AAAS/FA 74b Introduction to African Art
[ ca nw ss ]

Surveys the visual artistic traditions of Africa. Investigates the different forms of visual art in relation to their historical and socio-cultural context. Symbolism and complexity of Africa's visual art traditions are explored through analysis of myth, ritual, cosmology, and history. Usually offered every fourth year.

AAAS/FA 75b History of African American Art
[ ca deis-us ]

"Black art has always existed," stated artist Romare Bearden. "It just hasn't been looked for in the right places." This course examines how Black artists in the U.S. explore beauty, individuality, justice and other themes through personal, racial, and societal lenses. Usually offered every fourth year.

FA 23b Architectural Drawing and Digital Design I
[ ca dl ]

Prerequisite: Permission of the instructor. Only Architectural Studies IIM students may take both FA 23b and FA 24a for credit.

Intended to develop new skills in conceptualizing, designing, and communicating architectural ideas. Students will be exposed to conceptual strategies of form and space and site relationships within social and environmental factors. Students will study the basic techniques and concepts of architectural design and digital drawing, with two and three-dimensional representation skills. Usually offered every year.

FA 24a Architectural Drawing and Digital Design II
[ ca dl ]

Intended to develop new skills in conceptualizing, designing, and communicating architectural ideas. Students will be exposed to conceptual strategies of form and space and site relationships within social and environmental factors. Students will study the basic techniques and concepts of architectural design and digital drawing, with two and three-dimensional representation skills. Usually offered every year.

FA 30a History of Western Art I: From Antiquity to the Middle Ages
[ ca ]

Open to all students; first-year students and sophomores are encouraged to enroll.

Surveys the artistic and architectural traditions of the peoples of Europe, North Africa and the Middle East from prehistory to the end of the Middle Ages with an emphasis on their cultural context, meaning and stylistic characteristics. Usually offered every year.

FA 30b History of Western Art II: From the Renaissance to the Modern Age
[ ca ]

Open to all students; first-year students and sophomores are encouraged to enroll.

A study of the major styles in architecture, painting, and sculpture of the West from the Renaissance to the early twentieth century. Usually offered every year.

FA 33b Islamic Art and Architecture
[ ca djw nw ]

Through case studies of cities, sites, and monuments, the course presents an overview of the art and the architecture of the Islamic world beginning from the seventh century up to the present. Some of the themes include, but are not limited to, Islamic material culture, orientalist imaginations, systems of governance and the colonial present, search for the local identity, urban modernity and nationalism, and globalization. Usually offered every second year.

FA 34a History of Asian Art
[ ca nw ]

A selective survey of the art of the three major Asian areas: India, China, and Japan. Usually offered every second year.

FA 42b The Age of Cathedrals
[ ca ]

Architecture, sculpture, and painting (including stained glass) in Western Europe from the twelfth to the fifteenth century, with particular attention to the great churches of medieval France. Usually offered every fourth year.

FA 45a Early Renaissance Art in Tuscany from the Age of Dante to the Medici
[ ca ]

Course to be taught at Brandeis program in Siena.

Examines the development of late Medieval and Renaissance Art and Architecture between 1200 and 1500, with an emphasis on the centers of Siena and Florence, and artists who worked in these cities. Usually offered every year.

FA 46b High and Late Renaissance in Italy
[ ca ]

Examines the major works of art produced in Italy in the sixteenth century. It focuses on the principal centers of Florence, Rome, and Venice. The foremost artists of the age, Leonardo da Vinci, Michelangelo, Raphael, and Titian, receive in-depth coverage. The course also considers the social institutions, ecclesiastical, courtly and civic, that furnished the patronage opportunities and promoted the ideas that occasioned, even demanded, new artistic forms of grace and harmony, energy and torsion. Usually offered second year.

FA 47b Renaissance Art in Northern Europe
[ ca ]

A survey of the art of the Netherlands, Germany, and France in the fifteenth and sixteenth centuries. Cultural developments such as the invention of printing, the Protestant Reformation, and the practices of alchemy and witchcraft will be considered through the work of major artists. Usually offered every third year.

FA 48a Baroque Art and Architecture in Italy
[ ca ]

This course counts towards minors in Architectural Studies, Italian Studies, and Medieval and Renaissance Studies.

Immerse yourself in the spectacle of Papal Rome during the long seventeenth-century (1580-1730) when it was the artistic capital of Europe. We will study Caravaggio and Bernini in depth as the prevailing artistic forces, while considering the major contributions of the Carracci, Borromini, Poussin, Gentileschi, and Cortona. Apart from the patronage strategies of successive Popes and how they reshaped Rome with grand churches, palaces, and urban spaces, we will consider architectural and artistic production in such diverse centers as Venice, Naples, Bologna, and Turin. Usually offered every third year.

