University of Texas at El Paso Academic Catalog

Academic Catalog

Art History Courses

Courses

ARTH 1305.  History of Art I.  

History of World Art I (3-0) (C): [TCCN ARTS 1303] A survey of selected art works, architecture, and art theories in several parts of the world over a broad span of history from the Prehistoric to c. 1250 AD. Students become acquainted with artistic mediums, iconography, and style, the use of materials and technologies, and a wide range of functions of works of art in various cultures. The course demonstrates how the production of art and architecture is linked to climate and geography (the natural world) and governmental, religious and philosophical systems (the social and cultural world). Course fee required.

Department: Art History

3 Credit Hours
3 Total Contact Hours
0 Lab Hours
3 Lecture Hours
0 Other Hours

ARTH 1306.  History of Art II.  

History of World Art II (3-0) (C): [TCCN ARTS 1304] A survey of selected art works, architecture, and art theories in several parts of the world over a broad span of history from c. 1250 AD to the present. Students become acquainted with artistic mediums, iconography, and style, the use of materials and technologies, and a wide range of functions of works of art in various cultures. The course demonstrates how the production of art and architecture is linked to climate and geography (the natural world), and governmental, religious and philosophical systems (the social and cultural world). Course fee required.

Department: Art History

3 Credit Hours
3 Total Contact Hours
0 Lab Hours
3 Lecture Hours
0 Other Hours

ARTH 2303.  Twentieth-Century Art I.  

Twentieth-Century Art I: The Avant-garde (3-0) Art movements and theories from the late nineteenth century until World War II are studied. Theoretical approaches include the impact of language, abstraction, primitivism, realism, industrialization, psychoanalysis, gender and history on the study of the visual arts. Prerequisite: ARTH 1306 or instructor permission. Course fee required.

Department: Art History

3 Credit Hours
3 Total Contact Hours
0 Lab Hours
3 Lecture Hours
0 Other Hours

Prerequisite(s): (ARTH 1306 w/D or better)

ARTH 2313.  Twentieth-Century Art II.  

Twentieth-Century Art II: From Modern to Postmodern (3-0) Art movements and theories from the end of World War II until the twenty-first century are studied. Theoretical approaches include the impact of world powers, consumerism, feminism, technology, history and postmodernism on the study of the visual arts. Prerequisite: ARTH 1306 or permission of instructor. Course fee required.

Department: Art History

3 Credit Hours
3 Total Contact Hours
0 Lab Hours
3 Lecture Hours
0 Other Hours

Prerequisite(s): (ARTH 1306 w/D or better)

ARTH 3305.  Art of the Roman Empire.  

This course explores the artistic production of the ancient Romans, from the Late Republic through the Early Christian era, roughly from the birth of Marcus Tullius Cicero (106 BC) through the death of Emperor Constantine the Great (337 AD). Topics include the artistic patronage of the Roman state and its leading citizens; the historic, social and political context of Roman artworks; the use of art for propagandistic purposes by the emperors and their families; the stylistic and iconographic trends in the capital city and the various provinces; the artistic patronage of the Roman military and the major religious cults; and the visual culture of Early Christianity. Course fee required.

Department: Art History

3 Credit Hours
3 Total Contact Hours
0 Lab Hours
3 Lecture Hours
0 Other Hours

Classification Restrictions:
Restricted to class of JR, SO, SR

ARTH 3310.  Art of the Medieval World.  

This is a chronological and geographical survey of the major masterpieces of the Middle Ages in Europe and the Near East, from the Early Christian frescoes in the Roman catacombs to the soaring Gothic cathedrals of St. Denis and Chartes (c. 250 to 1250). The course examines the style, iconography and symbolic meaning of medieval artworks and places them within their historical, socio-political and cultural contexts. The visual cultures of Byzantium and Islam and their interactions with the Latin West are also investigated. Course fee required.

Department: Art History

3 Credit Hours
3 Total Contact Hours
0 Lab Hours
3 Lecture Hours
0 Other Hours

Classification Restrictions:
Restricted to class of JR, SO, SR

ARTH 3315.  Early Renaissance Italian Art.  

This course examines the artistic masterpieces of the Italian peninsula from the death of Fredrick II to the rise of the Medici in Florence (c. 1250-1450). The emphasis is on the art and architecture of the Italian city-republics and, in particular, on panel and fresco painting in Siena, Florence, Rome and Venice. The early Italian Renaissance is considered within its historical, political and social context, beginning with the careers of Nicola Pisano, Duccio di Buoninsegna and Giotto di Bondone, and progession to the generation of Gentile da Fabriano, Filippo Brunelleschi, Masaccio and Leon Battista Alberti.

Department: Art History

3 Credit Hours
3 Total Contact Hours
0 Lab Hours
3 Lecture Hours
0 Other Hours

Classification Restrictions:
Restricted to class of JR, SO, SR

ARTH 3340.  Art of the United States.  

