HA: History of Art and Civilization
HA 111 — History of Art and Civilization in the Mediterranean and Beyond: Prehistory Through the Middle Ages
3 credits; 3 lecture hours
Presents the history of Mediterranean art and civilization including North Africa, Western Asia and Europe from Paleolithic times through the Middle Ages. Illustrated lectures stress political, economic, and social conditions as reflected in architecture, painting, and sculpture.
HA 112 — History of European Art and Civilization: Renaissance to the Modern Era
3 credits; 3 lecture hours
Critical study of the history of European art and civilization from the early Renaissance to the Enlightenment, in a global context and with emphasis on , political, economic, religious, and social contexts.
HA 114 — Prehistoric Art
3 credits; 3 lecture hours
Students study the forms and technologies of prehistoric art within the social and ecological contexts in which it was made. While considering when and where prehistory begins or ends, we reflect upon why art is made and what it looks like in its earliest forms.
HA 115 — Crossroads: Global Art and Its Histories, 1450-1750
3 credits; 3 lecture hours
This course introduces global art histories between 1450 and 1750 through a diverse and inclusive lens. Students engage critically with the impact of trade, religion, and colonization on art, identity, politics, and societal values with focus on perspectives from Eurasia, Africa, the Americas, and the Pacific Islands.
HA 116 — Indigenous Art of North America
3 credits; 3 lecture hours
An introductory study of the Indigenous art of North America--from the prehistoric to the present. Students study a vast range of art from land art to textiles in the context of their making and meaning. The impact of colonization on Indigenous people and their arts of resistance will be studied as well as basic principles of sovereignty within the framework of state and U.S. constitutions.
HA 117 — East Asian Art and Civilization
3 credits; 3 lecture hours
This course introduces the major characteristics and artistic traditions of East Asian countries. Through lectures and surveys, students will examine the historical, religious, and social aspects of these civilizations. Consideration will be given to how East Asian countries respond to the arts of their neighbors, near and far, in comparison with other major civilizations. Emphasis is placed on art techniques and materials unique to East Asian art.
HA 118 — Introduction to Fashion History: Materials, Motifs & Meanings
3 credits; 3 lecture hours
This course explores the history of trade, inspiration, and appropriation between cultures through case studies. It examines how fashion shapes identity and the complex intersection of materials, motifs, and meanings. It teaches how to ethically study global fashion, factoring in existing and historic power structures and cultural values.
HA 121 — Cities and Civilizations: The Eastern Mediterranean World, c. 3000 BCE-1000 CE
3 credits; 3 lecture hours
Students examine the art and civilization of the ancient to medieval eastern Mediterranean (including western Asia) from a non-Western perspective. Illustrated lectures and discussions survey the cultures, societies, and arts of the great urban centers of antiquity up to the Crusades.
HA 123 — African Art and Civilization
3 credits; 3 lecture hours
This class introduces students to the art and visual cultures of sub-Saharan Africa, and its contexts within a continent with an exceptionally long and varied history of creativity and artistic production. The course analyzes a series of themes and corresponding case studies in historical framework, paying particular attention to formal analysis, social contexts, and the uses of art in Africa, past and present.
HA 126 — Islamic Art and Civilization
3 credits; 3 lecture hours
This course examines the art and civilization of the Islamic world, from the birth of Islam in the 7th century CE/1st century art history to the present. Students are introduced to the religious, philosophical, and sociopolitical contexts that frame the formation of this multiethnic and geographically expansive visual culture.
HA 131 — Global Modern Art 1750-1950
3 credits; 3 lecture hours
Introduces the art histories of global cultures, 1750-1950. Students think critically about the impact of cultural exchanges, modernization, and colonization, religion, politics, and societal values on art. Diverse cultural definitions of art and artists are explored, with focus on perspectives from Eurasia, Africa, the Americas, and the Pacific Islands.
HA 201 — History of Fashion Photography
3 credits; 3 lecture hours
This course surveys fashion photography from its origins in the nineteenth century to the present, emphasizing its relation to major movements in art and photography and to fashion itself. Through lectures, museum visits, readings and discussions students will consider the work of leading fashion photographers as well as study the fashions they depict.
