School for Studies in Art and Culture
(Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences)
Art and Architectural History (ARTH) Courses
Art and Society: Prehistory to 1300
A survey of art, architecture and artifacts from prehistory to 1300. Ways of understanding visual culture through this span of history.
Lectures two hours a week, tutorial one hour a week.
Art and Society: 1300 to the Present
A survey of art, architecture and related visual forms in their expanding contexts from 1300 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.
Art in Canada
Topics may include professional and amateur artists, craftwork, art institutions, gender, nationalism, regionalism, ethnicity, race, and identity. Coverage will include artworks in local and national collections in the National Capital region.
Lectures or seminars 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 or seminars 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 or seminars 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 or seminars 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 or seminars 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.
Lectures or seminars 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 or seminars 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 or seminars three hours a week.
Special Topics: 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.
Lectures or seminars 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 or seminars three hours a week.
Renaissance Art
An examination of major works of art and architecture, issues and themes in the Renaissance; emphasis on the fifteenth and sixteenth centuries, with a look at roots in the fourteenth.
Lectures or seminars 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 or seminars 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 or seminars 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 or seminars three hours a week.
Art in the Global Context Since 1945
Art in the global context from 1945 to present, including abstraction, Pop Art, Postmodernism, object art, performance art and installations.
Prerequisite(s): second-year standing or higher, or permission of the Discipline.
Lectures or seminars 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 or seminars three hours a week.
European Art 1900-1945
Major artistic movements in Europe from about 1900 to 1945.
Lectures or seminars 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 or seminars 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 or seminars 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.
Lectures or seminars 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 Recent and Contemporary Art in Canada
Recent and contemporary art in Canada in a variety of media, examined within its social, political, and cultural contexts. Current critical issues will be explored through works in local and national collections in the National Capital region.
Lectures or seminars 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.
Themes in Architecture in Canada
Thematically organized course exploring a wide chronological, geographical, and cultural range of sites and design practices in Canada. Topics may include architecture of governance, spaces of mobility, the effect of industry and economy on the designed environment, housing and shelter, tourism, and histories of design.
Seminar and/or lectures three hours a week.
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.
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.
Contemporary Art in the Global Context
Contemporary art in the global context.
Lectures or seminars 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.
Special Topics: Cities in Context
Architecture and designed environment of cities. Topics may include comparative studies of cities and the built world across time and geography, theories and histories of urban form and planning, and cultures of placemaking. Topics may vary from year to year.
Seminar and/or lectures three hours a week.
Special Topics in Art and Visual Culture
Selected aspects of art history and visual culture from ancient times to the present. Topics may vary from year to year, and will be posted on the School for Studies in Art and Culture website.
Lectures and/or seminars three hours a week.
Special Topics about the Designed Environment
Selected aspects of the history of the designed environment, from ancient times to the present. Topics may vary from year to year, and will be posted on the School for Studies in Art and Culture website.
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.
Special Topics in Art in Canada
Special topics in art in Canada may vary from year to year, and will be posted on the School for Studies in Art and Culture website. Students will be exposed to works in local and national collections in the National Capital region.
Lectures or seminars three hours a week.
Special Topics in Architecture in Canada
Special topics about the designed environment in Canada. Topics may vary from year to year, and will be posted on the School for Studies in Art and Culture website.
Three hours of seminar per week, or the equivalent.
Special Topics in Contemporary Art
Critical examination of contemporary art. Topics may include socially engaged art, historiographies of contemporary art, re-inventions of traditions, gender and politics of the body, exhibition histories and infrastructures of contemporary art. Topics may vary from year to year.
Seminar three hours a week.
Special 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. Topics may vary from year to year, and will be posted on the School for Studies in Art and Culture website.
Seminar three hours a week.
Special Topics in Global Art
Histories and theories of global art. Topics may include transnational theories of cultural analysis, Orientalism, Post-Colonial theory, translation theory and theories of cultural hybridity. Topics may vary from year to year, and will be posted on the School for Studies in Art and Culture website.
Prerequisite(s): fourth-year standing in Art History or History and Theory of Architecture, or permission of the Discipline.
Seminar three hours a week.
Special Topics in Islamic Architecture and Art
Topics in Islamic Architecture and Art may vary from year to year, and will be posted on the School for Studies in Art and Culture website.
Seminar three hours a week.
Special Topics in Art, Architecture, and Gender
Art and/or architectural creation, reception and/or historiography through the lens of gender identities. Topics may vary from year to year, and will be posted on the School for Studies in Art and Culture website.
Seminar three hours a week.
Special Topics in the Theory and History of Photography
Relates the themes of selected theoretical texts on photography to specific examples of photographic practice. Topics may vary from year to year, and will be posted on the School for Studies in Art and Culture website.
Seminar three hours a week.
Special Topics in Modern Architecture or Design
Topics in architecture and design of the Modern era may vary from year to year, and will be posted on the School for Studies in Art and Culture website.
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.
Special Topics in Architectural History
Topics in architectural history from ancient times to the present may vary from year to year, and will be posted on the School for Studies in Art and Culture website.
Seminar three hours a week.
Special Topics in Historical Western Art
Special topics in Western art from the medieval period to the 20th century may vary from year to year, and will be posted on the School for Studies in Art and Culture website.
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 Project
A project resulting from independent research, supervised by Art History or History and Theory of Architecture faculty. The medium of presentation will be agreed upon between student and supervisor and may include a research paper, web-based project, or combination of dissemination activities.
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