Art

This fundamental course is focused on representational drawing and composition using various black and white media. Introduction to principles, elements, and practices of drawing, employing a wide range of subject matter and drawing media.  Focus on perceptually based drawing, observational skills, technical abilities, and creative responses to materials and subject matter.

This is an introductory course in the theory and application of the elements of 2-dimensional design which includes line, value, form, light logic, positive and negative space, pattern, texture, perspective, composition and color theory. Required for all art majors.

In this course, students receive instruction in academic reading and writing, including writing processes, effective use of language, analytical thinking, and the foundations of academic research.

This course provides an exploration of intellectual, psychological, social and physical factors that impact lifelong learning, well-being and success. Topics include motivation and self-efficacy; critical thinking, academic integrity and active study strategies; health issues and lifestyle choices; relating to others as a global citizen; written and oral communication; time management; career exploration; and educational planning.

This course is an introduction to historical references, conceptual ideas, and hands on applications related to three-dimensional design. Students in this class will look at spatial composition, along with organizing principles and elements of design as they apply to space and form.  Students are invited to experiment with new materials, cutting edge technology, and critical dialogues in order to develop their own visual vocabulary for creative expression. The class will have regular lectures, practices with work space organization for exhibitions, and a sense of play in the use of materials for non-representational three-dimensional studio projects.  This course is spirited and experimental.

AHIS 2 recommended

See the full list: Required Elective Course from "Art History Program Electives" below

ENGL C1001 (formerly ENGL 2) recommended for transfer options

See the full list: SMC GE Area 1B Course

COMM C1000 (formerly COM ST 11) recommended for transfer options

ART 21A recommended

This course introduces students to visual art and architecture from prehistory to the medieval era with a focus on art from Europe, North Africa, and the near East. The course will further consider global interactions involving these regions.

This course provides an overview of art and architecture from the Renaissance to the contemporary period with a focus on art from Europe. The course will further consider global interactions involving this region.

A focused survey of the chronological development of art and architecture from Impressionism to the present day. This course will cover the major movements of modern and contemporary art while examining their historical, cultural and philosophical context. Specific attention will be given to art theory and its part in shaping conversations about art history and the contemporary.

An introduction to the art, symbolism, and visual culture of Latin America, emphasizing, Mesoamerican and Andean civilizations from prehistory to the Spanish conquest. Using interdisciplinary methods, this course will reconstruct (to the degree that is possible), the meaning and function of the visual arts in multiple, interlocking economic, political and sacred spheres. Subjects include the representation of history, ritual, and cosmology as revealed in sculpture, hieroglyphs, painting, ceramics, and architectural design. The course will also consider the interaction of ancient Latin American art objects with the contemporary world including issues of looting, cultural heritage, and museum display.

This course is an introductory survey of the art, architecture, and visual culture of Latin America from the colonial to the contemporary period. The course examines the introduction and adaption of European artistic models in the Americas as well as the transformation of American art as a result of the conquest, analyzing a variety of materials and media including urban planning, religious and secular architecture, painting, sculpture, manuscript drawings and prints from the colonial period (1492-1820). Students examine the role of Latin American artists in building independent nations in the 19th c. and engaging with issues of race, gender, new technologies, politics, and globalization in the 20th and 21st centuries.

An introduction to artistic practices by exploring the myriad manifestations of visual culture in our world through a cross-cultural thematic approach. This course examines themes in art like Religion, Power, Reproduction and Sexuality, and traces them across cultures and time periods. Emphasis will be placed on learning the language of visual culture both in terms of the formal elements of design as well as the content of style and subject matter and finding connections and differences. Students will explore the various media of art from drawing, sculpture, fresco, oil, photography, motion pictures, architecture to contemporary advertising and design and investigate how various cultures have used specific media and themes. This course is designed to introduce Fine Art and Art History simultaneously providing a unique opportunity to explore these fields as well as to prepare students for a course of study in Fine Art and Art History.

This course covers the historical development of Mexican art from its Pre-Colombian past to the present with a review of painting, sculpture, architecture, and their social, political, religious, and economic relevance.

This course is a survey of the chronological development of Asian art from earliest times to present times with emphasis on the cultural, political, and social factors which influenced this evolution. The course includes the art of India, China, Japan, Korea, Thailand, Cambodia, and Indonesia.

An introduction to key themes in African art history through an examination of the role and function of African arts within their religious, political, social and economic contexts. The course will cover various art making practices including performance, sculpture, architecture, painting, photography, regalia and arts of the body. Considering the importance of broader art and architectural connections between Africa and other parts of the world, this course examines issues of colonialism, the global economy, Afrofuturism, questions of display, and current concerns with art appropriation and cultural patrimony.

A survey of the chronological development of World architecture from prehistory to the Romanticism of the late 18th and early 19th Centuries. It includes art history and architecture with a worldwide introduction to the history of architecture. The contributions of technology, organizing methodology, intellectual thought, social conditions, and general artistic sensibilities will be addressed. This course will analyze key works to develop an understanding of specific relationships between the organization, configuration, and articulation of buildings and the historical, conceptual, and cultural arguments with which they are associated.

Through the use of lectures, slides, and field trips, students will study architecture from the mid-19th Century social and industrial conditions to current sensibilities represented by various creative individuals, movements and buildings. Cross references will be made to ideas of other arts, sociopolitical theory, and society in general.

This is a historical survey of the evolving nature of photography from the early 1800's to the present digital age.

This course surveys artworks made by African Americans in the United States and abroad. Students will explore visual and material culture from the inception of chattel slavery in the sixteenth-century to contemporary Black Art Movements including Reconstruction and the Harlem Renaissance. Additionally, the impact of political movements on artists and their work such as the Black Liberation Movement and #BlackLivesMatter. In addition, students will consider how artists have contended with issues of race, gender, and sexuality and will examine transnational artist networks in Latin America and Europe among other places. Course content includes cross-historical phenomena such as the AIDS crisis, Afrofuturism, and the history of the Black Panther.

A survey of the chronological development of painting, sculpture, and architecture in the United States from its pre-colonial past to the end of World War II. The contributions and influences of a variety of ethnic groups to the diversity of art in the United States will be addressed. The artistic contribution of Native American, African Americans, Asian Americans, Chicano/Latino Americans and European Americans will be studied in the larger context of American society, history, and culture.