Prerequisite(s): Any HA course.
HA 202 — Feminist Art Histories, Theories, and Practices
3 credits; 3 lecture hours
Feminist movements around the world gave rise to gender-based activist art and theory. This course explores feminist art histories, theories, and practices globally, from the 1960s to the present, through selected case studies highlighting differences and specificities of feminist movements worldwide, as well as their intersections with other social movements and art practices, specifically ecofeminism.
HA 203 — History of Decorative Arts: Jewelry and Metalwork
3 credits; 3 lecture hours
This course is an object-based, case-study approach to the cross-cultural history of the decorative arts from prehistory to the modern era with an emphasis on jewelry and metalwork. Analyzed as objects of adornment and representations of power, selected works will be investigated through the lens of design theory and as manifestations of broader themes in visual culture, considering materials and techniques and their transformation. (G6: The Arts; G7: Humanities).
HA 204 — History of East Asian Dress
3 credits; 3 lecture hours
This is a historical survey of East Asian dress focusing on ancient through modern works of art in which traditional or regional dress is represented, and on surviving examples of dress, accessories, and bodily ornaments. Material is studied within the context of art history along with socio-political changes and encounters with outside influences in different periods.
HA 205 — Italian Art in Context
3 credits; 3 lecture hours
Based in FIT in Italy and emphasizing field trips, this course examines the history of Italian art in context from antiquity to the present. Students are introduced to style, iconography, technical innovation, geography, and the philosophical, religious, cultural, social, economic, and political forces that have shaped Italian and European visual arts, and their impact beyond those regions.
HA 206 — The Art, Architecture, and Archaeology of Ancient Egypt
3 credits; 3 lecture hours
Illustrated lectures exploring the art, architecture, and archaeology of ancient Egypt from the predynastic to the Greco-Roman era. Topics may include religion, funerary practices, and ancient Egyptian attitudes toward gender, race, and cultural identity. “Egyptomania” and how ancient Egypt has influenced modern film, fashion, and design are also addressed.
HA 207 — Art and Architecture in Venice
3 credits; 3 lecture hours
Offered in Venice, this course explores the art and architecture of the lagoon city from its Byzantine origins to the present time. On-site visits allow students to study Venetian buildings, monuments, and museum collections. The course contextualizes the artistic and cultural production of Venice within its historical and social environment.
HA 208 — Earth Matters: Art & Environment in Ancient Egypt and Western Asia
3 credits; 3 lecture hours
An introduction to artistic practices involving the environment and natural materials in ancient Egypt and Western Asia, providing an overview of iconography and materiality of nature in the context of palace cultures and broader historical contexts. Students will also learn about modern museums’ preservation of these materials.
HA 211 — Asian American Art and Design
3 credits; 3 lecture hours
Studies how Asian artists and artifacts have affected American art and culture since the 19th century. Students explore influences of Asian artistic traditions beginning in the 1850s, addressing major Asian American artists and related aspects of contemporary art significant to Asian American communities.
HA 212 — Renaissance Art in Florence
3 credits; 3 lecture hours
Conducted in Florence. This course presents an in-depth study of Italian Renaissance painting, sculpture, and architecture in Florence from the fourteenth to seventeenth centuries.
HA 213 — Art and Architecture in Rome
3 credits; 3 lecture hours
Conducted in English in Rome, this course examines the history of painting, sculpture, and architecture from antiquity to the present. Through field trips, lectures, and discussions, students are introduced to style, iconography, technical innovation, geography, and the cultural, social, economic, and political forces that have shaped Rome's visual arts.
HA 214 — Art In New York
3 credits; 3 lecture hours
Selected studies in the history of art, utilizing resources available in New York City. Critical and historical investigations arise from direct study of art and architecture.
HA 215 — History of Menswear in Europe and North America
3 credits; 3 lecture hours
This course surveys the history of men’s fashion in Europe and North America from its foundation in antiquity through the late twentieth century, in the context of the history of art and design and with emphasis on expressions of ideals of masculine beauty, status and power.
Prerequisite(s): HA 112 or HA 115 or HA 118.
