You are reading the 2024/25 Academic Calendar. The 2023/24 version remains in effect until August 31, 2024 and is available here.

Art History, Faculty of Arts

ARTH: Art History

Not every course is given every year. For details of current offerings, consult the departmental website at www.ahva.ubc.ca. Students wishing to take fourth-year seminars should normally have had a closely related third-year course and are advised to check with the instructor in this regard. Credit will be given to either the current ARTH listing or its former FINA equivalent.

  1. ARTH 101 (3) Ways of Seeing: Introduction to Visual Studies

    Drawing on examples from across history and around the world, this course deals with the role of the visual in society, culture, and everyday experience.

  2. ARTH 102 (3) Crisis and Contradiction in Art and the Built Environment

    Concepts and issues critical to the understanding of art and its histories in a global context.

  3. ARTH 210 (3) Byzantium: Arts of an Empire

    Art, architecture, and material culture of the Byzantine Empire situated in the eastern Mediterranean (c. 300-1453); focus on social and cultural contexts of artistic production, including interactions with neighboring cultures. Credit will only be granted for one of ARTH 210, CNRS 207 or AMNE 279.

    Equivalency: AMNE 279.

  4. ARTH 225 (3) Art, Patrons, and Audiences in the Middle Ages

    A thematic study of the relationship between patrons and audiences in painting, sculpture, and architecture through the 15th century.

  5. ARTH 226 (3) Art, Colonialism, and Indigeneity

    Tensions and conflicts resulting from the expansion of trade and encounters among cultures, ethnicities, and religious practices, explored in visual art and architecture from the sixteenth century to the advent of the modern era.

  6. ARTH 227 (3) What is Modern Art?

    Select issues in 20th-century art and the visual and built environment.

  7. ARTH 230 (3) Art & Feminism(s): Histories, Lineages, Legacies

    Feminist art and visual culture, from the political activism of the feminist first wave to its intersections with present-day social justice movements.

  8. ARTH 251 (3) Asian Arts: From Chinese Warriors to Bollywood Posters

    A thematic examination of Asian arts, such as historic, religious, and secular painting and sculpture to contemporary visual culture.

  9. ARTH 253 (3) Asian Architecture: Sacred and Urban Spaces

    Select built forms in Asia, such as temples, tombs, palaces, cities and gardens, and their relations to cultural, social and political systems.

  10. ARTH 261 (3) Pre-Hispanic Arts of Central and South America

    The relevance of various arts to social institutions in ancient societies of Peru and Mesoamerica.

  11. ARTH 262 (3) Indigenous Arts of North America

    A survey of the artistic production by Indigenous peoples of North America from pre-contact times to the present.

  12. ARTH 285 (3) Art and the Moving Image

    Intersections between visual art and the moving image in both a theoretical and historical context.

  13. ARTH 300 (3) Seminar on Methods and Approaches in Art History

    Theories, problems, and literature in the study of art history. Required of all Major and Honours students in art history. This course is not eligible for Credit/D/Fail grading.

    Prerequisite: 3 credits of ARTH coursework at any level.

  14. ARTH 309 (3) Arts of Africa and the African Diasporas

    Comparative exploration of art practices and their relationship to colonial and postcolonial histories.

    Equivalency: AFST 309.

  15. ARTH 310 (3) Art and the Religious Transformation of the Late Roman Empire

    Visual culture and religious diversity of the Late Roman Empire (2nd-7th c.); social, political, and religious contexts of art, including diverse viewing practices and cultural frameworks. Credit will only be granted for one of ARTH 310, CNRS 333 or AMNE 379.

    Equivalency: AMNE 379.

  16. ARTH 311 (3) Early Medieval Art

    From pagan adornment to Christian devotion to service of Christian or Islamic rule (AD 500-1000). Art and architecture of the Early Medieval world's diverse and transforming social, political, cultural contexts.

