Addresses the history of contemporary art since 1980 from a western perspective, but in a global context. Introduces students to major issues in contemporary art and criticism such as conceptualism, new media, earth art, postmodernism, neo-expressionism, institutional critique, identity politics, political interventions, installation art, ecology, globalization, relational aesthetics, and the role of consumerism and the art market.

Designed as an introduction for undergraduate and graduate students, the aim of this course is to provide a comprehensive survey of the most important monuments of high and late medieval art and architecture from the 11th through the 15th centuries. We will also examine objects and images that are less often included in surveys, such as medieval jewelry and illustrated treatises on death. In addition, readings from sources contemporary with the objects observed in lecture will add a more textured historical background to our observations.

This undergraduate practicum introduces students to the field of art museum studies. Topics may include the history of the art museum, collections management, exhibition and curatorial practices, museum and curatorial ethics, writing and digital technologies for museums, or museum education. The practicum emphasizes experiential learning at UMass or area museums.

Contact department for description.

Not available at this time

A unique city, seemingly floating on water, Venice has gone from being the capital of a world emporium of trade to the center of Disneyworld-like tourism. This course traces the history of the city and its empire from the time of its founding after the fall of the Roman Empire to the present day.

Not available at this time

Not available at this time

History of architecture from antiquity to the present explained chronologically and thematically. Iconic western and non-western buildings and cities compared. Students learn research skills, vocabulary and to read architectural plans. (Gen.Ed. AT, DG)

This course surveys the visual culture and art of China, Korea, and Japan. We begin with archaeological findings from the late Neolithic cultures and end with the early twentieth century transcultural encounters that formed modern art in East Asia. Emphasizing global interconnections and exchange across East Asia as well as other parts of the world, we consider how visual expression contructed a wide range of perspectives on death and the afterlife, faith and devotion, society and community, empire and governance, and the pressures of market economies.