6:15 PM In Person
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 1164	Credits 3	Department Art History, Theory, and Criticism Location MacLean 608
Origins of Modern Architecture	2500 (001)	Timothy Wittman	Tues 6:45 PM - 9:30 PM In Person
Description This course examines significant developments in European architecture, with regard to structure, function, and style, from the Industrial Revolution in the late 18th century through the outbreak of World War I. Major architects and their works are dealt with in the context of pertinent practical, theoretical, and social issues, to assess the overall prominence of architecture in the period of emergent modernism in Europe. Prerequisites Prerequisite: Art History Survey Requirement	Class Number 1109	Credits 3	Department Art History, Theory, and Criticism Location MacLean 707
History of Dress	2566 (001)	Sandra Adams	Thurs 12:15 PM - 3:00 PM In Person
Description This course is a chronological history of human dress from pre-history to the 20th century, and from archaeological remains of ancient cultures, through diverse global material technologies and markets influencing dress, through European monarchical and social class attire, to global exploration and colonialist effects upon worldwide human dress and ways of life. Portraiture, artistic dress and reform dress will be seen to evolve and transform long-standing gender binaries in human dress. Historic styles will be seen to continue to influence contemporary dress and fashions. The sartorial contributions of diverse historical and global human cultures also be appreciated for their innovations and ongoing influences. All students may become conversant with the anatomy, language and literature of dress. Learning experiences include lectures, readings, library and museum visits, observational sketching and noting from documents of dress, film viewing and spoken illustrated presentations in class. Focus on primary, secondary and tertiary sources of clothing information will be essential. Historical accuracy, creative anachronisms and research of period clothing will be expressed in film viewing and Ryerson Library antique costume books. Visits to Art Institute curatorial departments to view period armor, textiles and garments will provide essential experiences of historic dress. Assignments will include: self-introductory observations on a museum exhibition visit, a spoken presentation from a group of diverse Documents of Dress sketched and noted by each student on visits to about 6 libraries, museum installations and curatorial departments, and a final presentation/research paper of 10 pages on a Personification of Style, an individual whose attire and accomplishments made important cultural contribution in their time. Citations and bibliography are essential for credit. Knowing your sources is essential. Prerequisites Prerequisite: Art History Survey Requirement	Class Number 1110	Credits 3	Department Art History, Theory, and Criticism Area of Study Costume Design Location Lakeview - 203
Film Analysis	2583 (001)	Jason Nebergall	Wed 12:15 PM - 3:00 PM In Person
Description This course is designed to serve as an introduction to film analysis, in which students learn the basic concepts and vocabulary of film aesthetics and criticism. We examine different trajectories of film, studying mainstream film practices next to alternative ones. By studying the basics of film form and film style, through examples from different national cinemas, genres, and directorial oeuvres, students learn to analyze and write about films as both formal and cultural constructs. Along with questions of film technique and style, we study cinema's relationship to popular culture and fine art. The films discussed include works by Griffith, Eisenstein, Welles, Hitchcock, and Godard. This course does not assume any prior exposure to film studies. Prerequisites Prerequisite: Art History Survey Requirement	Class Number 2280	Credits 3	Department Art History, Theory, and Criticism Location MacLean 1307
Propaganda&Counterculture-Cinema from Eur to Asia	2588 (001)	Mechtild Widrich, Jennifer Dorothy Lee	Tues 6:00 PM - 9:00 PM In Person
Description This seminar is part of the 'Global Cinema Histories' film series at the Gene Siskel Film Centre, where we will meet to watch films and discuss them. The term propaganda, originally used for religious purposes to ¿propagate¿ faith, has historically been seen as a neutral or even positive tool to disseminate information, and is characterized by forceful messages and aesthetics. For both politicians and activists, propaganda has practical uses. More often than not, today the term elicits strong responses of wariness and dubious denial. The focus of this course is on the filmic output related to propaganda in the 20th and 21st centuries, when new technologies and the use of reproductive media met mass movements and big political shifts. We will cover Italian Fascism and German National Socialism¿s ¿aestheticization of politics¿, as Walter Benjamin described it. We will address Eastern European Socialist Aesthetics, revolutionary cinema in China and Hong Kong, the White Terror years in Taiwan, the pop culture of a divided Korea, and the revolutions in South America. We will explore the relationship of propaganda to colonialism, imperialism, and globalization. We will consider official politics, grassroots movements, and the blurred lines distinguishing these realms. Writing short reflections and reviews, some reading, and lots of time for discussion will structure the course. Prerequisites Prerequisite: Art History Survey Requirement	Class Number 2272	Credits 3	Department Art History, Theory, and Criticism Area of Study Theory Location Gene Siskel Film Center 203
