Courses - Fall 2026
ARTH200
Art and Society in Ancient and Medieval Europe and the Mediterranean
Examines the material culture and visual expressions of Mediterranean and European societies from early times until ca. 1300 CE, emphasizing the political, social, and religious context of the works studied, the relationships of the works to the societies that created them, and the interrelationship of these societies.
ARTH201
Art and Society in the West from the Renaissance to the Present
Examines representative European and American works of art from the later Middle Ages to the present, highlighting the dynamic exchange between artistic and cultural traditions both within periods and across time.
ARTH260
Can art effect social change? How may we use the history of radical and avant-garde art to inform present-day movements and models of artistic and creative activism? This course explores the modern and contemporary history of political art and arts activism on local, national, and global scales.
ARTH261
Monuments, Monumentality, and the Art of Memorial
Why do societies create monuments? And why do they preserve and destroy, change and remove them? How do monuments embody cultural values, shape historical narratives, and become sites of mourning and memory? This course investigates the political and cultural work of monuments across time and space, from the ancient world to European empires to the contemporary United States. The issues we consider include intercultural exchange and religious contexts, race and representation, and appropriation and iconoclasm.
ARTH262
How does public art function on a university campus, in major cities, and across the United States? This course invites students to empirically study the modern history and civic values of public art spanning sculpture, painting, mixed-media, and installation. We consider the nature of public space, the politics of representation and community, and the civic and memorial functions of art. The course is built around a semester-long project in which students will commission a work of public art for our College Park campus.
ARTH289A
Special Topics in Art History and Archaeology; Ethics of Art Museums
Credits:
3
Grad Meth:
Reg, P-F, Aud
Examines the art museum as a site of aesthetic contemplation, Cultural preservation, education, and business as we attempt to answer questions such as: Why were art museums established? What ethical questions might they raise for artists, museum professionals, and members of the public?
ARTH303
Sites and monuments of painting, sculpture, architecture, and the minor arts from the earliest times through the third century A.D. with emphasis on the Italian peninsula from the Etruscan period through that of Imperial Rome.
ARTH305
Archaeological Methods and Practice
Prerequisite: ANTH240, ARTH200, CLAS180, or CLAS190.
Cross-listed with: ANTH305, CLAS305, JWST319Y.
Credit only granted for: ANTH305, ARTH305, CLAS305, or JWST319Y.
A team-taught, interdisciplinary course discussing theories, methods, and ethical issues in the practice of archaeology.
ARTH335
Seventeenth-Century Art in the Netherlands
Painting, sculpture and architecture in seventeenth-century Netherlands.
ARTH350
Twentieth-Century Art to 1945
Credits:
3
Grad Meth:
Reg, P-F, Aud
Prerequisite: ARTH201.
Painting, sculpture, and architecture in Europe and America from the late nineteenth century to the end of World War II.
ARTH351
Picturing Contemporary Life: Art Since 1945
Visual art since 1945, with an emphasis on North America and Europe.
ARTH359I
Film as Art; Gilliam and Cronenberg:The Existential Individual in an Abs urd World
Credits:
3
Grad Meth:
Reg, P-F, Aud
Terry Gilliam and David Cronenberg come from distinctly different conceptual backgrounds, essentially a cartoonist/satiric artist and a philosopher/writer, a "picture" guy and a "word" guy. Both come out of a mindset of the modernist/existentialist worldview but make their artwork in an ironic/postmodern world -- the filmmakers both consider the lack of meaning in the world and the powerlessness of the individual. Gilliam thinks of identity in terms of imagination; Cronenberg thinks in terms of the body's effect on the mind. The films of these artists will also be considered through their exploration of the role of the artist and the individual, the nature and forms of reality, and some psychological considerations of human identity.
ARTH362
Presently Black: Contemporary African American Art
Looks critically at African-American and African diaspora art, focusing particularly on works made in the 20th and 21st centuries. Organized chronologically, this class will provide students with a more thorough understanding of this period of art, as well as the overall connection of visual material to the social, the political, and the aesthetic frames of its production. We will study the ways in which African-American visual production has been shaped by larger discourses about American art, but has also responded to the very real circumstances of racial exclusion in both the mainstream art world and larger society. Students will also have a chance to interact directly with the collection of the David C. Driskell Center throughout the semester.
ARTH383
Art of Japan after 1500
Credits:
3
Grad Meth:
Reg, P-F, Aud
Thematically-focused topics in the painting, sculpture, architecture, gardens and decorative arts of early modern, modern and contemporary Japan, from 1500 to present.
ARTH386
Experiential Learning
Prerequisite: Permission of ARHU-Art History & Archaeology department.
Restriction: Junior standing or higher.
Supervised internship experience in diverse areas of art historical, archaeological, and museological work.
