Art History (ARTH)

Art history majors graduate from Bucknell with a thorough grounding in the history of art, highly developed critical thinking skills, and a global cultural awareness thanks to our wide-ranging curriculum and individual attention. We offer majors and non-majors the opportunity to explore and analyze the creative vision of artists, from the anonymous painters of prehistoric caves to today's art superstars such as Ai Wei Wei and Dale Chihuly.

Art History Major

The art history major consists of a minimum of nine courses: eight of which must be in art history and one of which must be in art & design. No more than two of the nine required courses may be taken for credit elsewhere.

Distribution of required courses for the art history major:

ARTH 101	World Art I: Caves to Cathedrals	1
ARTH 102	World Art II: Renaissance to Now	1
Art & Design course		1
200-level or higher courses in three of the following areas:		3
Ancient and Medieval
Renaissance and Baroque
Modern and Contemporary
Arts outside of Europe
Art history elective (at least one)		1
300-level or higher course		1
ARTH 402	Culminating Experience	1

Students will explore individual research projects on any art historical topic using their experience in the major in Culminating Experience. The class will culminate in an original research paper and a 20-minute paper delivered at a departmental symposium. This class will normally be taken in the fall semester of the senior year. Second-semester juniors may complete a Culminating Experience in the major with permission of the adviser and the department.

Sequencing of Courses

Although few art history courses have prerequisites, students are encouraged to begin their study of art history with at least one introductory course before engaging in coursework at the 200 level or above. ARTH 101 World Art I: Caves to Cathedrals and ARTH 102 World Art II: Renaissance to Now (World Art I and II) familiarize students with the monuments and methods of the discipline. In addition, it is advisable to take a broad survey of an art historical period before engaging in more specialized study of that period. For example, it is recommended that students take ARTH 101 World Art I: Caves to Cathedrals before taking ARTH 204 Castle, Cathedral and Cloister.

Interdisciplinary Study

The department recommends that students select courses in other disciplines that will complement their art history major. Permission from the chair may be obtained to count one appropriate course taken in another Bucknell department (for example, in ancient archaeology, cultural anthropology or film studies) toward the major. Students considering this option should discuss it with their art history adviser and department chair.

Language Study

Because a knowledge of languages is essential to the cross-cultural nature of art history, majors contemplating graduate study are strongly encouraged to become competent in at least one language beyond English (competency is normally defined as the completion of a 200-level language course). Students should consult with their art history adviser about which language (or languages) is (or are) most appropriate to their particular field of study.

Study Abroad and Internships

Art history majors are encouraged to pursue opportunities for study abroad and for internships in galleries, museums and other settings. Students planning to undertake off-campus or non-traditional study are expected to consult closely with their art history adviser and department chair.

Art History Minor

Required courses for the art history minor:

ARTH 101	World Art I: Caves to Cathedrals	1
ARTH 102	World Art II: Renaissance to Now	1
Select three of the following, covering at least two areas:		3
Ancient and Medieval
ARTH 204	Castle, Cathedral and Cloister
Renaissance and Baroque
ARTH 273	High Drama: Art of Vermeer and Rembrandt
Modern and Contemporary
ARTH 207	Birth of Modern Art: 1850-1915
ARTH 208	Surrealism to the Present
ARTH 323	Contemporary Art
non-European art or art of the minorities or women
ARTH 275	Art and Architecture of the Islamic World

Demonstrate a basic knowledge of (1) the canonical works of western art and architecture, and (2) representative works of non-western art, the art of minorities and women, through the ability to recognize the works, their artists, their stylistic period and their art historical significance. (1, 3, 4, 6, 7, 8, 9)

Recognize that different interpretive frameworks can be used to analyze works of art. (1, 2, 6, 9)

Demonstrate effective oral and written communication. (7)

Execute research projects in art history that are thoroughly researched, insightful, and cogently argued. (1, 2, 3, 4, 6, 7, 8, 9)

Numbers in parentheses reflect related Educational Goals of Bucknell University.

Courses

ARTH 101. World Art I: Caves to Cathedrals. 1 Credit.

Offered Both Fall and Spring; Lecture hours:3
Why make art? Before 1400 CE, answers to this question ranged widely. From prehistoric paintings to great medieval cathedrals, premodern art and architecture reflected and shaped social, political, and religious forces. This course examines the history of art across the globe through the lens of tradition and change.

ARTH 102. World Art II: Renaissance to Now. 1 Credit.

Offered Either Fall or Spring; Lecture hours:3
This course explores art and architecture from 1400 to the present. Focus on visual analysis and the development of European and American art from the Renaissance to Postmodernism.

ARTH 204. Castle, Cathedral and Cloister. 1 Credit.

Offered Fall Semester Only; Lecture hours:3
Architecture, sculpture, and painting from the Early Christian period to the beginning of the Renaissance. Monastic, religious and secular arts will be explored.

ARTH 207. Birth of Modern Art: 1850-1915. 1 Credit.

Offered Fall Semester Only; Lecture hours:3
Examination of artists and movements from 1850-1915, including Realism, Impressionism, Post-impressionism, Symbolism, Expressionism, Fauvism, Cubism and Abstraction. Focus on innovations in French painting and urban experience.

ARTH 208. Surrealism to the Present. 1 Credit.

Offered Either Fall or Spring; Lecture hours:3
Significant artists from twentieth century from WWI to the present. Movements: Futurism, Dadaism, Constructivism, Surrealism, Abstract Expressionism, Minimalism, Fluxus, Earth Art, Conceptual Art, Performance Art, Feminist Art, Pop Art, Institutional Critique, Social Practice Art. Readings from textbook, documents, art historians. Grades by weekly writing assignments; one exam and research paper.