Propaganda&Counterculture-Cinema from Eur to Asia	2588 (001)	Mechtild Widrich, Jennifer Dorothy Lee	Tues 6:00 PM - 9:00 PM In Person
Description This seminar is part of the 'Global Cinema Histories' film series at the Gene Siskel Film Centre, where we will meet to watch films and discuss them. The term propaganda, originally used for religious purposes to ¿propagate¿ faith, has historically been seen as a neutral or even positive tool to disseminate information, and is characterized by forceful messages and aesthetics. For both politicians and activists, propaganda has practical uses. More often than not, today the term elicits strong responses of wariness and dubious denial. The focus of this course is on the filmic output related to propaganda in the 20th and 21st centuries, when new technologies and the use of reproductive media met mass movements and big political shifts. We will cover Italian Fascism and German National Socialism¿s ¿aestheticization of politics¿, as Walter Benjamin described it. We will address Eastern European Socialist Aesthetics, revolutionary cinema in China and Hong Kong, the White Terror years in Taiwan, the pop culture of a divided Korea, and the revolutions in South America. We will explore the relationship of propaganda to colonialism, imperialism, and globalization. We will consider official politics, grassroots movements, and the blurred lines distinguishing these realms. Writing short reflections and reviews, some reading, and lots of time for discussion will structure the course. Prerequisites Prerequisite: Art History Survey Requirement	Class Number 2272	Credits 3	Department Art History, Theory, and Criticism Area of Study Theory Location Gene Siskel Film Center 203
19th Century Photography	2621 (001)	Alice Maggie Hazard	Tues 12:15 PM - 3:00 PM In Person
Description This course discusses the development of photography as both an art and a tool, including its invention, the initial social reaction to the photograph, the careers of major photographers, movements, and commercial publishers. The interrelationships between photography, art, science, and society are emphasized. Prerequisites Prerequisite: Art History Survey Requirement	Class Number 1128	Credits 3	Department Art History, Theory, and Criticism Location Lakeview - 202
20th Century Photography	2622 (001)	Giovanni Aloi	Tues 3:30 PM - 6:15 PM In Person
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 2334	Credits 3	Department Art History, Theory, and Criticism Location 280 Building Rm 120
History Of Sonic Art	2660 (001)	Seth Kim-Cohen	Wed 12:15 PM - 3:00 PM In Person
Description This course offers an historical survey of music as a sonic art form from the Futurists to the present day. Emphasis is placed on works that tune the performance environment, explore sound as sculpture, interact with the listener/viewer, and employ intermedia. Class discussions include topics such as basic psycho-acoustics, sound manipulation, conceptual art, installation techniques, and constructivist aesthetics. Prerequisites Prerequisite: Art History Survey Requirement	Class Number 1192	Credits 3	Department Art History, Theory, and Criticism Location Lakeview - 1608
Introduction to Video Art	2670 (001)	Emily Faith Martin	Mon 12:15 PM - 3:00 PM In Person
Description This course is designed to provide a comprehensive introduction to the history of video art from its emergence in the late 1960s through our present moment. Students will examine key works and the major historical, cultural, and aesthetic influences on the form. Prerequisites Prerequisite: Art History Survey Requirement	Class Number 1129	Credits 3	Department Art History, Theory, and Criticism Area of Study Digital Communication Location MacLean 1307
History of Modern Graphic Design	2730 (002)	Michael Golec	Wed 8:30 AM - 11:15 AM In Person
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 1157	Credits 3	Department Art History, Theory, and Criticism Area of Study Graphic Design Location Lakeview - 1608
Interwar Art: Notions of Beauty	2865 (001)	Mark Krisco	Thurs 3:30 PM - 6:15 PM In Person