HA 217 — History of Avant-Garde Film
3 credits; 2 lecture and 2 lab hours
This course is cross-listed with FI 224 This course is a survey of major moments in avant-garde film from 1895 to the present. Through readings and discussions, students explore theories of avant-gardism, and study how such films are expressions of the historical, cultural, and philosophical contexts of their production.
Prerequisite(s): Any HA course or FI 111.
HA 218 — Art and Myth in the Classical World
3 credits; 3 lecture hours
Illustrated lectures examine the Greek myths--and their depiction in Greek and Roman art--in relation to their social and religious contexts.
HA 219 — African American Art
3 credits; 3 lecture hours
Surveys diverse African traditions that have contributed to the rich fabric of American life since the 17th century. Students explore the continuities and disruptions of these traditions in art, and analyze concepts of race and racism, from the first moments of slavery through the contemporary era. (G7 Humanities; G10 American History).
HA 220 — History of Interior Design: The Modern Interior as Space and Image
3 credits; 3 lecture hours
This course studies the history of modern interior design as space (real, built form that was physically inhabited) and image (an ideal image or place). Emphasizing historical contexts and critical theory, it explores ways meaning has been ascribed to modern interior design from the Industrial Revolution to the present day. With a focus on the development of modern design in Europe and the U.S, the class recognizes the key role of various international cultural traditions that influenced the modern design movement and addresses the global dissemination of modern design.
Prerequisite(s): Any 100 level HA course.
HA 224 — Mesoamerican Art and Civilization
3 credits; 3 lecture hours
To study Mesoamerican Art and Civilization we will immerse ourselves in their architecture, sculpture, pottery, city planning, metalwork, writing, mathematics, performance, and weaving. Art historical, historical, social, and religious aspects of Mesoamerican Art will be studied from nomadic entry into the region up to present day especially amongst the Maya.
HA 225 — Art and Civilization of India
3 credits; 3 lecture hours
Introduces major characteristics of Indian civilization through a survey of its traditions of art and architecture. Illustrated lectures survey artistic tradition in relation to historical, religious, and social aspects of this civilization.
HA 228 — Oceanic Art and Civilization
3 credits; 3 lecture hours
Students study the art and culture of Oceanic or Pacific Island cultures and civilizations, from the prehistoric era to colonialism to the present. Focus is placed on ceremonial/sacred and utilitarian objects in diverse media and architecture, and the contexts in which such objects were made.
HA 229 — Korean Art and Civilization
3 credits; 3 lecture hours
This course is a survey of the art and civilization of Korea from its prehistoric origins to the early 21st century. We will examine how Korea created artistic traditions in response to regional and international trends, and how Korea adopted new artistic styles through relationships with China and Japan.
HA 230 — Modern and Contemporary African Art
3 credits; 3 lecture hours
This course concentrates on the history of new artistic practices, schools, and workshops that began with decolonization movements across the continent of Africa, but have extended beyond them to explore contemporary themes. Through lectures, readings, videos, and museum/gallery visits, we will explore the art of 20th- and 21st-century Africa.
Prerequisite(s): Any HA course.
HA 231 — Modern Art in Europe and North America
3 credits; 3 lecture hours
An introduction to the history of European and North American art, and its global connections, from the French Revolution through the Second World War with emphasis on historical and social context.
Prerequisite(s): any 100-level HA.
HA 232 — Dada and Surrealism
3 credits; 3 lecture hours
A survey of the international Dada and Surrealist movements from 1915 to 1947, which challenged and redefined the traditions of modern art. Students analyze examples of fine art, performance, literature and film, and study how both Dada and Surrealism acted as responses to mechanization and war.
Prerequisite(s): Any HA course.
HA 234 — Warhol and Pop Art
3 credits; 3 lecture hours
A study of American and International Pop art movements, focusing on Andy Warhol's impact on visual culture from the 1960s to the present. Addresses Pop's art historical origins as well as its major themes, which include advertising, mass media, war and social critique, sexuality, and celebrity.
Prerequisite(s): any 100-level HA course.