  17. ARTH 312 (3) Medieval Art in the Age of Monasticism

    Art in Europe between 1000 and 1200; the role of monasteries as leading institutions and patrons of art and large-scale architecture.

  18. ARTH 313 (3) Art, Church, Society and their Margins in the Later Middle Ages

    Diversification of the arts and architecture with the expansion of patronage in late medieval society. Credit will be granted for only one of ARTH 313 or ARTH 333.

  19. ARTH 319 (3) The Archaeology of Ancient Iraq and Syria: Babylon and Beyond

    An overview of the archaeology of the ancient Near East, with special emphasis on the civilizations of Mesopotamia, from the appearance of the first cities (c. 3400 BCE) to the end of the Persian period (c. 330 BCE). AMNE 170 recommended as preparation. Credit will only be granted for one of ARTH 319, NEST 319, or AMNE 372

    Equivalency: AMNE 372.

  20. ARTH 320 (3) Entangled Worlds: Spain and Colonial Latin America (1500-1700)

    Role of visual art and culture within Catholic Spain and colonial Latin America is surveyed, with emphasis on transculturation from mudejar to mestizaje.

  21. ARTH 321 (3) Public and Private Bodies: Italian Renaissance Art and Culture

    Visual art and culture within the social, political, and religious contexts of the Papacy and the city-states ca. 1350-1550 (Siena, Florence, Venice, Mantua).

  22. ARTH 322 (3) Early Modern Italian Art and Culture (ca. 1550-1700)

    Focus primarily on Rome as the center of artistic, cultural, economic, and religious power in the seventeenth century.

  23. ARTH 323 (3) Heaven and Earth: Renaissance Art and Culture in Northern Europe

    Early Modern painting, sculpture, and the graphic arts from the great devotional triptychs, through the Reformation, to the emergence of a secular art (1400-1600).

  24. ARTH 324 (3) Urban and Courtly Arts in Early Modern Northern Europe (1600-1700)

    The role of visual art in 17th century court cultures, commercial urban centres, and emergent nation states.

  25. ARTH 325 (3) Ancient Egypt: The Archaeology of the Land of the Pharaohs

    The material remains of the ancient Egyptians from monumental tombs and temples to the artifacts of daily life; the development of Egyptian civilization from the rise of the first rulers to its incorporation into the Roman Empire. Credit will only be granted for one of ARTH 325, NEST 304, or AMNE 371.

    Equivalency: AMNE 371.

  26. ARTH 331 (3) Greek Art and Architecture

    Visual culture of the ancient Greek world in the second and first millennia BCE, especially from c. 1000 to 30 BCE. Credit will only be granted for one of ARTH 331, CLST 331, or AMNE 376.

    Equivalency: AMNE 376.

  27. ARTH 332 (3) Roman Art and Architecture

    Visual culture of the ancient Roman world from the 8th century BCE to the 4th century CE. Credit will only be granted for one of ARTH 332, CLST 332, or AMNE 377.

    Equivalency: AMNE 377.

  28. ARTH 338 (3) Visual Culture in the Age of Enlightenment and Revolution (1715-1830)

    Art, architecture, and social space in Europe and America: redefining gender, identity and nation in the era of industrialization and political change.

  29. ARTH 339 (3) 19th-Century Art and Social Space

    Ideologies of gender, class, race, ethnicity, and economics in 19th-century European and American visual culture.

  30. ARTH 340 (3) 20th Century Art and Culture: The Triumph and Demise of Modernism

    A critical survey of western art and cultural production from the turn of the century to the development of Pop Art.

  31. ARTH 341 (3) 20th Century Art and Culture: The Postmodern

    A critical examination of international visual art and culture from the 1950s to the present; the role of art in consumerist society and the emergence of postmodernism.