Description Exploring the art, fashion, music of the 'Jazz Age'this class reveals the enduring impact 1920's aesthetics has had on contemporary fashion, art and social customs. Starting with an exploration of the differing mind sets of Europeans versus Americans, this class then takes an in-depth look of the artists and lifestyles 1920's Paris that had been greatly impacted by the influx of Americans after the First World War. The class ends with the lasting legacy of the Jazz Age, which was seen particularly in the 1960's, but currently has resurfaced in contemporary issues of gender identity. More specifically, this class examines using film and texts the two key Jazz Age couples; F. Scott and Zelda Fitzgerald and Gerald and Sara Murphy. The former couple establishing the persona of 'the flapper' and the latter couple establishing a major link between American in France and the Famous School of Paris artists particularly Picasso. Other key figures are examined such as the first major Chinese American actress Anna May Wong and the black performer Josephine Baker as well as fashion designer Coco Chanel and film star Clara Bow. Course work revolves around two key texts as well as a reading the Great Gatsby. Reading questions accompany the 1st text and essay is required to explore the other text in relation to the Great Gatsby. There is also one final paper on one Jazz age artists of the student's choice. Prerequisites Prerequisite: Art History Survey Requirement	Class Number 2261	Credits 3	Department Art History, Theory, and Criticism Location Lakeview - 1608
Medieval Secular Arts	3131 (001)	Nancy Feldman	Wed 12:15 PM - 3:00 PM In Person
Description This course examines secular art of Europe and the Mediterranean cultures. The traditions of epic story telling, fabliaux writings, popular and courtly narratives and political commentary are examined by looking at medieval tapestries, ceramic tiles, glass, wood sculpture, woven and embroidered textiles, enamels, ivories, metalwork, wall paintings, architecture and articles of dress. Students look at how the world of visual satire invades the sacred space of church and religious manuscripts and how the narrative image, public and private, religious and profane acts as text in a time before the printed book. The course includes two field trips to local museums. Prerequisites Prerequisite: Art History Survey Requirement	Class Number 2262	Credits 3	Department Art History, Theory, and Criticism Location Lakeview - 202
War: Art and Photography in the 20th Century	3133 (001)	Conor Lauesen	Fri 3:30 PM - 6:15 PM In Person
Description This course explores the history of 20th century warfare through the lens of art and history, most especially photography. An upper-level undergraduate course, lectures and discussion likewise aim to introduce students to both the uncanny strangeness and implicit violence embedded in the photographic medium. In this way, the material of the class reaches beyond only explicit representations of war, and instead also considers how the medium of photography is today part and parcel with our modern, contemporary experience of witnessing violence. Chronologically structured, the course considers the ever-shifting ethos of representation and war with pictures beginning in 1898 and the American imperial projects across the Philippines. However, with the American Civil War looming in the immediate background of democratic identity and pictorial practice, the 1865 war photographs from Alexander Gardner and Timothy O'Sullivan unofficially commence our investigations. We then speedily arrive at the wars in the Pacific (1898) and slowly traverse through the long 20th century: WWI, the inter war years, WWII (Hiroshima; the death camps and Lee Miller's Hitler), Korea to Vietnam, Iraq and the 'Desert Storm' wars, 9/11, and Abu Ghraib--these are some of the historical markers structuring the material of the course. As we often traverse beyond the edges of mere binary and literal representations of war, the course will as importantly incorporate art photography from some of the most consummate American masters of the last century: Walker Evans, Robert Frank, Diane Arbus, Eugene Smith, Carrie Mae Weems, Diane Lawson, Dawoud Bey, An My Le and others comprise this short list. The ways in which pictures are often obliquely and subtlety inscribed with a pathos of war are always fundamentally at stake. Finally, the basement photography gallery at the Art Institute as well as rotating special exhibitions will offer the class firsthand opportunities to discuss photographic works of art in person. Moreover, their will be two film screenings across the term and students will be expected to attend the screenings and in turn contribute to related conversation. Students will be asked to complete one short (2-3 pages) and one long (6-8) end of the term paper. Topics may vary but all students will be asked to discuss their final project with the professor; most pressing at stake is the writing process, one's own art historical temperament, and perhaps most fundamentally: how can we (students and artists) learn to put words to images, going beyond blithe captions and ironically glib, disinterested tropes. Ideally there will also be a short final written exam (20% of the final grade): this will include two long essay questions; three short questions; and 15-20 works of photography to be identified.*I write this with hopes that a short exam, though challenging, will encourage students to truly engage with the material at hand--learning and memorizing and critically thinking that goes beyond rote knowledge. Prerequisites Prerequisite: Art History Survey Requirement	Class Number 1169	Credits 3	Department Art History, Theory, and Criticism Area of Study Class, Race, Ethnicity, Public Space, Site, Landscape, Art/Design and Politics Location MacLean 620