HA 236 — Queering Art History in Visual Culture of Europe and the United States
3 credits; 3 lecture hours
Students are introduced to the historical and social contexts and theorization of LGBTQIA presence and perspective, primarily in Europe and the US, from three angles: the history of artistic production by queer artists; representations of non-binary sexuality in art and popular imagery; and queering as a mode of reception and interpretation.
HA 237 — Global Fashion: Ancient Origins to Modern Styles
3 credits; 3 lecture hours
Survey of elite and everyday fashion in Africa, the Americas, Asia and Oceania from ancient origins to the 20th century. Course offers a geographical overview of global styles of adornment and dress, including cross-cultural connections and exchange, focusing on how fashion reflects class, power, and identity.
HA 238 — Art and Design in North Africa
3 credits; 3 lecture hours
Offered in Morocco or Tunisia, this course explores the art, architecture, and artisanal crafts of this visually rich culture. Site visits allow students to understand the role of historical culture in the making of identity, and hands-on workshops with traditional craftspeople impart a humanitarian perspective on the role of art in society.
HA 239 — The History of African Textiles and Fashion
3 credits; 3 lecture hours
This course is a survey of historical and contemporary forms of African dress, adornment and fashion. Within a geographical overview of dress, students explore how historically rooted textiles have been reinvented by African-based artists and designers. Emphasis is on manufacture methods, socio-historic contexts, and dress and fashion’s importance as forms of African artistic expression.
HA 240 — Modern and Contemporary Korean Art
3 credits; 3 lecture hours
This course focuses on the development of Korean art from the 1850s to the present day. It starts with the modernization process in Korean art and traces the emergence of abstract art, performances, installations, and other forms of avant-garde art and design movements.
HA 242 — Andean Art and Civilization
3 credits; 3 lecture hours
This course explores the art and visual culture of the South American Andes (modern-day Peru, Ecuador, and Bolivia), from their origins through the Inka and European invasion, with an emphasis on textiles. The class will also examine ceramics, metalwork, and stone that express fundamental aspects of Indigenous philosophy and cosmovision. (G7: Humanities; G9: Other World Civilizations).
HA 243 — History of Photography
3 credits; 3 lecture hours
A history of photography from its beginnings to the present day. Illustrated lectures present a chronological survey that focuses on photographers, technical advancements, and aesthetic considerations in the context of pertinent ideas and events.
HA 244 — Art and Architecture in Paris
3 credits; 3 lecture hours
Conducted in English in Paris, this course is open to all majors and provides the unique opportunity for students to learn about Paris and its art and architecture on site. They experience the works of art and monuments in person within the context of the city itself.
Prerequisite(s): HA 111 or HA 112 or HA 115.
HA 245 — Art of the United States
3 credits; 3 lecture hours
Study of the visual arts in the United States from the Colonial Era to World War I. Painting, sculpture, architecture, and other visual media are analyzed as discrete artistic expressions and also as manifestations of pertinent cultural, social, economic, political, and religious developments. Students examine an inclusive array of artists.
HA 246 — Art and Social Justice in New York
3 credits; 3 lecture hours
This course studies social justice as addressed and explored through art, architecture, and visual culture in New York City. Critical investigations and discussion arise from field trips to local art institutions, historical sites, and monuments.
HA 247 — Medieval Art in Europe and the Mediterranean World
3 credits; 3 lecture hours
This course presents the history of Western art and civilization from the fall of Rome to the Renaissance in Europe and the Mediterranean World. Illustrated lectures present architecture, painting, and sculpture in relation to pertinent religious, economic, and social changes.
HA 251 — Film Genres: Horror
3 credits; 2 lecture and 2 lab hours
This course is cross-listed with FI 234. This course provides an international historical survey of the horror film from the early 20th century to the present. Through screenings and readings from a range of authors, students analyze formal and thematic elements of the horror genre in relation to historical, social, and aesthetic contexts.
HA 252 — History of Russian and Soviet Film
3 credits; 2 lecture and 2 lab hours
This course surveys the history of Russian, Soviet and post-Soviet films with a thorough grounding in the historical systems and events that informed the evolution of the filmmaking industry. Various genres—including historical films, documentary, animation and art film—will be considered.