FA 56a American Art
[ ca deis-us ]

A survey of American painting from the colonial period to the early twentieth-century. Usually offered every third year.

FA 59a Modern Art and Modern Culture
[ ca ]

A thematic study of modernism in twentieth-century painting and sculpture, emphasizing three trends: primitivism, spiritualism, and the redefinition of reality. Individual artists and art movements will be examined in the context of literature, politics, and aesthetic theory. Artists include Picasso, Matisse, Kandinsky, and Duchamp. Usually offered every second year.

FA 61a History of Photography
[ ca ]

The history of photography from its invention in 1839 to the present, with an emphasis on developments in America. Photography is studied as a documentary and an artistic medium. Topics include Alfred Stieglitz and the photo-secession, Depression-era documentary, Robert Frank and street photography, and postmodern photography. Usually offered every third year.

FA 62a Art since 1945
[ ca ]

Survey of developments in painting and sculpture since World War II. Consideration of major trends of the period, including abstract expressionism, pop art, minimalism, color field painting, and realism. Usually offered every second year.

FA 71b The Art of Japan
[ ca nw ]

A survey of Japanese art from antiquity to the modern period. Usually offered every second year.

FA 72b Introduction to Korean Art
[ ca nw ]

Surveys Korean and Korean American art, focusing on later historical periods from the Joseon dynasty to the present. We will examine art and social systems, material culture, and shifting artistic identities in the country’s transition to modernity. The latter part of the course will focus on modern and contemporary art of Korea as well as the works of Korean American artists. Usually offered every fourth year.

FA 77b Twentieth-Century and Contemporary Latin American Art
[ ca djw nw ]

This course is a selective survey of the outstanding figures and movements that have made significant contributions to the history of Latin American art. Special focus will be on Mexican, Argentinean, Brazilian, Venezuelan and Cuban artists. Usually offered every second year.

FA 80a Modern Architecture
[ ca ]

Explores major architectural developments from the19th to the 21st century. While tracing major stylistic developments and new building types that have characterized "modernism" in architecture, the course also studies new forms of global dominance (via colonialism), expression of new sovereignties around the world (via the nationalist movements) and the creation of the new spaces of capitalism and consumption (the highway, the mall, the suburb, etc.) Usually offered every year.

FA 86b Museum Studies
[ ca dl ]

May not be taken for credit by students who took FA 85b in prior years.

An experiential learning seminar focused on the art object in the context of the museum; the history of museums (architecture, educational mission, curatorial presentation); museum ethics and provenance studies; new theories of museums and their expanded role in the community. Usually offered every second year.
Staff

FA 92b Internship and Analysis in Art History

Students may petition to receive credit for internships completed in museums, galleries and arts institutions. Student must get a faculty sponsor with whom they will agree in advance on the internship and requirements for receiving credit. Art history credit can also be earned by completing one of several internships offered at the Rose Art Museum for which students apply in the spring semester for the following academic year. At the Rose, focus may center in the areas of education, registrar, exhibition installation, or curatorial work. All student applications to the Rose, with preference given to upperclassmen, must be endorsed by a faculty recommendation. Usually offered every semester.

FA 96a Senior Research in Art History

Prerequisite: A minimum GPA in fine arts courses of 3.00. Art history students consult with faculty the second semester of their junior year and petition to enroll at the beginning of their senior year.

Usually offered every year.

FA 96b Senior Research in Art History

Prerequisite: A minimum GPA in fine arts courses of 3.00. Art history students consult with faculty the second semester of their junior year and petition to enroll at the beginning of their senior year.

Usually offered every year.

FA 98b Independent Study

Prerequisites: Normally open only to fine arts majors in their junior and senior years. As the number of times FA 98b may be taken is limited by department regulations, the interested student should consult the appropriate undergraduate advising head and his or her major adviser. Yields half-course credit.

Usually offered every year.

FA 149a The Age of Rubens, Rembrandt and Vermeer
[ ca wi ]

Explores the major figures of seventeenth-century painting in the Netherlands and Flanders: Rubens, Van Dyck, Rembrandt, and Vermeer. During this time, the ideal of Renaissance painter/courtier gives way to the birth of the modern artist in an open market, revolutionizing the subjects, themes, and styles of painting. Usually offered every second year.