The Italian Renaissance	3150 (001)	Joana Konova	Wed 8:30 AM - 11:15 AM In Person
Description This course will survey a broad range of objects and settings, and attempt to familiarize students with relevant media and techniques, as well as important intellectual, social, and political developments that informed the production and reception of art in Italy from the 15th through the early 17th centuries. Students will gain exposure to original works through appropriate use of relevant collections. They will hone their skills in visual analysis and their ability to engage art and express positions and observations about art orally and in writing. The major assignments for the class will include a formal analysis paper, an object presentation, and an object response. Introductory context readings will be complemented by selected original readings (in translation) and exemplary art historical scholarship on the period. All readings will be available on Canvas. Prerequisites Prerequisite: Art History Survey Requirement	Class Number 1160	Credits 3	Department Art History, Theory, and Criticism Location MacLean 920
History of Manga	3173 (001)	Ryan Holmberg	Mon 6:45 PM - 9:30 PM All Online
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 1145	Credits 3	Department Art History, Theory, and Criticism Area of Study Illustration, Comics and Graphic Novels, Books and Publishing Location Online
Abstract Art	3302 (001)	Conor Lauesen	Thurs 3:30 PM - 6:15 PM In Person
Description This course investigates the international art movements of the 1920s and 1930s such as Constructivism, Purism, the Bauhaus, De Stijl, Neoplasticism, and other movements that favored a nonobjective mode. After its initial development before World War I, how did nonobjective art develop, justify itself, change, and find new roles in the troubled period of the Roaring Twenties and the Fascist Thirties? These questions are explored in lectures and discussion. Prerequisites Prerequisite: Art History Survey Requirement	Class Number 1170	Credits 3	Department Art History, Theory, and Criticism Location MacLean 608
Modern and Contemporary Japanese Prints	3311 (001)	Mami Hatayama	Fri 12:15 PM - 3:00 PM In Person
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 2277	Credits 3	Department Art History, Theory, and Criticism Location MacLean 920
American Art: 1913-1945	3341 (001)	Conor Lauesen	Mon 12:15 PM - 3:00 PM In Person
Description Beginning with the Armory Show in 1913, this course examines the arts in America from the time of the Stieglitz circle's modernist views through the various strains of Regionalism leading up to the emergence of the first generation of Abstract Expressionists in the early 1940s. The artistic developments are considered in the context of the complex social and political issues of the period. Prerequisites Prerequisite: Art History Survey Requirement	Class Number 1159	Credits 3	Department Art History, Theory, and Criticism Location Lakeview - 205
Modern and Contemporary Native American Art	3382 (001)	Risa Puleo	Mon 12:15 PM - 3:00 PM In Person
Description In this course, we will explore the ways in which the idea of persistence might be said to characterize modern and contemporary Native American and Indigenous arts practices--including performance, film, video, painting, sculpture, printmaking, and photography, among others. The artists we will examine employ a range of tactics to engage social, cultural, economic, and political relationships as they occupy and articulate Indigenous worldviews and systems of knowledge that are often incommensurable with Settler structures and ideologies. Prerequisites Prerequisite: Art History Survey Requirement	Class Number 1154	Credits 3	Department Art History, Theory, and Criticism Area of Study Class, Race, Ethnicity, Economic Inequality & Class Location Lakeview - 203
African-American Art: A History of Exhibitions	3427 (001)	Sarah Estrela	Tues 8:30 AM - 11:15 AM In Person
Description This course explores African American art through a study of significant museum and gallery shows from the 1920s to the present. The course offers a survey of African American art through an examination of the institutions and also the conceptual contexts (or ideological framings) that have supported its presentation over the past 90 years. Exhibits such as 'Harlem on My Mind'; 'Freestyle'; 'Frequency'; 'Only Skin Deep'; and 'Let Your Motto Be Resistance,' among others, provide a context through culture. Prerequisites Prerequisite: Art History Survey Requirement	Class Number 2288	Credits 3	Department Art History, Theory, and Criticism Area of Study Class, Race, Ethnicity Location MacLean 920