HA 253 — Afrofuturist Art and Visual Culture
3 credits; 3 lecture hours
Study of Afrofuturism through selected historical and contemporary works of art and visual culture. Students will think critically about different definitions and key themes and tropes of Afrofuturism, and explore Afrofuturist works coming from Africa and the African Diaspora.
HA 254 — Modern and Contemporary Latin American Art
3 credits; 3 lecture hours
This course surveys Latin American art in the twentieth and twenty-first centuries, studying Latin American artists as active participants in an international conversation with their contemporaries, both at home and abroad, resulting in a range of artistic styles and methods unique to the experience of Latin American modernity.
HA 271 — Japanese Art and Civilization
3 credits; 3 lecture hours
This course is a survey of the art and civilization of Japan from its prehistoric origins to the 21st century. Students study how Japan created artistic traditions in response to regional and international trends, and adopted new artistic styles through diplomatic relationships with China and Korea. Modernization of Japan within the context of global cultural encounters is discussed.
HA 272 — Islamic Art and Mathematics (Interdisciplinary)
3 credits; 3 lecture hours
This is an interdisciplinary course cross-listed with MA 272. Students are introduced to the art and architecture of the Islamic world from the 7th century CE to the present. They are given a glimpse into the intertwined nature of mathematical, structural and decorative languages used by artisans and designers in this period.
HA 299 — Independent Study In History of Art and Civilization
1-3 credit
Prerequisite(s): a minimum 3.5 GPA and approval of instructor, chairperson, and dean for Liberal Arts.
HA 300 — Art and Architecture of the Venetian Republic, c. 1100-1800
3 credits; 3 lecture hours
Survey of Venetian art and architecture between the 11th and 18th centuries, from Venice’s Byzantine traditions to the end of the Republic in 1797. Works of art and architecture are contextualized in their historical and cultural periods and analyzed for their meaning, aesthetic value, and technical qualities.
Prerequisite(s): any 100-level HA course.
HA 301 — Fashion and Impressionism (Honors)
3 credits; 3 lecture hours
Impressionist artists were fascinated by fashion—an obsession shared by almost everyone in nineteenth-century Paris. This course will consider why fashion and modern life became so critically important to artists at this moment and will explore the historic origins of the modern fashion system and of the modern art market.
Prerequisite(s): Any 100-level HA and qualification for the Presidential Scholars Program, or 3.5 GPA.
HA 302 — Global Baroque
3 credits; 3 lecture hours
The course surveys 17th-century art from Europe and beyond emphasizing the political, social, and cultural transformations of the period and their long-term effects on our modern society. It examines works in various mediums, which are representative of the different artistic tendencies coexisting at the time and unified under the term Baroque.
Prerequisite(s): Any 100-level HA course.
HA 303 — Tradition and Innovation in Asian Art and Design
3 credits; 3 lecture hours
Probes the historical development and modern transformation of Asian art and design. Students in this study-abroad course visit historical monuments, major museums of Asian art, and artists' studios in a particular city. Focuses on first-hand study of art works and historical monuments, and engages with contemporary practitioners of art, design, and traditional techniques.
Prerequisite(s): HA 112 or HA 115 or HA 117.
HA 304 — Holocaust Representation in Art (Honors)
3 credits; 3 lecture hours
In surveying art about the Holocaust, this course explores the ethical limits of representation in an interdisciplinary framework of history, politics, art history, media studies, psychoanalysis, and Marxist and literary theory. What will emerge is the way that many concerns of Holocaust-related artists have likewise driven so-called mainstream artists since World War II.
Prerequisite(s): Any HA course; and qualification for the Presidential Scholars Program or 3.5 GPA and approval of instructor.
HA 305 — History of 20th-Century Textile Design
3 credits; 3 lecture hours
A survey of textile pattern design for dress and furnishings from the late 19th century to the present, with an emphasis on its relation to modern and postmodern art and its contexts and with a focus on Europe and the United States.
Prerequisite(s): HA 112 or HA 115 or HA 118.