FA 155a Impressionism: Avant-Garde Rebellion in Context
[ ca ]

Focuses on major 19th century artists in France, from the innovation of Edouard Manet to the formation of the group called the Impressionists. Study of the series of independent exhibitions, mounted between 1874 - 1886, and organized by the unlikely allies Edgar Degas and Claude Monet, including women artists Morisot and Cassatt. Also analysis of the influence of Japanese art from abroad, and the new 'objective' style, shaped in part by the invention of photography, will be a focus. The next generation - Cézanne, Gauguin, Seurat, and Van Gogh - develop stylistic ideas out of Impressionism, and re-shape its aims. Usually offered every third year.

FA 156b Postimpressionism and Symbolism, 1880-1910
[ ca wi ]

Artists Vincent Van Gogh, Gauguin, Seurat and Cézanne, first identified with Post-Impressionism, are contextualized with Toulouse-Lautrec and others who defined the French art world before 1900. Symbolism has its roots in the art work of Redon, Van Gogh and above all Gauguin, here studied in context with poetry and art criticism of the times. The Expressionist move toward an abstract idiom in Norway, Germany and Austria will focus on Edvard Munch and Gustav Klimt. Decorative styles such as Art Nouveau and Jugendstil define the bridge to the 20th century. The course ends with early 20th century masters, Matisse and the Fauves, and finally German Expressionism. Usually offered every fourth year.

FA 165a Contemporary Art
[ ca ]

After theories of power and representation and art movements of pop, minimalism, and conceptual art were established by the 1970s, artists began to create what we see in galleries today. This course addresses art at the turn of the millennium with attention to intersections of art and identity, politics, economy, and history. Usually offered every third year.

FA 166b Representing Globalism
[ ca djw nw ]

For several decades, artists have been investigating the character and consequences of life under global capitalism. Through examination of writings by artists, theorists, and historians in the context of art since the turn of the millennium, this course seeks to uncover stories of the global present and possible futures. Usually offered every third year.

FA 169a Ecology and Art
[ ca dl ]

Provides a theoretical foundation and art historical background for discussion of contemporary art that draws attention to the ecologies, primarily natural but also cultural, of which it and we are a part. Usually offered every third year.

FA 171b Buddhist Art
[ ca nw ]

Surveys Buddhist art and architecture in different parts of the world. Primarily, religious buildings, artworks, and monuments from South Asia, Southeast Asia, and East Asia will be examined within their historical, cultural, and social contexts. Usually offered every fourth year.

FA 176a Fashion History of China
[ ca ]

Examines the evolution of garments, ornaments, accessories, shoes, and other bodily adornments in China through the lens of art history. Ancient murals, tomb figurines, and representations in painting will be the primary materials of investigation. Students learn about the importance of dress and fashion (and their visual representations) in shaping identities through the ages. Usually offered every third year.

FA 177b French Connection in Modern East Asian Art
[ ca djw ]

Examines the encounter of East Asian artists with France, Paris in particular, since the late nineteenth century. It deals with a range of artistic expressions, focusing on painting, but also covering fashion design, architecture, and conceptual art. Usually offered every second year.

FA 178b Seminar on Chinese Calligraphy and Practice
[ ca nw oc ]

Prerequisite: Some knowledge of reading Chinese. May not be taken for credit by students who took FA 191a in prior years.

Introduces the major scripts and canonical works of Chinese calligraphy. Besides studying historical developments, students gain hands-on experience with producing their own works. The class combines theory and practice to advance understanding of the aesthetic, critical language, and the functions of this enduring art. Usually offered every second year.

FA 180a Contemporary Architecture
[ ca ]

Presents major innovations and stylistic developments in world architecture in the aftermath of World War II. Examining the larger social, political and cultural contexts within which architecture operates, the course will trace the diverse positions that characterize contemporary architecture across the globe. Special attention will be paid to the relationships between theories, debates, and the creative capacity of design and practice in architecture since the mid-twentieth century. Usually offered every fourth year.

FA 181a Housing and Social Justice
[ ca deis-us dl ss ]

Employs housing as a lens to interrogate space and society, state and market, power and change, in relation with urban inequality and social justice. It trains students to become participants in the global debates about housing. In doing so, it teaches students about dominant paradigms of urban development and welfare and situates such paradigms in the 20th century history of capitalism. It will explicitly adopt a comparative and transnational urban approach to housing and social justice, showing how a globalized perspective provides important insights into local shelter struggles and debates. Usually offered every second year.

FA 187a Approaches to Architecture and the City
[ ca ]

Trains students in developing the ability to conduct architectural and urban analysis of the built environment. Through a comparative case-study approach, based on selected readings, real spaces, and creative projects, students will better understand architectural and urban design in relation to social, cultural, human, and political aspects. Usually offered every year.