  32. ARTH 342 (3) Latin American Art: Modern and Contemporary

    Analyses of specific works and texts will emphasize visual inventions and meaning in the light of recent theoretical debates

  33. ARTH 343 (3) Inventing Canada Through Art

    The institutions and art movements that constructed a view to the country now known as Canada, from colonial contact, to Confederation, through the mid-1900s. Emphasis on the significance of locality and situated approaches to understanding the land.

  34. ARTH 344 (3) Contemporary Conversations about Art in Kanata/Canada

    Radical shifts in thinking about Canadian art and culture since the mid-20th century. The art movements, debates, and institutions that contribute to the complexity of artistic approaches to representing "Canada" today.

  35. ARTH 345 (3) History of Photography: Archive, Spectacle, Reality

    History and theory of photography, from the competitive context of invention in the 1830s to contemporary uses in social media.

  36. ARTH 346 (3) Architecture in Europe: Building the Fabric of the Modern State (1715-1837)

    The role of architecture within the development of the modern state. A survey of broad cultural dynamics, particular building projects and design careers.

  37. ARTH 347 (3) Architecture in Europe: Modern Paradigms of Design (1837-present)

    An examination of new requirements imposed on architecture by the consolidation of a capitalist economy, industrialization, new technologies and scientific methods.

  38. ARTH 348 (3) Architecture in North America: Colonial Projects and Disruptions (1605-1867)

    The role of architecture in the imposition of European governance within North America; the modification of received conventions in relation to topographical, ethnic-religious and political factors.

  39. ARTH 349 (3) Architecture in North America: Independent Design Idioms (1867-present)

    The emergence of a distinctive architecture that superseded British and European agendas; the growth of private and public patronage and the establishment of modern design and practice.

  40. ARTH 350 (3) Grounding the Islamic Image

    Contextualizing the complex language of images in the Islamic world.

  41. ARTH 351 (3) Art and Urban Culture in the Islamic World

    A thematic and comparative study of visual arts and architecture in their urban contexts.

  42. ARTH 352 (3) Historic India: Images, Temples and the Construction of Indian Art History

    North and South Indian art and architecture with an emphasis on Buddhism and Hinduism.

  43. ARTH 353 (3) Nepal and Tibet: Art, Ritual and Performance

    Art of the Himalayan region situated within social and religious practices, festivals, and performances.

  44. ARTH 354 (3) Mughal India: Art, Architecture and the Spectacle of Empire

    The complex relationship of Mughal imperial architecture and painting with those of the Hindu Rajput courts.

  45. ARTH 355 (3) Modern and Contemporary India: Art in Colonial and Independent India

    The development of a new Indian art during the colonial period and nationalist movement; the construction of India's contemporary visual culture.

  46. ARTH 357 (3) Chinese Art and Architecture: Patronage and Collecting

    The commission, production, preservation, and transmission of Chinese monuments and artworks focusing on the court and questions of cultural policies.

  47. ARTH 358 (3) Chinese Art for the Afterlife

    Close analyses of Chinese tomb objects and tombs as spatial constructs in their historical, ritual, and social context.

  48. ARTH 360 (3) Chinese Painting: Word and Image

    Analyses visual narratives and relationships between painting, calligraphy, and poetry in court and literati painting.

  49. ARTH 361 (3) Chinese Modern and Contemporary Art

    Chinese art and its global entanglements from Qing Encounters to the 21st century.

  50. ARTH 362 (3) Art in Japan: Objects and Spaces

    Changing relationship between art objects and the built environment in the Japanese archipelago, in its social and historical context.

  51. ARTH 363 (3) Art in Japan: The Problem with Painting

    Key debates in the history of painting and its institutionalization.

  52. ARTH 368 (3) Art in Japan: Print Media

    Historical and theoretical questions concerning the development of print media in Japan, from Edo period woodcuts to the advent of digital technologies.

  53. ARTH 369 (3) Art in Japan: Modern Visual Culture

    Self and community in the art and visual culture of modern Japan.

