World Art before 1400

This course serves as a double introduction to art history. First, it surveys the visual arts in a global context from prehistory to the dawn of the modern era. Focusing on multiple premodern cultures and traditions, the course examines a wide variety of art forms, from public monuments and architecture to paintings, textiles, and illustrated books. We will consider this rich material in its historical context and ask how art was made, used, seen, and valued by people in the past. Special emphasis will be placed on cross-cultural connections, interactions, and analogies. Second, the course will introduce you to the practice of art history. You will develop the skills of visual analysis and critical reading and learn the basic methods that scholars employ to interpret works of art and architecture. In the process, you will gain a deeper understanding of the intersection of art, society, and human experience at large. Lectures and group discussions will be complemented by visits to museums and other collections on campus and beyond.