FA 191b Studies in Renaissance and Baroque Art
[ ca oc wi ]

Preference to Fine Arts majors and minors, Italian Studies minors, and Medieval and Renaissance minors only. Topics may vary from year to year; the course may be repeated for credit as topics change.

Usually offered every third year.

FA 192a Studies in Modern and Contemporary Art
[ ca oc ]

Topics may vary from year to year; the course may be repeated for credit.

Usually offered every third year.

FA 193a Studies in Modern and Contemporary Architecture
[ ca oc wi ]

Topics may vary from year to year; the course may be repeated for credit with permission of the instructor.

Usually offered every third year.

FA 194a Studies in Latin American Art
[ ca djw oc ]

Builds a theoretical foundation and art historical background for discussing art and theories coming from Latin America. The subject matter (specified in the topic that accompanies the title) in this seminar may vary depending on the instructor and year. Examples of topics include: Indigenous Art; Women Artists, Latinx Art, and Colonialism and Geopolitics.Usually offered every third year.

FA 197a Studies in Asian Art
[ ca nw oc ]

Topics may vary from year to year; the course may be repeated for credit with permission of the instructor. Usually offered every third year.

FA 199a Methods and Approaches in the History of Art
[ ca dl wi ]

Prerequisite: One course in Art History and instructor permission.

Explores various ways of analyzing works of art and provides an overview of the historical development of the discipline. Designed specifically for junior and senior art history majors. Usually offered every year.

FA/NEJS 43a Middle Eastern Cities: Navigating the Transition from Empires to Nation-States and the Globalized Wo
[ ca djw hum ]

Offers an integrated exploration of Middle Eastern literature, urbanism, and architecture. It delves into the vibrant urban heritage of the Middle East, spanning from ancient metropolises like Cairo, Damascus, Istanbul, Jerusalem, and Baghdad. By engaging in a comprehensive examination of Middle Eastern cities, students will acquire profound insights into the region's multifaceted histories, including the impacts of colonialism, imperialism, nation-state formation, and the dynamics within our increasingly globalized world. Usually offered every second year.

FA 3a Introduction to Drawing I
[ ca ]

Beginning-level course. No previous drawing experience necessary. Preference to first-year students and sophomores. May be repeated once for credit if taught by different instructors.

A studio class that introduces a range of drawing materials and methods, intended for both studio majors and non-majors. Students will draw from direct observation of still-life, landscape, and the human figure. Drawing media may include graphite, charcoal, ink, and collage, as well as watercolor and pastel. The drawings of great artists throughout history will be studied to provide examples of what is possible within this broad and expressive visual language. Usually offered every semester.

FA 4a Sculpture Foundation: 3-D Design I
[ ca ]

Beginning-level course. Preference to first-year students and sophomores. May be repeated once for credit if taught by different instructors.

Exploration of three-dimensional aspects of form, space, and composition utilizing a variety of materials and sculptural techniques. Emphasizes students' inventing of images through the use of modern materials and contemporary ideas about sculpture. Assignments are based on abstract thought and problem solving. The intent of this course is to give students a rich studio experience and promote a fresh and meaningful approach to visual concepts. Usually offered every semester.

FA 5a Sculpture: Utilizing Waste Stream Materials
[ ca ]

Encourages students to consider their studio practice through the lens of sustainability. Through out the semester, we will collaborate with the waste stream culture on campus to access materials for fabricating sculptural ideas and installations. Projects will be introduced through images and videos from contemporary artists that help inspire conversations as we move through the semester. A significant part of the course is participating in critique and trying to articulate what we see. Your skills will advance as a maker, and also as a more informed viewer. Usually offered every second year.

FA 5b Sculpture: Blurring the Boundaries
[ ca ]

This studio course is an opportunity to work both in painting and in sculpture. Students are expected to create a dialogue between methods of collage, drawing, monotype, painting, and methods of constructing three-dimensional objects, including mixed media and installation. We use paintings as a source for sculpture, and sculpture as a source for painting. There will be an additional two hours of monitored shop time that students are required to attend weekly outside of scheduled class time. Usually offered every year.

FA 6a Sculpture: Body as Source
[ ca ]

Explores how the body can be involved in the subject of making sculpture. Examines different ways in which the body is used as a source, including observation, process, fragmentation, narrative, and performance. Projects are introduced through slides from contemporary artists implementing the concepts put forth. Usually offered every second year.

FA 7a Drawing Under the Influence
[ ca ]

This course is intended for first-year students and sophomores.

