Art History
Introduction
Canisius University offers a minor in Art History to complement students interests in visual culture and the innumerable interpretations of art and architecture.
Art History courses teach students to look at and appreciate visual features of the world around them and to understand both cultures from the past as well as our current global community. Students spend every class period looking at works of art and architecture and use them as a gateway to a greater knowledge of history, politics, religion, literature, philosophy, and psychology. They will also utilize the unique architectural and cultural spaces in Western New York to extend their educational experiences beyond the classroom.
An Art History minor is an advantage to students seeking employment in many fields, including diverse careers in cultural institutions, education, digital media arts, marketing, urban studies, publishing, and fashion design. In addition, Art History courses provide opportunities to hone the universally valued skills of writing, conducting research, analyzing information, and comparing ideas and objects so that students receive exceptional preparation for jobs in professional areas such as law and medicine, as well as public policy, business, historical studies, and administration. Some art history courses may also fulfil requirements in the core curriculum or the student's major.
Program Experience
Many students take the opportunity to gain practical experience in an art institution through a Museum Internship course in addition to the minor requirements. Art History students have interned at the Buffalo AKG Art Museum (formally the Albright-Knox Art Gallery), the Darwin Martin House Complex, the Buffalo History Museum, Hallwalls Contemporary Arts Center, the Castellani Art Museum, the Buffalo Niagara Heritage Center, and the Western New York Book Arts Center.
ADVISEMENT
All students should have an advisor in the minor and should contact the Program Director of the Fine Arts Programs directly to have an advisor assigned if they do not already have one. All minors should work closely with their advisor in discussing career expectations, choosing their minor electives, developing their entire academic program, and planning their co-curricular or supplemental academic experience
Minors are an important part of the undergraduate curriculum. If students declare a minor by sophomore year, they can usually complete it in a timely manner. Students should work with their advisor to determine if it is possible that the minor can be completed by graduation.
To receive a minor, a student must complete at least 9 credit hours of coursework distinct from their major(s) and from other minors, and students must complete more than 50% of the coursework required for the minor at Canisius. Please note that “ancillary/supporting” courses required for a major may still count as distinct courses as long as the remaining coursework still meets the 30 credit-hours required for a major. For more information about minor policies, please see the Declaring Majors and Minors page in the catalog.
Curriculum
The minor in art history requires six courses, some of which may also fulfill requirements in the core curriculum or the student’s major.
| Code | Title | Credits |
|---|---|---|
| FAH 101 | Cave Paintings, the Colosseum & Cathedrals | 3 |
| FAH 102 | Altarpieces, Academies & the Avant-Garde | 3 |
| Ancient and/or Medieval Art: one course | 3 | |
| Ancient Egyptian and Near Eastern Art | ||
| Greek and Roman Art | ||
| Medieval Art | ||
| Renaissance and/or Baroque Art: one course | 3 | |
| Renaissance Art | ||
| Baroque Art | ||
| Additional FAH electives: two courses | 6 | |
| Survey of Pre-Columbian and Native American Art | ||
| History of Architecture | ||
| Contemporary Art | ||
| Frank Lloyd Wright | ||
| Art in Buffalo | ||
| Animals in Art | ||
| Field Excursion: Connections between Museum and Zoo Exhibitry Practices | ||
| The Art of the Selfie | ||
| Critical Issues in the History of Photography | ||
| Total Credits | 18 | |
Learning Goals and Objectives
Student Learning Goal 1
Art History Majors will develop and refine the skills needed to understand and analyze works of art.
Students will:
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Objective A: Describe and interpret works of art using terminology specific to the field and to carry out an analysis of a work of art;
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Objective B: Find and analyze information on works of art, artists, periods, and art historical topics using written materials and databases specific to the field;
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Objective C: Communicate orally in the conventions appropriate to the field;
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Objective D: Communicate in writing in the conventions appropriate to the field.
Student Learning Goal 2
Art History Majors will understand how works of art are embedded in and reflective of specific cultural-historical contexts.
Students will:
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Objective A: Locate works of art within larger historical contexts;
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Objective B: Articulate the interrelationships between art and a range of cultures;
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Objective C: Analyze the importance of the visual arts in societies past and present.
Courses
FAH 101 Cave Paintings, the Colosseum & Cathedrals 3 Credits
Introduction to visual and cultural analysis of major works of art from prehistory through the Middle Ages. Covers prehistoric through Gothic art.
Fulfills College Core: Field 3 (Literature and the Arts), Global Awareness
Offered: fall, spring, & summer.
FAH 102 Altarpieces, Academies & the Avant-Garde 3 Credits
Introduction to visual and cultural analysis of major works of Western art from the Renaissance through the contemporary moment.
Fulfills College Core: Field 3 (Literature and the Arts), Global Awareness
Offered: fall, spring, & summer.
FAH 103 Survey of Pre-Columbian and Native American Art 3 Credits
The artistic achievements of native peoples from the Americas. Toltec, Maya, and Aztec civilizations of Central America, and culture groups from the Woodlands, Plains, Southwest, and Northwest in North America prior to and after contact with Europe.
Fulfills College Core: Diversity, Field 3 (Literature and the Arts)
Offered: fall.
FAH 109 History of Architecture 3 Credits
Visual and cultural analysis of major monuments of global architecture from antiquity to the present.
Fulfills College Core: Field 3 (Literature and the Arts), Global Awareness
Offered: fall.
FAH 110 History of Photography 3 Credits
Introduction to artistic and technical origins and subsequent developments of photographic processes from their invention in 1839 to global contemporary practices.
