ARTH 300 Art Historical Methods

• Tuesdays, 12:15-14:45
• EV-1-615
• Instructor: Dr. Johanne Sloan

This course is an introduction to some of the interpretive methodologies that are brought to the study of art, whether that art is historical, modern, or contemporary.  While art historians do seek to understand artworks in their historical context, we also bring contemporary ideas and concerns to our encounters with art.  It is the deployment of those ideas – related to formalism, feminism, post-colonialism, post-structuralism, or queer theory, for example – that results in distinct methodological perspectives.  Focusing on specific artworks and instances of art historical scholarship, students will be introduced to key terms and concepts associated with each methodology.  This course also calls attention to how the discipline of art history has changed, and how its fundamental tenets continue to be debated.