Explores various historical and contemporary ideas and techniques. Through differing art practices, students create unique works of art that integrate genres and time periods in the service of self-expression. Students will examine, study and recreate facsimiles from the Renaissance, Baroque and Neoclassic eras as well as from Pop, Photorealist, Abstract Expressionist, and Minimalist movements. Usually offered every semester.

FA 8a Introduction to Video Art
[ ca dl ]

Explores producing moving images as fine art. While a basic overview of Adobe Premiere software is offered, emphasis is on conceptual framework and cultivating methodologies that best suit ideas. Students will experiment with materials, modes of production (performance, experimental documentation, appropriation, non-linear narrative), and exhibition (video monitors, projection, theatrical, installation, Internet) in order to consider the effect of these decisions on generating meaning and to better communicate one's statement through the genre. Usually offered every semester.

FA 9a Introduction to Digital Photography: Ethics of Photography
[ ca dl ]

Prerequisite: One studio art course, FA 3a - FA 28a. May be repeated for credit with permission of the instructor.

An introduction to the visual forms and concepts of the photographic image. A range of digital techniques is covered along with aspects of the history of photography. Students must provide their own digital camera. Field trips and image presentations supplement the studio aspect of the course. Usually offered every semester.

FA 10a Intermediate Photography: Constructing Imagery
[ ca dl ]

Prerequisite: FA 9a.

This photo is a fake! Through examining the notion of artifice, the creation of a photograph can adopt an interdisciplinary practice. By constructing the subject of an image, we are able to mediate the idea of what exactly a photograph can be. We will be examining the history of the constructed image alongside artistic approaches to image making, involving intervention and manipulation of a subject. In direct opposition to the methods of the candid and documentary genres in photography and film, the constructed image depends on artifice and invention to create or manipulate the subject. This genre makes use of a vast range of techniques including staging, directing, collaging, sculpting and painting, as well as creating a performative studio-based practice, where images are fabricated instead of being "found."

Students will work independently to produce visual works demonstrating the concepts learned in class. Topics will include: the history and theory of the constructed image, lighting equipment and techniques, intro to film software, as well as philosophical and political perspectives in the history of the constructed image. By the end of this class, students are expected to have a series of images (still or moving) that utilize these techniques to create a coherent body of work. Through constructing these images, students will be able to create their own visual language to convey personal narratives and ideologies. Usually offered every third year.

FA 11a Beginning Painting: Visual Concepts
[ ca ]

Previous drawing experience recommended.

A 6-hour per week class recommended for Studio Art majors and minors, and other students with drawing or pre-college painting experience. Concepts of form, color theory, and composition will be introduced while working from landscape, still life and the figure. Museum trips and slide lectures will augment studio work. Usually offered every fall.

FA 11b Beginning Painting: Visual Possibilities
[ ca ]

Previous drawing experience recommended.

This is a six-hour per week studio class recommended for sophomore studio art majors or other students desiring an in-depth painting course. Color theory and various methods of oil painting will be introduced while working from landscape, still life, and the figure. Museum trips and slide lectures will augment studio work. Usually offered every spring.

FA 12a Printmaking: Intaglio
[ ca ]

Using the etching press in the Printmaking Studio, this course is an introduction to basic intaglio processes of drypoint and etching as well as monotype, carborundum prints and collograph. Students will work on metal, plastic or cardboard plates and make experimental, painterly images in both black and white, and color. Usually offered every year.

FA 12b Printmaking: Woodcut and Relief
[ ca ]

Introduction to relief printmaking using linoleum and woodblock. Students become familiar with working in a print shop, how to use color in printmaking, planning images, direct drawing on wood, and how to critique printmaking in a group setting. Usually offered every year.

FA 13a Intermediate Drawing I
[ ca ]

Previous drawing experience recommended.

Intended for students seeking drawing experience beyond FA 3a and for studio art majors. Various materials and methods of drawing are used, as historical and contemporary works are studied through slides and museum strips. Students hone basic skills and use drawing as an increasingly personal language. Usually offered every fall.

FA 13b Drawing: Advanced Visual Concepts
[ ca ]

Previous drawing experience recommended.

Offers a wide range of experience in drawing. Perceptual and conceptual issues will be pursued, and students will be encouraged to concentrate on the more complex and creative aspects of drawing. Usually offered every spring.

FA 14a Intermediate Painting: On Location
[ ca ]

Prerequisites: FA 11a or FA 11b, or permission of the instructor.

An intermediate-level painting course emphasizing the plastic and formal means necessary to create work that will become an increasingly personal statement. Usually offered every fall.

FA 14b Intermediate Painting: The Figure in Context
[ ca ]

Prerequisite: FA 11a or FA 11b, or permission of the instructor.