Design Between Wars: 1920-1940	3543 (001)	Lara Allison	Fri 8:30 AM - 11:15 AM In Person
Description This course surveys decorative and industrial arts and design in Europe and America from 1920 to 1949, in cities including Paris, London, Berlin, Munich, Prague, Budapest, Milan, Los Angeles, and Chicago. Styles ranging from Art Deco to Art Moderne are covered, with special focus on the impact of the Bauhaus and Cranbrook, as well as on the contributions of Mies van der Rohe, Gropius, Saarinen, Wright, and Loewy, et al. Textiles, furniture, ceramics, glass, interiors, and automobiles are among the topics discussed. Prerequisites Prerequisite: Art History Survey Requirement	Class Number 1158	Credits 3	Department Art History, Theory, and Criticism Location MacLean 707
History & Technique of The Old Masters' Drawings	3554 (001)	Mark Krisco	Thurs 12:15 PM - 3:00 PM In Person
Description This class surveys the development of draftsmanship as the key element of workshop practice. This class exploring in-depth all the major drawing materials and their formulation; all of which are still used today. This class then looks at which major artists chose each of these media as an example to illuminate how students should also search for the proper drawing materials to express their own individual visions. Aspects of drawing such as history of caricature and self portrayal are also analyzed. Major artists are explored from post medieval age i.e. Jan Van Eyck to Renaissance masters such as Leonardo, Michelangelo and Raphael especially in regards to drawing materials, techniques and anatomy. Contemporary artists as diverse as David Hockney, and Jim Dine, William Kentridge are also examined through documentary films and discussed in relation to former art techniques. This class making the student aware of the ongoing impulse of mankind to draw and yet also makes the student highly aware how the discipline of drawing is key to a whole range of artists from fine artists, to architects to animators. There are weekly reading fromm a book on Old Master Drawings mostly in regards to materials, techniques and anatomy. But equally are many trips to the Art Institute museum to establish through discussions the learning of connoisseurship. Two papers: a mid-term and a final are written about specific drawing of a specific artist of the student's choice; one of which must be a class presentation. Prerequisites Prerequisite: Art History Survey Requirement	Class Number 1111	Credits 3	Department Art History, Theory, and Criticism Location MacLean 112
Documentary: Photo/Film/Video	3598 (001)	Thomas Comerford	Fri 8:30 AM - 11:15 AM In Person
Description The documentary, once regarded a vehicle for the heroic confrontation of artist and society, has been questioned in recent years. This course studies readings and selected documentaries that illustrate certain key issues: 1) truth claims: Does the documentary seek to validate its claim to truth or does it problematize such claims? 2) the authority of the documentaries: By what right do the makers speak for the subject of the documentary? How are subjects allowed or made to speak for themselves? How is the authority of the maker of documentaries undercut? and, 3) construction of the audience: Do the documentaries or their subjects seek to address or ignore the beholder/audience? How does it try to move its audience to action or participation? Recent feature-length works have included Yance Ford's 'Strong Island'; Kirsten Johnson's 'Cameraperson'; and works by Harvard University's Sensory-Ethnography Lab. Short works have included videos, photos and installations by Sky Hopinka, Beatriz Santiago-Mu?oz, Hito Steyerl, Kevin Lee, Shengze Tzu, Laura Huertas-Millan, Oli Rodriguez and Martine Syms. Student read large portions of Bill Nichols' 'Introduction to Documentary' in addition to a number of interviews with the artists to prepare for each class meeting. In addition to completing preparatory readings and participating in discussions during classtime, students will be required to complete 3 essay-form take-home exams, each 3-5 pages in length, in response to prompts about the course materials. Students may also be asked to make revisions on the exams. Some students may get approval to complete a 10-12 page research paper in lieu of exams 2 and 3. Prerequisites Prerequisite: Art History Survey Requirement	Class Number 2151	Credits 3	Department Art History, Theory, and Criticism Location MacLean 1307
Seminar:Manifestations- Public or Private	3805 (001)	Simon Anderson	Wed 6:45 PM - 9:30 PM In Person