ARTH389J
Special Topics in Art History and Archaeology; From Site to Sight I: The Materiality of an Ancient Interco nnected South Asia
Credits:
3
Grad Meth:
Reg, P-F, Aud
Students may enroll in either semester or both. No prerequisites required. This two-semester course sequence, beginning fall 2026 and continuing in spring 2027, offers students a sustained introduction to the material and visual histories of South Asia and its Indian Ocean worlds. It foregrounds how archaeological, architectural, and art historical methods are used to reconstruct the past. From Paleolithic rock shelters at Bhimbetka and early agricultural settlements at Mehrgarh, to Indus urban centers such as Harappa, Buddhist monastic and pilgrimage landscapes at Sanchi and Kanheri, and port cities like Arikamedu, the course explores how ancient and premodern societies produced meaning through objects, built environments, and visual practices.
ARTH392
Contemporary Chinese Art and Film
Cross-listed with: CINE337.
Credit only granted for: ARTH392, FILM329L or CINE337.
Formerly: FILM329L.
Contemporary Chinese art and film are arguably the most vibrant of all national arts at the turn of the millennium and have become the face - both figuratively and literally - of contemporary China, a complex society with historic overlays of Confucianism, Taoism, Buddhism, Communism, Post-socialism, and state capitalism. Students will consider a wide range of art forms (painting, photography, video, installation, web-based media, and film) in four broad themes (uses of the past; critiques of power; representations of race, gender, and sexuality; socially engaged art) and explore the complex intertwining of the political, historical, and aesthetic aspects in Chinese contemporary art and film, as well as the multiple contexts in which these artworks are created and circulated.
Cross-listed with FiLM329L. Credit only granted for ARTH392 or FILM329L.
ARTH488A
Colloquium in Art History; Contemporary Art in Local Collections
Credits:
3
Grad Meth:
Reg, P-F, Aud
This course considers art since 1960 by focusing on works we can study in person in College Park and Washington, DC. Participants will become familiar with major art movements of the last sixty-five years and will practice visual analysis and art criticism as well as academic art writing. They will also present works of art to fellow students in person. Each student's semester will culminate in a research essay and presentation on one artist whose work we have seen. The semester will be organized into thematic units pertaining to work we can see in person this fall. Note: enrolled students must have time before and after class to commute to our meetings in Washington; the trips can last up to 75-minutes each way from College Park.
ARTH488D
Colloquium in Art History; Art and Visual Culture of the Great Depression
Credits:
3
Grad Meth:
Reg, P-F, Aud
During the Great Depression, skyrocketing economic inequality, environmental disasters, and social movements transformed American life.This class focuses on the visual culture of this period-from documentary photography and public murals to film and sculpture. In addition to examining iconic works by artists like Dorothea Lange and Diego Rivera, we will engage archives of photographs, posters, artist papers and other primarysources from the 1930s. In this way, students inthis course willnot only explore a critical era in American visual culture but also reflect on how we form and use archives to shape our understanding of the past.
ARTH498
Directed Studies in Art History I
Credits:
2 - 3
Grad Meth:
Reg, P-F, Aud
ARTH499
Honors Thesis
Credits:
3 - 6
Grad Meth:
Reg, P-F, Aud
ARTH692
Methods of Art History
Credits:
3
Grad Meth:
Reg, Aud
Methods of research and criticism applied to typical art-historical problems; bibliography and other research tools.
For all non-Art History and Archaeology majors, permission of the department is required.
ARTH698
Teaching Art History
Credits:
1 - 3
Grad Meth:
S-F
ARTH708F
Seminar in Ancient Art and Archaeology; Monuments and Topography of the City of Rome
Credits:
3
Grad Meth:
Reg, Aud, S-F
At its height, the Roman Empire stretched from modern-day Britain to Morocco, and from Spain to Syria. This course examines the capital city of this hegemonic power, analyzing the monuments and topography embellishing the so-called caput mundi from its founding in the eighth century BCEonward. Emphasis is given to the late Republican and early Imperial pe riods (the 2nd c. BCE 3rd c. CE) and to contextualizing the monumentsand dynastic building programs of Rome within their urban context. The various archaeological and art historical approaches taken to topics such as the creation of monumentality; Roman identity; and theimpact ofcultural exchanges between the Romans and their conquered nations willalso be examined as a means of understanding and interpreting the Roman cityscape.
ARTH778E
Seminar in Chinese Art; Elite and Popular Chinese Visual Culture and Its Reception in Euro-America,1600-2000
Credits:
3
Grad Meth:
Reg, Aud, S-F
Students in this seminar will study elite and popular Chinese visual culture in a variety of media (calligraphy, painting, garden, decorativearts). They will also examine the writings of Roger Fry, Franois Jullien, Ezra Pound, James Cahill, Craig Clunas, and others andthe artworks by Euro-American artists (such as Henri Michaux, Mark Tobey, Robert Motherwell, and Brice Marden) who were inspired by Chinesevisual culture in order to develop a better understanding of the nature of Chinese visual culture and its reception in Euro-America, 1600-2000.
ARTH798
Directed Graduate Studies in Art History
Credits:
3
Grad Meth:
Reg, Aud
ARTH799
Master's Thesis Research
Credits:
1 - 6
Grad Meth:
S-F
ARTH898
Pre-Candidacy Research
Credits:
1 - 8
Grad Meth:
Reg
ARTH899
Doctoral Dissertation Research
Credits:
6
Grad Meth:
S-F
Flagship Institution of the University System of Maryland
University of Maryland, College Park, MD 20742, USA
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