HAA 0101 Foundations in Art History

(offered every fall and spring term)

Foundations in Art History is a course designed specifically for students planning to pursue further study in art history. It offers an introduction to the history of the art historical discipline and its research and interpretive methods. Other courses in the art history department introduce students to the what of art history--major works and histories of the arts in specific time periods and geographic locations around the globe. This course, by contrast, is devoted to the how of what the art historian does--how she or he interprets the work of art according to its specific characteristics, the place and time in which the artwork is created, and the changing nature of viewers' responses to it. Through readings spanning art history in East Asia and the West and from the ancient world to the present, weekly discussions will invite us to explore a wide array of interpretive perspectives, to understand where and when such perspectives emerged within the discipline, and how they continue to be used today. Our engagement with these perspectives will be geared toward understanding how each plays a role in the art historian's central task, namely deciphering the meaning of the work of art. Short writing assignments throughout the term will require analysis of a specific artwork chosen from a local art collection such as the Carnegie Museum in light of different interpretative issues and methodologies.