An intermediate-level painting course emphasizing the plastic and formal means necessary to create work that will become an increasingly personal statement. Usually offered every spring.

FA 16a Off The Pedestal: Explorations of Installation Art
[ ca ]

Takes students through the processes of creating artworks outside of the studio or gallery. The course is designed to introduce concepts and practices of installation and site-specific art. We will focus on how artists use location and site as basis for artistic expression. Students will examine the intersections of object, environment, and audience. In completing a series of projects, readings, discussions, and critiques, students will engage in contemporary art practices that explore the boundaries between sculpture, landscape/architecture, and performance. Students will work independently and/or collaboratively to create site-specific works that transform the viewer’s experience of a space/locale. Focus will be on conceptual development, material experimentation, and engagement with the history and theories of installation and site-specific art. Usually offered every year.

FA 16b Sculpture: Object in Clay
[ ca ]

With clay as the focused material, this course offers an in-depth examination of sculptural concepts ranging from object-making to site-specific works. Numerous techniques and processes will be introduced including hand-building, wheel-throwing, and working from the figure. Students will be encouraged to develop their own visual vocabulary and to understand their ideas in the context of contemporary sculpture. Usually offered every semester.

FA 17a Printmaking: Monotypes
[ ca ]

Offers a hands-on experimentation with Monotype Printing. Monotypes are unique images produced using a plate/matrix. Monotypes can be created on metal, glass, plexiglass or cardboard using subtractive, additive or a combination of multiple processes. Students will also explore collagraphs; a collagraph print is made from a collage of various materials glued together and inked, using relief, intaglio and embossing printing techniques on an etching press, creating dimensional prints. Usually offered every second year.

FA 17b Printmaking: Silkscreen
[ ca ]

Explores silkscreen using photographic stencil techniques. Students learn how to create stencils that are handmade and computer-generated. The relationship between fine art and commercial printing is discussed. Usually offered every second year.

FA 18a Experimental Threads
[ ca ]

Prerequisite: Instructor permission.

Guides students through spinning, felting, sewing, weaving, mending, and embroidery techniques to promote inventive approaches with fibers across the disciplines of sculpture, textiles, fashion, painting, and book arts. Material possibilities include supple materials that can respond similarly to cloth and fibers such as plastic, rubber, wire, paper, and more. Students refine skills in design, armature making, and various textile practices while exploring materials in a hands-on, lab environment. Experimental Threads is a studio class complemented with historical background, theoretical texts, and autobiographical accounts. Lectures and readings uplift the marginalized histories of textile crafts, domestic labor, and outsider art. Visits to the Rose Art Museum provide exposure to an array of textile-based contemporary artworks. Discussions consider fiber arts in multiple contexts–cultural, domestic, industrial, art historical, decolonial, queer, and feminist. Usually offered every second year.

FA 23b Architectural Drawing and Digital Design I
[ ca dl ]

Prerequisite: Permission of the instructor. Only Architectural Studies IIM students may take both FA 23b and FA 24a for credit.

Intended to develop new skills in conceptualizing, designing, and communicating architectural ideas. Students will be exposed to conceptual strategies of form and space and site relationships within social and environmental factors. Students will study the basic techniques and concepts of architectural design and digital drawing, with two and three-dimensional representation skills. Usually offered every year.

FA 24a Architectural Drawing and Digital Design II
[ ca dl ]

Intended to develop new skills in conceptualizing, designing, and communicating architectural ideas. Students will be exposed to conceptual strategies of form and space and site relationships within social and environmental factors. Students will study the basic techniques and concepts of architectural design and digital drawing, with two and three-dimensional representation skills. Usually offered every year.

FA 27b Book Arts and Editions
[ ca ]

Hands-on exploration of the book format and artist book editions, including a brief introduction to the history and aesthetics of bookmaking. Students will learn about the form and structure of the book, sequencing, page layout and binding techniques, by doing their own books in class. The class includes demonstrations of various techniques, adhesive and non-adhesive bindings, sewn binding (single/multiple structures), experimental object-book formats and the preparation/layout of a book editions. No previous experience required. Usually offered every year.

FA 28a Painting Siena
[ ca ]

Course to be taught at Brandeis program in Siena.

Explores the unique cultural and artistic contributions of Siena, Italy. Students will study and practice traditional and contemporary painting techniques with excursions to visit masterworks and experience the cultural life of the medieval city. Usually offered every year.

FA 92a Internship and Analysis in Studio Art

Usually offered every year.

