This course introduces students to the major methodological and theoretical movements in art historical practice. Organized roughly chronologically, we begin with Vasari and artistic biography in the Renaissance, examine the origins of art historical scholarship in the eighteenth century, and then touch on a wide range of subsequent approaches, including Marxist, feminist, and post-colonial interpretations of art. The course emphasizes art history as a site of cultural critique and construction, contextualizing the various interventions in order to demonstrate their wider cultural relevance. As such, it asks students to reflect on the role of the discipline in today’s world. This class is required for majors in History of Art, but interested non-majors are invited to enroll as well. 

Meets Arts & Literature, L&S Breadth
Meets Historical Studies, L&S Breadth