This course provides an introduction to the history of American art from the colonial era to the present through the examination of paintings, sculpture, architecture and photography. Special emphasis is given to the cultural, social and historical contexts in which American art flourishes. We begin by examining the negotiations between colonial and European styles. We then move to issues of displaced populations, myths of the American landscape, transatlantic experiences of expatriate artists, conflicts between urban and rural conceptualization of the "typical" American experience, and the role of the American avant -garde after World War II. Course fee required.

Department: Art History

3 Credit Hours
3 Total Contact Hours
0 Lab Hours
3 Lecture Hours
0 Other Hours

Classification Restrictions:
Restricted to class of JR, SO, SR

ARTH 3353.  Pre-Columb Art & Arch.  

Pre-Columbian Art and Architecture (3-0) An historical survey of the art and architecture of several Mesoamerican and South American cultures of the Pre-Classic through Postclassic periods. Large scale monuments, painting, sculpture and ceramics of the Aztecs, Maya, Inca and their predecessors will be examined in terms of their original socio-political and sacred contexts. Course fee required.

Department: Art History

3 Credit Hours
3 Total Contact Hours
0 Lab Hours
3 Lecture Hours
0 Other Hours

ARTH 3355.  Spanish Col Art Americas.  

The focus of this survey is the rich and varied history of art in Mexico and the Spanish Borderlands from the Colonial through Modern periods. Conquest through independence from Spain in 1821. Sacred and secular art in a variety of mediums is explored, with special emphasis given to the architecture, painting, and sculpture of the mission complexes. Course fee required.

Department: Art History

3 Credit Hours
3 Total Contact Hours
0 Lab Hours
3 Lecture Hours
0 Other Hours

Classification Restrictions:
Restricted to class of JR, SO, SR

ARTH 3357.  Art Mexico:Ancient to Modern.  

A survey of Mexico’s extensive contributions to the visual arts in a variety of mediums, incluiding painting, sculpture, ceramics, printmaking and architecture. Material is presented chronologically and thematically as we explore the legacy of indigenous and European artistic movements and the formation of the modern Mexican school. Course fee required.

Department: Art History

3 Credit Hours
3 Total Contact Hours
0 Lab Hours
3 Lecture Hours
0 Other Hours

Classification Restrictions:
Restricted to class of JR, SO, SR

ARTH 3366.  African Art.  

A survey of the art and architecture of all regions of Africa, including Egypt and the Maghreb. Monuments and sacred and secular art objects from ancient to modern times in a variety of mediums are studied in terms of formal attributes and cultural context. Course fee required.

Department: Art History

3 Credit Hours
3 Total Contact Hours
0 Lab Hours
3 Lecture Hours
0 Other Hours

Classification Restrictions:
Restricted to class of JR, SO, SR

ARTH 3385.  History of Architecture.  

This course traces the history of architecture from prehistoric times through the modern era, with particular emphasis on the iconic structures of human civilization that have shaped the building traditions of the European and Asian continents. The focus is on reconstructing as fully as possible the context of major architectural masterpieces and investigating their iconography and symbolic content. In addition to Western monuments, the architecture of China, Japan, Siam and the Indian subcontinent is also explored, as well as the interconnections between Eastern and Western visual culture, and between the Islamic and Judeo-Christian worlds, during the last two millennia. Course fee required.

Department: Art History

3 Credit Hours
3 Total Contact Hours
0 Lab Hours
3 Lecture Hours
0 Other Hours

ARTH 3395.  Topics in Contemporary Art.  

Research seminar on topics from 1950 to the present. Emphasis on student participation, critical thinking, research and writing. (Students can repeat the course for credit when the topic varies). Course fee required.

Department: Art History

3 Credit Hours
3 Total Contact Hours
0 Lab Hours
3 Lecture Hours
0 Other Hours

Classification Restrictions:
Restricted to class of JR, SO, SR

ARTH 3399.  Special Topics in Art History.  

Art history course on topic not included in regular curriculum. (Students may repeat the course for credit when the topic varies). Course fee required.

Department: Art History

3 Credit Hours
3 Total Contact Hours
0 Lab Hours
3 Lecture Hours
0 Other Hours

ARTH 4383.  Art History Seminar.  

Art History Seminar (3-0) Intensive research and presentation of independent studies on a topic to be chosen by the instructor. Prerequisites: Students wishing to enroll in this course must have Junior standing, completed 9 credits of ARTH 3000+ and have instructor approval. Course fee required.

Department: Art History

3 Credit Hours
3 Total Contact Hours
0 Lab Hours
3 Lecture Hours
0 Other Hours

Classification Restrictions:
Restricted to class of JR, SR

ARTH 4390.  Directed Study.  

This course will enable students to work on an independent research project under the guidance and supervision of an art history faculty member. Meeting times to be determined by the instructor and student. Students will complete a substantial research paper on an approved topic. Prerequisites: Junior standing, 9 hours ARTH 3000+ must be completed before registration, and instructor permission required. Restricted to ARTH majors.

Department: Art History

3 Credit Hours
3 Total Contact Hours
0 Lab Hours
0 Lecture Hours
3 Other Hours

Major Restrictions:
Restricted to majors of ARTH

Classification Restrictions:
Restricted to class of JR