Fulfills College Core: Field 3 (Literature and the Arts), Global Awareness
Offered: fall.
FAH 159 Gender, Identity, and Art 3 Credits
Gender, Identity, and Art encourages critical conversations around gender, race, sexuality, and class and the articulation of the intersectional nexuses among these issues in art, preparing students to negotiate the contemporary social and cultural landscape with a greater awareness. These ideas and their visualization in art throughout history will be analyzed as they relate to the formulation of featured artists’ identities as well as how their art addresses an increasingly diverse and inclusive audience in the contemporary era. This course will feature a visit to the exhibition "We Wanted a Revolution: Black Radical Women, 1965–85," on view at the Albright-Knox Art Gallery from February 17 to May 27, 2018, and will tie in with special programs at the museum associated with the exhibition.
Fulfills College Core: Field 3 (Literature and the Arts), Global Awareness
Offered: fall.
FAH 210 Ancient Egyptian and Near Eastern Art 3 Credits
Introduction to visual and cultural analysis and interpretation of the painting, sculpture, and architecture of ancient Egypt and the ancient Near East.
Fulfills College Core: Field 3 (Literature and the Arts), Global Awareness, Oral Communication
Offered: spring.
FAH 213 Greek and Roman Art 3 Credits
Visual and cultural analysis of the painting, sculpture, and architecture of Greece and Rome.
Fulfills College Core: Field 3 (Literature and the Arts), Oral Communication
Offered: spring.
FAH 224 Medieval Art 3 Credits
Visual analysis, cultural analysis, and interpretation of major works of art and architecture from Early Christian, Byzantine, Islamic, Carolingian, Ottonian, Romanesque, and Gothic periods.
Fulfills College Core: Field 3 (Literature and the Arts), Global Awareness
Offered: fall or spring.
FAH 245 Renaissance Art 3 Credits
Visual, cultural, and iconographic analysis of painting, sculpture, architecture, and art theory in Europe from the fourteenth through the sixteenth centuries.
Fulfills College Core: Field 3 (Literature and the Arts), Global Awareness
Offered: fall.
FAH 248 Baroque Art 3 Credits
Visual, cultural and iconographic analysis of painting, sculpture and architecture during the 17th and 18th centuries in France, Italy, England, Spain and the Netherlands.
Fulfills College Core: Field 3 (Literature and the Arts), Global Awareness
Offered: fall.
FAH 265 Contemporary Art 3 Credits
Visual and cultural analysis of major works from the United States and Western Europe from 1945 to the present.
Fulfills College Core: Field 3 (Literature and the Arts), Global Awareness
Offered: spring.
FAH 267 Frank Lloyd Wright 3 Credits
An introduction to the influential and iconic work of American architect Frank Lloyd Wright. This course presents his major works and considers American and Modern architecture as a whole. A visit to the Darwin D. Martin House Complex is a vital component to this course.
Fulfills College Core: Field 3 (Literature and the Arts)
FAH 271 Art in Buffalo 3 Credits
Examination of the artistic and historical resources in the Greater Buffalo region, including prominent examples of architecture, museum collections, and artists in Western New York. Course is taught completely online.
Fulfills College Core: Field 3 (Literature and the Arts)
Offered: summer and occasionally in the spring.
FAH 272 Animals in Art 3 Credits
Thematic analysis of the use of animal imagery and animals in art.
Fulfills College Core: Advanced Writing-Intensive, Field 3 (Literature and the Arts)
Offered: spring of odd-numbered years.
FAH 273 Field Excursion: Connections between Museum and Zoo Exhibitry Practices 1 Credit
Spring Break trip to Explore the portrayal of animals in museums and zoos. Students will compare and contrast the exhibitry practices in multiple museums and zoos in Amsterdam. Students will complete readings and final project while in the field. Additional fee required and varies with location (generally about $3000), which covers all travel costs. Please contact the course instructor for current fees. The course is open to students in any major. ABEC students should note that while this course will count towards the zoo biology minor, it will not count towards the ABEC major.
Offered: occasionally.
FAH 460 Museum Internship 3 Credits
Research, curatorial, and administrative internship at selected Buffalo area art galleries.
Prerequisite: junior or senior standing. Restriction: art history majors and minors (or by permission of internship director).
Offered: fall, spring, & summer.
FAH 481 The Art of the Selfie 3 Credits
An overview of the artistic expressions of portraiture limited to those identified as self-portraits. Beginning with the earliest known self-portraits onward, we will discuss the roles ascribed to self-portraits by artists, their patrons, and the 21st century connoisseur.
Fulfills College Core: Core Capstone
FAH 483 The World of Color 3 Credits
Throughout history, color has represented feelings, thoughts, religious symbolism, scientific classifications, self- and societal identification, psychological states, and cultural relations. This class will provide a definition of color, and an understanding of how color is apprehended by the eye and organized by the brain. It will provide a survey of the uses of color through history and discuss the dual nature of progress in art and progress in color. We will analyze art in the forms of painting, sculpture, photography, filmmaking, and contemporary multi-media creations.
Prerequisite: none. Corequisite: none.
Fulfills College Core: Core Capstone
Offered: every spring.
FAH 499 Independent Study in Art History 3 Credits
Independent studies allow in-depth study of a specific topic and are most often reserved for seniors who cannot otherwise fulfill a graduation requirement. Independent studies require an application and approval by the associate dean.
Prerequisite: permission of the instructor, department chair, & associate dean.