HA 306 — Far From Home: Travel Narratives and Art History (Honors)
3 credits; 3 lecture hours
Students examine travelers’ accounts—the narrative, pictorial, and photographic records of travel on which art historians and archaeologists rely heavily—from ancient, medieval and modern cultures as a way to examine and reconstruct visual cultures.
Prerequisite(s): Qualification for the Presidential Scholars Program.
HA 308 — Goddesses, Women, Power and Patronage in the Ancient World (Honors)
3 credits; 3 lecture hours
This course introduces students to the world of women and women’s patronage in ancient Egyptian, Mesopotamian and Eastern Mediterranean cultures through the study of art and archaeology. Surveys of visual representations of women leaders from the 3rd millennium BCE to Late Antiquity emphasize the manifold contributions made by women of power in ancient societies.
Prerequisite(s): Qualification for Presidential Scholars program or GPA 3.5 and above and permission from the dean.
HA 309 — History of Business in the Visual Arts: 1800-2000 (Honors)
3 credits; 3 lecture hours
This course examines business and labor conditions in which artists and designers have created their work and pursued professional development from 1800 to the present. Historical examples demonstrate how artistic production relates to other forms of labor and how art works and skills are valued at different times and places.
Prerequisite(s): Any HA course and qualification for the Presidential Scholars Program, or 3.5 GPA and permission of Dean of Liberal Arts.
HA 310 — Global Contemporaries in the World of Art
3 credits; 3 lecture hours
The course addresses diverse modernities and global interactions among regional, cultural, economic, religious, and political entities in contemporary art since 1989.
Prerequisite(s): Any 2 HA courses.
HA 316 — The Bauhaus
3 credits; 3 lecture hours
This course is a study of the history and development of the influential German art, design and architecture school; the artists and architects who served on its faculty; and the body of work produced there from 1919 to 1933, and in Chicago from 1938 to 1944.
Prerequisite(s): any 100-level HA course.
HA 317 — Italian Renaissance Art and Civilization
3 credits; 3 lecture hours
Surveys Italian art and its contexts from 1400 to the late 1500s, covering the early Renaissance to the emergence of the Baroque, including within a global perspective. Students study traditions and innovations in style, subject, roles of artists and patrons, and modes of production within the flux of Renaissance history.
Prerequisite(s): any 100-level HA course.
HA 318 — Repositioning Ancient Egypt and Rethinking Egyptology
3 credits; 3 lecture hours
Recontextualizes ancient Egypt within the history of ancient Africa and African society. Through readings, discussions, and field trips, students examine how scholars have often framed ancient Egypt as part of the “West” rather than Africa and evaluate past and current biases in our understanding and reconstruction of ancient Egyptian culture. (G7: Humanities; G9: Other World Civilizations).
HA 319 — Art History and Conservation
3 credits; 3 lecture hours
This course introduces students to technologies used to conserve, restore, and examine works of art, and to basics in the development, science, and ethics of art conservation. Students learn how technologies are used in critical analysis in art historical study, and about the history, challenges, and practices of conservation.
Prerequisite(s): HA 111 or HA 112 or HA 115.
HA 320 — Animals, Architecture, and Aesthetics
3 credits; 3 lecture hours
Students study the myriad ways animals create structures for living and expression from an art historical perspective. Considering the construction and sustainability of nests, hives, dams, and burrows, we will ask “do animals make architecture?”. The aesthetic sensibility of animals will be discussed in relation to ontology and ethics.
Prerequisite(s): Any HA course.
HA 321 — Eco-Visions in Art and Design
3 credits; 3 lecture hours
This course surveys modern and contemporary art and design from an ecological perspective, highlighting consciousness-raising activism and environmental sustainability.
Prerequisite(s): Any HA or approval of the chairperson.
HA 322 — Contemporary Global Fashion History
3 credits; 3 lecture hours
This course covers global fashion design trends and culture in the 21st century through the lenses of globalism, fashion and design history, gender and sexuality, environment and labor. Thematic lectures cover new media, representation, fashion in museums and the academy, among others, with discussion of contemporary critical debates in global fashion.
Prerequisite(s): any 100-level HA course.