  54. ARTH 370 (3) Arts of Mexico's Early Peoples

    Pre-Aztec monumental and portable arts of the Olmec, Zapotec, Teotihuacan and Classic Veracruz peoples.

  55. ARTH 371 (3) Arts of the Aztec period in Mexico.

    Symbolic meanings and political agendas of Aztec architecture, sculpture and manuscript illustration investigated using Spanish accounts.

  56. ARTH 372 (3) Maya Public Ritual Arts

    Architecture, sculpture, costume, and visual productions associated with Maya public ritual, including the ancient ball game and modern cofradía dances.

  57. ARTH 373 (3) Maya Arts of Everyday Life

    Social context and meaning of the Maya's elaborate architecture, sculpture, mural paintings, jewelry, ceramics, figurines, and textiles, ancient and modern, of residences from humble to palatial.

  58. ARTH 376 (3) Arts of the Northwest Coast Peoples: The North

    The histories, historiography and cultural diversity of the Northern Northwest Coast region; persistence and innovation in the arts in communities, and in cross-cultural and market spheres.

  59. ARTH 377 (3) Arts of the Northwest Coast Peoples: The South

    The histories, historiography and cultural diversity of the Southern Northwest Coast region; persistence and innovation in the arts in communities, and in cross-cultural and market spheres.

  60. ARTH 380 (3) Art as Technology

    Relationship between artistic practice and media, examined through a history of paradigm shifts in technology.

  61. ARTH 381 (3) The Artist in the World

    Critical approach to the figure of the artist in art, film and texts, from the Early Modern period to the present.

  62. ARTH 382 (3) Is Art History Queer?

    Issues in the history of art through the lens of queer theory.

  63. ARTH 383 (3) Queer Partnerships in Art & Art-Making

    Diverse forms of human contact and creative collaboration, their effects on art and art-making, and their capacity to challenge conventions of artistic genius as dependent on masculinity, singularity, and heteronormativity. ARTH 382 recommended as preparation.

  64. ARTH 397 (3/6) d Special Topics

  65. ARTH 410 (3) Seminar in African Art

    Key debates in the art of Africa and the African diaspora This course is not eligible for Credit/D/Fail grading.

    Equivalency: AFST 410.

  66. ARTH 429 (3/6) d Studies in the Art and Archeology of Greece and Rome

  67. ARTH 432 (3) Seminar in the Art of the Middle Ages

    This course is not eligible for Credit/D/Fail grading.

    Equivalency: ARTH 431, ARTH 433.

  68. ARTH 435 (3) Seminar in Early Modern: Renaissance

    This course is not eligible for Credit/D/Fail grading.

  69. ARTH 436 (3) Seminar in Early Modern Art

    This course is not eligible for Credit/D/Fail grading.

  70. ARTH 437 (3) Seminar in Early Modern: 17th Century

    This course is not eligible for Credit/D/Fail grading.

  71. ARTH 439 (3) Seminar in 18th & 19th-Century Visual Culture

    This course is not eligible for Credit/D/Fail grading.

    Equivalency: ARTH 438.

  72. ARTH 440 (3/6) d Seminar in Modern and Contemporary Art

    This course is not eligible for Credit/D/Fail grading.

  73. ARTH 442 (3) Seminar in Contemporary Latin American Art

    This course is not eligible for Credit/D/Fail grading.

  74. ARTH 443 (3) Seminar in Canadian Art

    This course is not eligible for Credit/D/Fail grading.

  75. ARTH 445 (3) Film and the City

    The complex interrelations between film and the city; dominant urban theories, film technologies and viewing practices and the intersections between them. This course is not eligible for Credit/D/Fail grading.

  76. ARTH 448 (3) Seminar in North American Architecture

    This course is not eligible for Credit/D/Fail grading.

  77. ARTH 450 (3) Seminar in Art in the Islamic World

    Key debates in the field of art and architecture in the Islamic World.

