School for Studies in Art and Culture
(Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences)
Art and Architectural History (ARTH) Courses
Art and Society: Prehistory to the Renaissance
A survey of art, architecture and artifacts from prehistory to the Renaissance. Ways of understanding visual culture through this span of history.
Lectures two hours a week, tutorial one hour a week.
Art and Society: Renaissance to the Present
A survey of art, architecture and related visual forms in their expanding contexts from the Renaissance to the present. Ways of understanding visual culture through this span of history.
Lectures two hours a week, tutorial one hour a week.
Art as Visual Communication
A variety of visual material is organized topically to examine the elements of art (line, shape, value, colour, texture, space), the principles of pictorial organization, the materials and techniques of art, and recurrent tendencies in artistic styles and outlooks.
History and Theory of Architecture: Prehistory to 1500
An introduction to the history of architecture from prehistory to ca. 1500, considering technological, formal, intellectual and social developments that informed the built environment through a range of building types.
History and Theory of Architecture: 1500 to Present
An introduction to the history of architecture from ca. 1500 to the present, considering technological, formal, intellectual, and social developments that informed the built environment through a range of building types.
Lectures two hours a week, tutorial one hour a week.
Historical Art in Canada
A survey of historical art in Canada, from the seventeenth century to the early twentieth century. Topics may include craftwork, amateur and professional artists, art institutions, gender, nationalism, regionalism and ethnicity. Coverage will include artworks in local and national collections in the National Capital region.
Lectures three hours a week.
Canadian Twentieth-Century and Contemporary Art
A survey of twentieth-century and contemporary Canadian art in a variety of media within social, political and cultural contexts. Regionalism, multiculturalism, nationalism, gender, race and identity will be considered in relation to local and national collections in Ottawa.
Lectures three hours a week.
Arts of the First Peoples: The Woodlands, the Plains and the Subarctic
Introduction to the visual arts of Indigenous peoples of the eastern and central regions of North America. A post-colonial perspective will be used to consider selected examples of creative production from time immemorial to the present.
Lectures three hours a week.
Arts of the First Peoples: The Southwest, the West Coast and the Arctic
Introduction to the visual arts of Indigenous peoples of the western and northern regions of North America. A post-colonial perspective will be used to consider selected examples of visual materials from time immemorial to the present.
Lectures three hours a week.
Asian Art
Surveys Asian art from second-century China to post-war Japan. Representational strategies of court artists and artists from the capital are compared with artists on the periphery. Articulation of power in tombs, palaces and war propaganda is examined, as is the individual and the eccentric.
Lectures three hours a week.
Inuit Art
Survey of visual art produced by Canadian Inuit from the circumpolar area.
Prerequisite(s): second-year standing or permission of the Discipline.
Lectures three hours a week.
Art Live: Art History Workshop
Examination of techniques, materials and institutions of art history; lectures and workshops on art historical research and writing, the materials of art, professional skills; site visits to art institutions.
Prerequisite(s): ARTH 1100 and ARTH 1101, or permission of the discipline. Restricted to students enrolled in the Art History B.A. or B.A. Honours.
Lecture three hours a week.
Greek Art and Archaeology
The art, architecture and archaeology of ancient Greece. Vase painting, sculpture, architecture, town planning and analogous arts are studied.
Precludes additional credit for CLCV 2302 (no longer offered), ARTH 2100 (no longer offered).
Prerequisite(s): second-year standing or permission of the Department.
Lecture three hours a week.
Roman Art and Archaeology
The art, architecture and archaeology of the ancient Romans. Vase painting, sculpture, architecture, town planning and analogous arts are studied.
Precludes additional credit for CLCV 2302 (no longer offered), ARTH 2100 (no longer offered).
Prerequisite(s): second-year standing or permission of the Department.
Lecture three hours a week.
Chinese Art and Visual Culture
A survey of Chinese art from the pre-modern era to re-inventions of traditions in modern and contemporary art. Artworks in various media (ink painting, calligraphy, Buddhist sculpture, ceramics, lacquer and garden architecture) will be studied in their historical, cultural and socio-political contexts.