Description What is the value of a manifesto? This course examines the difference between published proclamations by artists and the work they produce. Using contemporary and current criticism, the course will scrutinize, compare, and contrast a limited number of texts, objects, and activities within and since the Modern era. Students will not only learn more of the perceived-or misperceived-aims of given artists or movements, they will also learn more about the continuing conversation between theory and practice. Prerequisites Prerequisite: Art History Survey Requirement	Class Number 2266	Credits 3	Department Art History, Theory, and Criticism Location MacLean 707
Foreigners Everywhere: The Aesthetics of Migration	3823 (001)	Tamar Kharatishvili	Tues 6:45 PM - 9:30 PM In Person
Description In 2015, migration leapt into the headlines, becoming a topic of contemporary discussion like never before. From the plight of refugees attempting to cross the Mediterranean into Western Europe to 'illegal immigration' as a campaign issue in the last U.S. elections, the world's attention is focused on people on the move, often in quite desperate situations. Yet migration has been with us for a long time-- some would say, for much of human history-- and it has not always been linked to crisis. Migrants have included intellectuals who have exported ideas from country to country, as well as today's nomadic artists who journey around the world to exhibit and develop their practices. Starting from the era of World War II, this course investigates connections between artistic practice and migration over time, integrating historical case studies with critical theory to evaluate how contemporary art might continue to engage this topic in the 21st century. We will consider and differentiate different types of subjects on the move, among them migrant, nomad, emigre, exile, refugee, tourist, expatriate, and guest worker, and consider the implicit hierarchies that can subject them to drastically different institutional responses. At the center of our discussions will be questions of the personal and the affective. How might we responsibly address migration as contemporary subject-matter, and how might our own migration stories be made relevant for others? Prerequisites Prerequisite: Art History Survey Requirement	Class Number 1176	Credits 3	Department Art History, Theory, and Criticism Area of Study Class, Race, Ethnicity, Politics and Activisms Location Lakeview - 1428
Junior Proseminar: Topics in Art History Methods	3900 (001)	Margaret MacNamidhe	Thurs 8:30 AM - 11:15 AM In Person
Description These courses use case studies and themes as a context for examining the role of methodology and the practice of writing in the history of art. The topics of these writing-intensive seminar vary according to the instructor. These courses fulfill the Junior Proseminar requirement for the Bachelor of Arts in Art History. Prerequisites Prerequisite: 2900 course	Class Number 1156	Credits 3	Department Art History, Theory, and Criticism Location MacLean 617
Asian Identity in Film	3982 (001)	Tatsu Aoki	Tues 12:15 PM - 3:00 PM In Person
Description This course looks at America's perceptions of Asians through their portrayal in American mainstream media in contrast to those made in Asia by Asian filmmakers. By comparing films made by Asians and those produced by the American mainstream, we find major differences in their perspectives and approaches. In doing this, we investigate issues of representation and misrepresentation in mass culture stereotypes of Asians to show how they have been rooted in confusions surrounding cultural differences between Asians and Asian Americans. The course presents Hollywood films, mainstream Asian films, as well as independent works from both the Asian and Asian American communities. Weekly readings and short journal. One Midterm and One final Paper Prerequisites Prerequisite: Art History Survey Requirement	Class Number 1120	Credits 3	Department Art History, Theory, and Criticism Area of Study Class, Race, Ethnicity Location MacLean 1307
Nation and Narration : Modern and Contemporary Indian Art	4017 (001)	Arshiya Lokhandwala	Tues 8:30 AM - 11:15 AM All Online
Description This survey class of Modern and Contemporary Indian art from the 20th century to date examines the rich and complex art practices which emerged from pre-independent India to its transition as an independent nation in 1947. We will discuss the works of the most significant Indian artists and unpack the concepts of tradition/ modern, nationalism/internationalism and, globalization, to investigate the same through the writings of eminent postcolonial scholars such as Geeta Kapur, Homi Bhabha, Partha Mitter, Gayatri Spivak, and Saloni Mathur to name a few. The course gives a critical insight into India as a nation, the challenges it faces including the socio-political climate that is reflected in the artist's work and practices that make Indian art distinct. The class examines Indian art from the early 20th century including the works of Raja Ravi Varma and Amrita Sher-Gil to the currently contemporary emerging avant-garde art practices today. This includes the work of the Progressive Artist Group; such as Maqbool Fida Husain, Syed Haider Raza, and Francis Newton Souza amongst others, to other prominent artists such as K. G. Subramanyan and Bhupen Khakhar. We will examine the first wave of the feminist artist's as Nalini Malani, Nilima Sheikh, Arpita Singh, and Madhvi Parikh, moving to the more contemporary art practices such as Subodh Gupta, Anita Dube, Bharti Kher, Jitish Kallat, Nikhil Chopra, Mithu Sen, and Shilpa Gupta to name a few. The course work will include weekly readings a mid- term paper and a final paper. Class participation and discussion is encouraged. Prerequisites Prerequisite: Art History Survey Requirement OR Graduate Student	Class Number 1141	Credits 3	Department Art History, Theory, and Criticism Area of Study Art/Design and Politics, Museum Studies, Exhibition and Curatorial Studies Location Online