HA 330 — Approaches to Fashion Theory (Interdisciplinary)
3 credits; 3 lecture hours
This is an interdisciplinary course cross-listed with PL 330. Studies theories of fashion from both philosophical and art-historical perspectives. Examines how our relationship to our bodies, our concepts of self, our clothing, and our definitions of beauty are historically and culturally dependent.
Prerequisite(s): HA 112 or PL 141 or PL 321 or SS 131 or SS 171.
HA 331 — Contemporary Art and Culture: 1945 to the Present
3 credits; 3 lecture hours
An introduction to the interpretation of visual art in relation to international historical developments, with emphasis on late twentieth- and twenty-first-century art.
Prerequisite(s): any 100-level HA course.
HA 332 — Modern Architecture
3 credits; 3 lecture hours
Modern Architecture traces the course of architecture from the middle of the eighteenth century during the Enlightenment to the twenty-first century. Theories, revival styles, and technological developments are examined along with a survey of the major architects and schools of the period.
Prerequisite(s): Any HA course.
HA 333 — Contemporary Photography and New Media
3 credits; 3 lecture hours
This course explores globally produced photographic works made since the mid-1960s. Emphasis is on key themes and genres, and on the works' historical and theoretical contexts. In addition to conventional photography, the course covers new media such as video, installations, projections, and computer-assisted and internet-hosted photography.
Prerequisite(s): HA 231 or HA 243.
HA 342 — History of Textile Design
3 credits; 3 lecture hours
A global survey of patterned textile design, including textiles from Western, Central, and East Asia, Europe, North Africa, and South America, with emphasis on cross-cultural influences and the evolution of design styles, from late antiquity through the late nineteenth century.
Prerequisite(s): Any HA course.
HA 344 — European Fashion: Ancient Origins to Modern Styles
3 credits; 3 lecture hours
This course surveys the history of fashion in Europe from antiquity to the early twentieth century in the context of the history of art and design. The historical evolution of fashionable dress for men and women since the Renaissance is emphasized, by means of illustrated lectures, readings and visits to the Museum at FIT and other institutions with costume collections and exhibitions.
Prerequisite(s): HA 112 or HA 115 or HA 118.
HA 345 — History of Industrial Design
3 credits; 3 lecture hours
This course surveys the development of design for commercial production within a series of historical, social and philosophical contexts from the Industrial Revolution to the present. Illustrated lectures address major theories, designers and examples of work that reflect technological and artistic achievement.
Prerequisite(s): Any 100-level HA course.
HA 346 — History of Twentieth-Century Fashion in Europe and the U.S.
3 credits; 3 lecture hours
This course covers the history of fashionable dress during the twentieth century, in the context of the history of art and design, with emphasis on leading fashion designers and their connections and collaborations with fine and decorative artists in Europe and the United States. The development of new global fashion centers during the last quarter of the century is also included.
Prerequisite(s): Any HA Course.
HA 347 — Costume and Fashion in Film
3 credits; 2 lecture and 2 lab hours
A survey of costume design for films from 1895 to the present, including “period” films set in the past, contemporary films, and films in the fantasy and science fiction genres, conducted through lectures, screenings and visits to museums with film costume collections.
HA 381 — The Word and the Page: A History of Writing and Books (Honors)
3 credits; 3 lecture hours
This course covers writing from the earliest cuneiform and hieroglyphic writing systems to the mass production of writing and texts in the modern era and the digital revolution in type and text. Students learn how and why writing developed across a variety of cultures.
Prerequisite(s): HA 112 and qualification for Presidential Scholars program or 3.5 GPA with approval of dean for Liberal Arts.
HA 382 — Beauty: The Human Ideal in Visual Culture (Honors)
3 credits; 3 lecture hours
The goal of this course is to deconstruct dominant models of identity through the analysis of artworks from the perspectives of race, sexuality, feminism, disability, and class. Using historical and contemporary concepts of beauty, this course explores what beauty symbolizes in different historical and cultural contexts.
Prerequisite(s): HA 112 or HA 115 or HA 118, and qualification Pres. Sch. or app. or 3.5 GPA with approval of Dean for Liberal Arts.