Lecture three hours a week.
Islamic Architecture and Art
Survey of artistic movements in Islamic art and architecture in the Mediterranean, the Near East, and Central and South Asia, from the seventh century to ca. 1450. Commonalities and differences between major dynastic visual cultures will be explored.
Lecture three hours a week.
Art Worlds
Survey of an area of global art history. Topics may vary from year to year, and will be posted on the School for Studies in Art and Culture website.
Lecture three hours a week.
Medieval Architecture and Art
A survey of architecture and art in Europe from ca. 313-1500 C.E. Sacred, secular, and domestic works will be discussed with reference to cultural meaning, social function, structure, and form.
Prerequisite(s): second-year standing or permission of the Discipline.
Lectures three hours a week.
Italian Renaissance Art
An examination of major works of art and architecture, issues and themes in the Italian Renaissance; emphasis on the fifteenth and sixteenth centuries, with a look at roots in the fourteenth.
Lectures three hours a week.
Architecture of the Early Modern World [1400-1750]
An examination of architecture from the late medieval period to the 18th century with particular attention paid to architecture and design cultures within the European and Islamic worlds and their cross-cultural interactions.
Prerequisite(s): second-year standing or permission of the Discipline.
Lectures three hours a week.
Art of the 17th and 18th Centuries
Tracing developments in 17th- and 18th-century painting, graphic art, sculpture, and architecture. Introduction to artists, art works, and issues central to the relationship between art and society.
Prerequisite(s): second-year standing or permission of the Discipline.
Lectures three hours a week.
Art of the 19th Century
Tracing developments in 19th-century painting, graphic art, sculpture, and architecture. Introduction to artists, art works, and issues central to the relationship between art and modernity.
Lectures three hours a week.
Architecture of the 18th and 19th Centuries
A survey of key monuments, theories, forms and technological developments of eighteenth- and nineteenth-century architecture.
Prerequisite(s): second-year standing or permission of the Discipline.
Lectures three hours a week.
Modern European Art 1900-1945
Major artistic movements in Europe from about 1900 to 1945.
Lectures three hours a week.
History and Theory of Photography
Issues, themes, movements in photography and individual photographers from the origins of the medium to the present.
Lectures three hours a week.
Twentieth-Century Architecture
Developments in architectural form and culture through the course of the twentieth century, with emphasis on the formation and subsequent critique of the Modern Movement.
Prerequisite(s): second-year standing or permission of the Discipline.
Lectures three hours a week.
Experiencing Architecture
Development of critical thinking, writing, and looking skills in connection to architecture, through a combination of site visits, workshops and classroom exercises.
Prerequisite(s): ARTH 1200 and ARTH 1201 or permission of the discipline. Restricted to students in the History and Theory of Architecture B.A. or B.A. Honours program.
Lecture three hours a week.
Philosophy of Art
Philosophical approaches to the study of art. Topics such as: the nature of art and artistic value; representation and symbolism in art; art and artifice; art and the emotions; art, culture and ideology; post-structuralism and art; theories of creativity; relationship between artworks and audiences.
Themes in Canadian Art
Selected aspects of Canadian art in a variety of media. Students will be exposed to works in the National Capital region.
Lectures three hours a week.
Canadian Architecture
Canadian architecture from the seventeenth century to the present day, covering both stylistic and technological developments. Building styles, methods, and materials in the context of social and economic conditions and construction techniques.
Also listed as ARCH 4002.
Prerequisite(s): ARTH 1100 and ARTH 1101, or ARTH 1200 and ARTH 1201, or ARCH 1002 and ARCH 1201, and second-year standing or higher, or permission of the Discipline.
Architecture and Representation
Examination of the intersections between architecture, representations, and cultures.
Lectures and/or seminars three hours a week.
American Architecture
The cultural history of the United States as expressed through its architectural heritage. Selected buildings and complexes from the earliest settlements through the early twentieth century are examined.