ARTH 209. Art, Science, and Magic in the Medieval World. 1 Credit.

Offered Either Fall or Spring; Lecture hours:3
What did “science” and “magic” look like in the medieval world? How did concepts of art, science, magic, and religion overlap, and how do modern definitions obscure premodern ideas about the natural world? Students will develop the conceptual tools necessary to confront these questions using visual evidence.

ARTH 217. Performance Art, Then and Now. 1 Credit.

Offered Either Fall or Spring; Lecture hours:3
Hugo Ball reads nonsense poetry in a Zurich cafe; Marina Abramović breathes in air from a high-powered fan until she falls unconscious; William Pope L. crawls down Broadway dressed in a Superman costume. This course explores the provocative history of performance art from Europe, Asia, and the Americas.

ARTH 222. Philosophy of Art. 1 Credit.

Offered Either Fall or Spring; Lecture hours:3
Analysis of the creative process, the work of art, natural beauty, aesthetic experience, and principles of criticism. Prerequisite: PHIL 100 or permission of the instructor. Crosslisted as PHIL 212.

ARTH 231. Arts of East Asia. 1 Credit.

Offered Both Fall and Spring; Lecture hours:3
This course introduces you to the art of China, Korea and Japan from prehistory to the present. We examine a broad range of objects—ritual bronze vessels, Buddhist temple architecture, Neo-Confucian landscape painting and ukiyo-e woodblock prints—to emphasize how cross-cultural exchanges stimulated new interpretations across time and space. Crosslisted as EAST 231.

ARTH 241. Archaeology of Egypt. 1 Credit.

Offered Alternate Fall or Spring; Lecture hours:3
Survey of the material culture, with emphasis on major architectural and artistic developments and their legacy to modern Western civilization. Crosslisted as CLAS 241.

ARTH 242. Archaeology of Greece. 1 Credit.

Offered Alternating Fall Semester; Lecture hours:3
Survey of the material culture of the Greek world from the Bronze Age through the Hellenistic period. Crosslisted as CLAS 242.

ARTH 243. Archaeology of Rome. 1 Credit.

Offered Alternate Fall or Spring; Lecture hours:3
Survey of the material culture of the Roman world from the Etruscans through the late Empire. Crosslisted as CLAS 243.

ARTH 262. Life in Ancient Pompeii. 1 Credit.

Offered Either Fall or Spring; Lecture hours:3
This course explores the history, literature and material culture of Pompeii with the goal of better understanding daily life for all levels of society in the early Roman Empire. Crosslisted as CLAS 262.

ARTH 265. Contemporary Philosophy of Art. 1 Credit.

Offered Either Fall or Spring; Lecture hours:3
An investigation of and focused study of contemporary philosophical issues in the arts and aesthetics more generally. Prerequisite: PHIL 100, or ARTH 207 or ARTH 208. Crosslisted as PHIL 265.

ARTH 273. High Drama: Art of Vermeer and Rembrandt. 1 Credit.

Offered Either Fall or Spring; Lecture hours:3
Northern European art c.1430-1660 especially Vermeer and Rembrandt: and its interconnections with Italian art.

ARTH 275. Art and Architecture of the Islamic World. 1 Credit.

Offered Spring Semester Only; Lecture hours:3
A survey of Islamic art and architecture from the inception of the faith in the 7th century through the 16th century.

ARTH 319. Independent Study in Art History. .25-1 Credits.

Offered Both Fall and Spring; Lecture hours:Varies; Repeatable
Advanced problems in art history. Prerequisite: permission of the instructor.

ARTH 320. Independent Study in Art History. .25-1 Credits.

Offered Both Fall and Spring; Lecture hours:Varies; Repeatable
Advanced problems in art history. Prerequisite: permission of the instructor.

ARTH 322. Decolonizing Museums: The History & Ethics of Collecting. 1 Credit.

Offered Either Fall or Spring; Lecture hours:3
This course explores the formation of art collections and the ethical challenges that museums face. Using wide ranging examples from cultural and historical perspectives, we evaluate arguments for and against encyclopedic museums, examine laws aiming to prevent antiquity trafficking, and analyze case studies of repatriation.

ARTH 323. Contemporary Art. 1 Credit.

Offered Either Fall or Spring; Lecture hours:3
Study of key artists and concepts of the past 30 years. Focus on the transformation from modernism to postmodernism in painting, sculpture, photography, and performance art. Prerequisite: one of the following ARTH 102, ARTH 207, ARTH 208 or permission of the instructor.

ARTH 326. The Art of the Book and Books as Art. 1 Credit.

Offered Either Fall or Spring; Lecture hours:3
This course focuses on developments and changes in the making of books – both print and manuscript – and the images they contain. We will explore how books have been made, read and seen from antiquity to today. This seminar includes extensive, first-hand study of materials at Bucknell’s Special Collections.

ARTH 330. Hokusai and the Global Art of Edo. 1 Credit.

Offered Both Fall and Spring; Lecture hours:3
From luminous golden folding screens to delicate lines in woodblock prints, the arts of Edo (1603-1868) Japan profoundly impacted artists worldwide. How is this art global when seclusion policies of the era forbade foreign travel? Such questions guide our discussion as we focus particularly on artworks in the Samek Museum. Crosslisted as EAST 330.

ARTH 380. Honors Art History. 1 Credit.

Offered Both Fall and Spring; Lecture hours:3; Repeatable
Independent study leading to the writing of a thesis. Prerequisite: permission of the instructor.

ARTH 381. Honors Art History. 1 Credit.