  78. ARTH 455 (3) Seminar in the Art of South Asia

    This course is not eligible for Credit/D/Fail grading.

    Equivalency: ARTH 457, ARTH 458.

  79. ARTH 458 (3) Seminar in Chinese Art

    This course is not eligible for Credit/D/Fail grading.

    Equivalency: ARTH 451, ARTH 452.

  80. ARTH 459 (3) Seminar in Chinese Art

    This course is not eligible for Credit/D/Fail grading.

    Equivalency: ARTH 451, ARTH 452.

  81. ARTH 464 (3) Seminar in Japanese Art

    This course is not eligible for Credit/D/Fail grading.

    Equivalency: ARTH 453, ARTH 454.

  82. ARTH 471 (3) Seminar in Pre-Hispanic Art

    This course is not eligible for Credit/D/Fail grading.

    Equivalency: ARTH 463, ARTH 465.

  83. ARTH 476 (3) Seminar in North American Indigenous Art

    This course is not eligible for Credit/D/Fail grading.

    Equivalency: ARTH 469.

  84. ARTH 479 (3) Performance Actions and Approaches

    Advanced performance art practices and research methodologies. This course is not eligible for Credit/D/Fail grading.

    Equivalency: VISA 479.

  85. ARTH 480 (3) Visual and Digital Media Theory

    A thematic examination of key arguments in visual and digital media theory, focusing on developments in lens-based and digital media in relationship to twentieth-century and contemporary artistic practice.

  86. ARTH 490 (3) Art History Internship

    This course is not eligible for Credit/D/Fail grading.

    Prerequisite: ARTH 300 and departmental approval. Interested students may contact the department for details on how to proceed.

  87. ARTH 499 (6) Honours Essay

    This course is not eligible for Credit/D/Fail grading.

  88. ARTH 531 (3/6) d Studies in Early Medieval Art

    This course is not eligible for Credit/D/Fail grading.

  89. ARTH 533 (3/6) d Studies in Medieval Art

    This course is not eligible for Credit/D/Fail grading.

  90. ARTH 535 (3/6) d Early Modern: Renaissance

    This course is not eligible for Credit/D/Fail grading.

  91. ARTH 537 (3/6) d Early Modern: 17th Century

    This course is not eligible for Credit/D/Fail grading.

  92. ARTH 539 (3/6) d Studies in 19th-Century Art

    This course is not eligible for Credit/D/Fail grading.

  93. ARTH 540 (3/6) d Studies in 20th Century Art

    This course is not eligible for Credit/D/Fail grading.

  94. ARTH 543 (3/6) d Studies in Canadian Art

    This course is not eligible for Credit/D/Fail grading.

  95. ARTH 548 (3/6) d Studies in Architecture

    This course is not eligible for Credit/D/Fail grading.

  96. ARTH 550 (3) Studies in Art in the Islamic World

    This course is not eligible for Credit/D/Fail grading.

  97. ARTH 551 (3/6) d Studies in Chinese Art

    This course is not eligible for Credit/D/Fail grading.

  98. ARTH 553 (3/6) d Studies in Japanese Art

    This course is not eligible for Credit/D/Fail grading.

  99. ARTH 555 (3/6) d Studies in South and Southeast Asian Art

    This course is not eligible for Credit/D/Fail grading.

  100. ARTH 561 (3/6) d Studies in the Indigenous Arts of the Americas

    This course is not eligible for Credit/D/Fail grading.

  101. ARTH 571 (6) The Methodology of Art History

    Required of all art history graduate students. This course is not eligible for Credit/D/Fail grading.

  102. ARTH 577 (3/6) c Directed Reading

    This course is not eligible for Credit/D/Fail grading.

  103. ARTH 599 (6) Master's Thesis

    This course is not eligible for Credit/D/Fail grading.

  104. ARTH 649 (0) Doctoral Dissertation

    This course is not eligible for Credit/D/Fail grading.

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