Lectures three hours a week.
Modern Asian Art
Modern and contemporary art in East Asia, beginning in Japan with the 1868 Meiji revolution and the 1911 revolution in China.
Contemporary Chinese Art and Art History
Modern and contemporary art in China and beyond from the reform period in 1979 until today. Artworks will be examined in terms of their (art-)historical, discursive, socio-political, infrastructural and transcultural conditions of production and reception.
Lectures three hours a week.
History and Methods of Art and Architectural History
The study of the history of art and architectural history and the methodologies and research tools employed.
Prerequisite(s): third-year or higher standing in Art History or History and Theory of Architecture, or permission of the Discipline.
Seminar three hours a week.
Studies in Greek Art
A study of period or theme in the art and archaeology of Ancient Greece. Topics may vary from year to year. This course is repeatable for credit when the topic changes.
Prerequisite(s): second-year standing or permission of the unit. Permission of the unit required to repeat.
Lecture three hours a week.
Studies in Roman Art
A study of a period or theme in the art and archaeology of the ancient Romans. Topics may vary from year to year.
Prerequisite(s): second-year standing or permission of the unit. Permission of the unit required to repeat.
Lecture three hours a week.
History and Methods of Architectural History
The study of the methodologies and research approaches employed by architectural historians.
Seminar three hours a week.
History and Methods of Art History
The study of current methodologies and research tools employed by art historians.
Prerequisite(s): ARTH 3100 and third-year standing or higher in Art History, or permission of the Discipline.
Seminar three hours a week.
History of Printmaking
Exploration of printmaking techniques from the 16th century to the present focusing on the work of famous and lesser-known printmakers. Topics may include: printmaking genres (from fine art prints to caricature), originality versus reproduction, book illustration, the art market, posters and propaganda.
Prerequisite(s): second-year standing or higher, or permission of the Discipline.
Lectures and/or seminars three hours a week.
The Artist in Context
An examination of one artist's or group of artists' life and work. Relevant artistic, intellectual, social, political and theoretical contexts are considered.
Lectures three hours a week.
Art Since 1945
Contemporary art in the global context from 1945 to the present, including Abstract Expressionism, Pop Art, Postmodernism, object art, performance art and installations.
Lecture three hours a week.
Art and Architecture on Site
The study of art and/or architecture on site outside the National Capital Region, in Canada or internationally. May include a combination of study in Ottawa and on site. Locations vary. Students are expected to bear all travel and other costs arising from site visits.
Prerequisite(s): permission of the Discipline. Applicants will normally have third-year standing with a minimum of 1.0 credit in Art History or History and Theory of Architecture and a GPA of 8.0 or above.
Hours to be arranged. Locations will vary.
Selected Museum Exhibition
This seminar complements a major exhibition held at a specific museum. Students enrolled in this course are expected to bear all travel and other costs arising from required visits to the museum.
Prerequisite(s): second-year standing or higher or permission of the Discipline.
Seminar and/or lectures three hours a week.
Architecture and Empire
The impact of imperial power and aspiration on the built environment, from the Ancient world to the present day, taking ‘empire’ in its broadest political, social and economic sense.
Seminar and/or lectures three hours a week.
A Closer Look at Art and Visual Culture
Selected aspects of art history and visual culture from ancient times to the present.
Lectures and/or seminars three hours a week.
A Closer Look at the Designed Environment
Selected aspects of the history of the designed environment, from ancient times to the present.
Lectures and/or seminars three hours a week.
Practicum in Art and Architectural History
Practical experience gained by working on specific projects under the supervision of the staff of a museum, cultural institution, public- or private-sector organization associated with art, architecture, design, or heritage. A maximum of 1.0 credit in practicum courses may be used to fulfill program requirements.
Prerequisite(s): B.A. or B.A. (Honours) in Art History or History and Theory of Architecture with third-year standing or higher and a CGPA of 9.00 or better in ARTH courses, and permission of the Discipline.