HA 383 — Art of the Silk Road: Cross-Cultural Encounters (Honors)
3 credits; 3 lecture hours
The Silk Road was the world's first great superhighway, linking from ancient China and Japan to the Mediterranean world across central Asia. In this course, students view ancient and medieval art of Eurasia in a new way, from the ancient to early modern periods.
Prerequisite(s): HA 111 or HA 112 or HA 115 or HA 117 or HA 121 or HA 225 or HA 226 or HA 229, or HA 271 and qualification for the Presidential Scholars Program, or 3.5 GPA and permission of Dean of Liberal Arts.
HA 385 — Racism and Antiracism in Public Art and Architecture of the United States (Honors)
3 credits; 3 lecture hours
Study of racism and antiracism in public art and architecture of the United States from the Colonial Era to today. We analyze historical sites, sculptures, murals, and multimedia installations as discrete examples of visual culture and in context as strategic exertions of social, legal, economic, aesthetic, and political power.
Prerequisite(s): Qualification for Presidential Scholars Program, or 3.5 GPA with approval of dean for Liberal Arts.
HA 394 — History of New York Architecture (Honors)
3 credits; 3 lecture hours
Students explore the history of architecture in New York City. They are introduced to style, iconography, technical innovation, and geography. The cultural, social, economic, and political forces that shaped the city's buildings from the early 17th century to the present are also explored.
Prerequisite(s): Any HA course and qualification for Presidential Scholars Program, or 3.5 GPA with approval of dean for Liberal Arts.
HA 395 — Studies in Indigenous Art of North America (Honors)
3 credits; 3 lecture hours
Indigenous art of North America prehistoric times to the present. Students study land art, architecture, carving, painting, pottery, and textiles in the context of their making and meaning. The traumatic impact of colonization on Indigenous people and their art will be discussed, as well as issues of sovereignty and governance.
Prerequisite(s): Qualification for Presidential Scholars Program, or 3.5 GPA with approval of dean for Liberal Arts.
HA 396 — Art and Patronage in the Italian Renaissance (Honors)
3 credits; 3 lecture hours
This course surveys Italian Renaissance art patronage, emphasizing sociopolitical contexts and the celebration or critique of power. Emphasis is given to patronage in courts and republics and to the merchant class, princes, and popes, as well as marginalized groups.
Prerequisite(s): Any 100-level HA course and qualification for Presidential Scholars Program, or 3.5 GPA with approval of dean for Liberal Arts.
HA 397 — Studies in Maya Art and Culture (Honors)
3 credits; 3 lecture hours
This is an in-depth study of Maya art, architecture, writing, weaving, and ceramics and of the way these visual forms express aspects of Maya daily life and belief from 300 BCE to the present.
Prerequisite(s): qualification for Presidential Scholars Program, or 3.5 GPA with approval of dean for Liberal Arts.
HA 398 — Architecture and Faith: Ancient and Islamic Cities (Honors)
3 credits; 3 lecture hours
This course explores the commercial, cultural, and artistic development of urban cultures in the Mediterranean and Near East regions in the ancient, medieval, and Islamic periods. Major case studies include Rome, Baghdad, Cairo, Jerusalem, and Constantinople/Istanbul. (G9: Other World Civilizations)
Prerequisite(s): qualification for Presidential Scholars Program, or 3.5 GPA with approval of Dean for Liberal Arts.
HA 411 — Western Theories of Art
3 credits; 3 lecture hours
Students consider Western theories of art from antiquity to the present with an emphasis on the 20th and 21st centuries. They are introduced to different methods of analyzing a work of art as well as the ways in which these methods can affect a curator's decision in organizing an exhibition.
Prerequisite(s): Any 100-level HA course.
HA 462 — Art and Ethics
3 credits; 3 lecture hours
This course focuses on how and why any work of art can become a site of ethical questioning, within the context of many historical and thematic approaches. Students read, discuss, and analyze case studies involving art and ethics, and present their own research.
Prerequisite(s): Two (2) HA courses.
HA 499 — Independent Study In History of Art and Civilization
1-3 credit
Prerequisite(s): a minimum 3.5 GPA and approval of instructor, chairperson, and dean for Liberal Arts.