FA 98a Independent Study

Prerequisites: Normally open only to fine arts majors in their junior and senior years. As the number of times FA 98a may be taken is limited by department regulations, the interested student should consult the appropriate undergraduate advising head and his or her major adviser.

Usually offered every year.

FA 98b Independent Study

Prerequisites: Normally open only to fine arts majors in their junior and senior years. As the number of times FA 98b may be taken is limited by department regulations, the interested student should consult the appropriate undergraduate advising head and his or her major adviser. Yields half-course credit.

Usually offered every year.

FA 99a Senior Research in Studio Art

Prerequisites: A GPA in fine arts courses of 3.00.

Usually offered every year.

FA 99b Senior Research in Studio Art

Prerequisites: A GPA in fine arts courses of 3.00. Interested studio students must take FA 99a in the fall semester of their senior year, in addition to FA 110a and 110b. At the beginning of the spring semester, students wishing to pursue honors will have their artwork reviewed by studio faculty. Based on this review, eligible students will be given permission to enroll in FA 99b for the spring semester.

Usually offered every year.

FA 110a Senior Studio I
[ ca ]

Prerequisite: Instructor permission.

FA 110a and FA 110b are considered two halves of a full-year experience required for studio art majors. Heuristic in nature, this course culminates in a final studio faculty review of the work produced. Review will take the form of an exhibition. Student work can be undertaken in sculpture or painting or a combination of both. Usually offered every fall.

FA 110b Senior Studio II
[ ca ]

Prerequisite: Instructor permission.

FA 110a and FA 110b are considered two halves of a full-year experience required for studio art majors. Heuristic in nature, this course culminates in a final studio faculty review of the work produced. Review will take the form of an exhibition. Student work can be undertaken in sculpture or painting or a combination of both. Usually offered every spring.

FA 118a Studio Seminar
[ ca oc ]

Introduces students to crucial facets of a successful studio practice that happen concurrently, and in dialogue with art making. Writing, reading, communication, and professional practices will be explored as ways of bolstering students' understanding of their own studio practice within the wider history of art and particularly within the context of contemporary art. Usually offered every year.

FA 119b Professional Practice in Art
[ ca wi ]

Prerequisite: Instructor permission.

This is an introductory course to business practices of working artists and arts professionals for students who plan to pursue cultural work/production professionally. Part seminar, part laboratory, students will gain practical experience through hands-on writing exercises while contemplating the philosophical ramifications of what it means to be a contemporary practicing cultural worker through the course's curated reading material and discussion. We will explore diverse modes of professional engagement as well as various opportunities/possibilities, in and outside of traditional art world structures. Usually offered every year.

FA 220a Post Baccalaureate Studio Critique
[ ca ]

Introduces Post Baccalaureate students to crucial facets of a successful discussion and critique practice that happen concurrently, and in dialogue with art making. Communication will be explored as ways of bolstering students' understanding of their own studio practice within the wider history of art and particularly within the context of contemporary art. During group critiques, students are expected to critique both their own work and that of their peers. Students will be engaged in weekly active critique of their work and the work of their peers. Developing good critique skills will involve both one-on-one studio visits and group critique. Usually offered every year.

ANTH 184b Art in the Ancient World
[ djw nw ss ]

A cross-cultural and diachronic exploration of art, focusing on the communicative aspects of visual aesthetics. The survey takes a broad view of how human societies deploy images and objects to foster identities, lure into consumption, generate political propaganda, engage in ritual, render sacred propositions tangible, and chart the character of the cosmos. Usually offered every second year.

CAST 160a Provocative Art: Outside the Comfort Zone
[ ca ]

Presents, analyzes, and discusses art that provokes controversies, discomfort, and other strong responses. This class will focus on a broad range of artistic expressions, including visual art, theater, film, music, and literature with Brandeis faculty as well as visiting artists. Final project consists of students finding, articulating, and advocating for provocative art from multiple perspectives. Note: Students are responsible for attendance and assignments during the shopping period and must be present in those classes to be enrolled off the waitlist. Usually offered every semester.

CLAS 105b Introduction to Mediterranean Archaeology
[ hum ]

The Mediterranean region stands as a testament to the intricate tapestry of human history and culture. "Introduction to Mediterranean Archaeology" is an immersive and comprehensive exploration of this diverse and dynamic region. This course offers an interdisciplinary approach, integrating anthropology, history, art history, and environmental studies to unravel the mysteries of the Mediterranean's past. Topics in this course are intended to provide and understanding of the archaeology of the civilizations in the Mediterranean world from the Bronze Age through the Byzantine period. It will emphasize the contributions of studies of material culture to our understandings of social, economic, religious, and political activities and their changes over time. The study of ancient world provides us with a series of snippets of the past into the lives of people within a rich material world, filled with complicated societies remarkably similar to our own. By analyzing their remains, archaeologists investigate ‘big questions’ such as: How did religious practice intersect with political life? Was gender and identity just as dynamic in the ancient world? How was status communicated? The archaeology of ancient Mediterranean provides material evidence for understanding life in a complex past that also illuminates our own world today. Usually offered every year.