Topics in Art in Canada
Selected topics in art in Canada. Students will be exposed to works in local and national collections in the National Capital region.
Seminars three hours a week.
Topics in Architecture in Canada
Selected aspects of the designed environment in Canada.
Topics in Contemporary Chinese Art
Critical examination of contemporary Chinese art. Topics include socially engaged art, historiographies of Chinese contemporary art, re-inventions of traditions, gender and politics of the body, exhibition histories and infrastructures of contemporary art in China.
Seminar three hours a week.
Topics in Contemporary Indigenous Art
This course will use critical theory to examine aspects of contemporary visual art created by the Inuit and First Peoples in North America.
Seminar three hours a week.
Topics in Asian Art
A selected topic in East Asian Art, which may include 19th century Ukiyo-e woodblock prints, The Gutai Group, performance art in China and Japan, and contemporary Chinese art.
Seminar three hours a week.
Transnational Theory
Critical examination of transnational theories of cultural analysis, including Orientalism, Post-Colonial theory, translation theory and theories of cultural hybridity.
Prerequisite(s): fourth-year standing in Art History or History and Theory of Architecture, or permission of the Discipline.
Seminar three hours a week.
Topics in Islamic Architecture and Art
Selected aspects of Islamic Architecture and Art.
Seminar three hours a week.
Topics in Medieval Architecture and Art
Selected aspects of Medieval or Medievalist Architecture and Art.
Seminar three hours a week.
Topics in Renaissance Art
Selected aspects of Renaissance art and society.
Seminar three hours a week.
Topics in Art of the 18th and 19th Centuries
Selected aspects of 18th-century and/or 19th-century art.
Prerequisite(s): ARTH 2404 or ARTH 2405 or ARTH 2406 or ARTH 2502 and fourth-year standing in Art History or History and Theory of Architecture, or permission of the Discipline.
Seminar three hours a week.
Art, Architecture, and Gender
Art and/or architectural creation, reception and/or historiography through the lens of gender identities.
Seminar three hours a week.
Issues in the Theory and History of Photography
Relates the themes of selected theoretical texts on photography to specific examples of photographic practice.
Seminar three hours a week.
Topics in Modern Architecture or Design
Selected topics in architecture and design of the Modern era.
Seminar three hours a week.
Art and Architecture on Site
Intensive study of art and/or architecture on site outside the National Capital region, in Canada or internationally. May include a combination of study in Ottawa and on site. Students are expected to bear all travel and other costs arising from site visits.
Prerequisite(s): Permission of the Discipline. Applicants will normally have fourth-year standing in Art History or History and Theory of Architecture and a CGPA of 8.0 or above.
Hours to be arranged. Locations vary.
Seminar: Selected Museum Exhibition
Studies a major exhibition held at a specific museum. Students enrolled in this course are expected to bear all travel and other costs arising from required visits to the museum.
Prerequisite(s): fourth-year Honours standing in Art History or History and Theory of Architecture and permission of the Discipline.
Lectures and/or seminar three hours a week.
Topics in Architectural History
Selected aspects of architectural history from ancient times to the present.
Seminar three hours a week.
Topics in Art History and Criticism
Selected aspects of art history and/or criticism from ancient times to the present.
Seminar three hours a week.
Directed Readings and Research
Supervised readings and research projects. Guidelines must be obtained from the Undergraduate Supervisor prior to registration. A written project outline, approved by the supervising Art History or History and Theory of Architecture faculty member, must be submitted by the last day for course changes.
Honours Research Essay
An essay of approximately 10,000 words, resulting from independent research, supervised by Art History or History and Theory of Architecture faculty.
Note: Not all courses listed are offered in a given year. For an up-to-date statement of course offerings for the current session and to determine the term of offering, consult the class schedule at central.carleton.ca.
Summer session: some of the courses listed in this Calendar are offered during the summer. Hours and scheduling for summer session courses will differ significantly from those reported in the fall/winter Calendar. To determine the scheduling and hours for summer session classes, consult the class schedule at central.carleton.ca