Alt-Manga: Experimental and Literary Comics in Japan	4025 (001)	Ryan Holmberg	Tues 6:45 PM - 9:30 PM All Online
Description This course will offer a focused exploration of 'alternative manga,' looking at Japanese comic book artists working outside the mainstream publishing industry in Japan. Topics to be discussed include crossovers between contemporary art and manga, wordless and audiovisual experiments, the advent of 'literariness' in manga, and comics grappling with contentious social and political issues. Comparisons with underground and art comics outside of Japan will also be explored. Among the major artists to be considered in this course are Tatsumi Yoshihiro, Tsuge Yoshiharu, Hayashi Seiichi, Tsurita Kuniko, Maruo Suehiro, and Yokoyama Yuichi. Major works of comics theory will also be assigned. Students will be required to complete weekly readings, comprising manga and historical and theoretical essays, all of which will be in English. In addition to a final research project, regular seminar presentations about course readings will also be required. Prerequisites Prerequisite: Art History Survey Requirement OR Graduate Student	Class Number 1163	Credits 3	Department Art History, Theory, and Criticism Area of Study Comics and Graphic Novels Location Online
Ars Domestica: Clothing Cooking Caring	4029 (001)	Dijana Granov, Caroline Marie Bellios	Mon 12:15 PM - 3:00 PM In Person
Description This class plots domestic histories of design in pursuit of inclusive design and community. Readings, writings, and collective experiments in sewing, cooking, organizing, and caregiving explore the pleasures and constraints of domestic life; adaptation of commercial designs and DIY kits; and plotting design justice futures. Making and writing options are introduced throughout the course and are flexible to students of all skill levels. This course combines making with research to shape our field of study. Historical materials include sewing patterns, feminist housekeeping critiques, and Flaxman Library¿s extensive collection of cookbooks. Making projects (no skills/experience required) focus on DIY learning, learning through verbal and visual cues rather than written ones, and collective ¿stitch-n-bitch¿ models. Readings include theories of the family and queer domesticity; disability and illness as a part of home design and adaptation; and feminist and anti-racist critiques of household labor and proposals for liberatory alternatives. All students in this class will make things, engage with a variety of writing modes, and combine traditional research methods with the knowledge gained through making. Reading responses and papers will accompany their practice-based material culture study. Final projects will include a choice of formats incorporating historical research. Prerequisites Prerequisite: Art History Survey Requirement OR Graduate Student	Class Number 1153	Credits 3	Department Art History, Theory, and Criticism Location Lakeview - 202

Upcoming Admissions Events

Jan10

Graduate Programs Application Deadline: January 10

Apply to SAIC's Graduate and Post-Bacc programs by January 10 for fall 2025 admission.

Friday, January 10 12:00 a.m. - 11:58 p.m. CST

Take the Next Step

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

MA Dual Degree Graduate Brochure

View

Dual Degree Admissions Information

Graduate Dual Degree

Application deadline: January 10

Application and Admissions Information

World-Class Resources

On-Campus Opportunities

Course Listing

Description

Class Number

Credits

Department

Location

Description

Class Number

Credits

Department

Location

Description

Class Number

Credits

Department

Location

Description

Class Number

Credits

Department

Location

Description

Class Number

Credits

Department

Location

Description

Class Number

Credits

Department

Location

Description

Class Number

Credits

Department

Location

Description

Class Number

Credits

Department

Location

Description

Class Number

Credits

Department

Location

Description

Class Number

Credits

Department

Location

Description

Class Number

Credits

Department

Location

Description

Class Number

Credits

Department

Location

Description

Class Number

Credits

Department

Location

Description

Class Number

Credits

Department

Location

Description

Class Number

Credits