CLAS 111a Art and Archaeology of the Hellenistic World
[ hum ]

Surveys the art and archaeology of the Hellenistic world (including Greece, western and central Asia, north Africa, and Italy) focusing on the 4th century Mediterranean leading up to the conquests of Alexander the Great (336-323 BCE) and the kingdoms of his successors until the death of Cleopatra in 30 BCE. A major theme throughout this course will be the global culture of the cosmopolitan world created by Alexander the Great. Other themes will include encounters between varying cultural traditions, how material correlates of identity played out in all levels of society, and how the art, artifacts, and architecture of the Hellenistic communities were used to assert themselves in a rich multi-cultural environment. We will cover the elite, domestic, and funerary architectural remains associated with the Hellenistic kingdoms, as well as their material culture in the forms of mosaics, sculpture, and other portable artifacts. Usually offered every second year.

CLAS 116b The Archaeology of Imperialism
[ hum ]

Provides an in depth survey of the archaeological material and theory of empires across the ancient world. Usually offered every third year.

CLAS 133a The Art and Archaeology of Ancient Greece
[ ca hum ]

Surveys the main forms and styles of Greek art and architecture from the Bronze Age through the Hellenistic period in mainland Greece and on the islands of the Aegean. Archaeological remains and ancient literary evidence help explore the relationships between culture, the visual arts, and society. Usually offered every second year.

CLAS 134b The Art and Archaeology of Ancient Rome
[ ca hum ]

Surveys the art and architecture of the ancient Romans from the eighth century BCE to the end of the empire in Sicily, mainland Italy (with focus on Rome, Ostia, Pompeii, and Herculaneum), and in the Roman provinces. Usually offered every second year.

CLAS 136b Ancient Technology and Modern Approaches
[ hum ]

Examines the greatest technological discoveries from the classical world. How did these engineering and technological marvels turn the tides of war and alter the trajectory of civilizations? In hands-on modules, this course will introduce modern technology such as 3D Scanning & Printing, XRF, Virtual Reality, Drones and others, as a means of analyzing the ancient world. Usually offered every third year.

CLAS 145b Topics in Greek and Roman Art and Archaeology
[ ca hum ]

Topics vary from year to year and the course may be repeated for credit. Topics include daily life in ancient Rome; Greek and Roman technology and art; Rome, City of Marble; and Athens and the golden age of Greece. See Schedule of Classes for the current topic and description. Usually offered every second year.

CLAS 150b Pompeii: Life in the Shadow of Vesuvius
[ ca hum ]

Examines Pompeii and Herculaneum, buried by Vesuvius in 79 CE, using the ancient cities' art, architecture, and wall writings to understand the social, political, economic, and religious realities of Roman life on the Bay of Naples, especially in the first century CE. Usually offered every third year.

FREN 146a Picturing Versailles: Portrait, Space and Spectacle under the Sun King
[ fl hum ]

Prerequisite: FREN 106b or the equivalent, or permission of the instructor.

Examines bodies of literature, visual arts, and courtiers at Versailles in the theatrical society of intrigue and exile under Louis XIV. Concentrates on how the texts, maps, and art of the palace fashion a global portrait of absolutism: the Sun King. Usually offered every third year.

FREN 149b Le Livre Illustré: Word and Image in Francophone Texts from Bestiaries to Bandes Dessinées
[ fl hum wi ]

Prerequisite: FREN 106b or the equivalent, or permission of the instructor.

Explores the theories and practices of text-image interactions in illustrated francophone books of the past and present by addressing themes such as learning, travel, sentimentality, pornography, politics, and humor. This course will include archival work in the Brandeis library. Usually offered every third year.

PHIL 113b Aesthetics
[ ca hum wi ]

Examines the nature of art and aesthetic experience. Questions considered include: Is there an objective standard of taste? What is beauty? What counts as art? Are multiple performances of a play the same work of art, or different works of art? What is the role of emotion in art? How can something we know to be fictional make us have real feelings? What is the relationship between aesthetics and ethics? Does a work of art suffer aesthetically if it is about something morally vicious? How do public monuments reflect and shape our way of thinking about history and political society? Readings include historical and contemporary philosophers. Usually offered every second year.