Art History Courses
Art History MA CoursesEach year the Department of Art History will offer a selection of courses from those listed below. A list of those courses, as well as information as to the specific content of seminar offerings, is available on the Department of Art History website.
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This seminar is concerned with built environments and aspects of natural/cultural landscapes.Component(s):
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This seminar focuses on the evolving arts practices of Indigenous peoples, including themes of collection, exhibition, historical continuity, and power relations.Component(s):
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This seminar explores issues in the theory and practice of craft studies.Component(s):
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This seminar considers postcolonial and decolonizing themes, theories and methodologies as these pertain to art and visual culture.Component(s):
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This seminar explores various forms of feminist history, theory and activism on the production and reception of art and architecture.Component(s):
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This seminar focuses on aspects of art and art history in Canada and Quebec.Component(s):
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This seminar focuses on the history, theory and criticism of architecture.Component(s):
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This seminar explores various aspects of photography history and theory.Component(s):
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This seminar investigates practices, theories, and methodologies related to material culture.Component(s):
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This seminar explores how artistic practices intersect with the history and theory of media and technology.Component(s):
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This seminar considers how art negotiates questions of globalization, diaspora, and transnationalism.Component(s):
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This course allows students to work closely with an individual professor, on a research topic not covered by the program's seminars.Component(s):
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This seminar focuses on the history of museums, museological theories, and institutional critique.Component(s):
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This seminar is dedicated to curatorial knowledge, theories, skills and practices.Component(s):
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Students undertake an internship at an arts organization and perform concrete tasks designed to enhance their learning through practical experience (e.g. curating an exhibition, writing a catalogue essay, editing a publication, organizing a speakers' series) and also reflect on that experience. Students have an academic supervisor as well as on-site supervision. The internship involves 150 hours of work and is approved by the academic supervisor and the graduate program director, who ensure that the tasks, learning objectives and assessments are consistent with the objectives of the MA program.Component(s):
Practicum/Internship/Work TermDescription:
Students take this individualized study course with their supervisor, normally in the summer term following the first year of study. This course must be completed before students begin writing their thesis. Supervisor and students meet to determine the list of scholarly texts and/or archival materials to be addressed in order to strengthen the students' foundational knowledge of their designated research field and prepare them for writing the thesis. The students are responsible for a series of annotations, together with an essay that synthesizes the annotated material (total word count approximately 6000 words).Component(s):
Thesis ResearchPrerequisite/Corequisite:
The following course must be completed previously: ARTH 654.Description:
This course is designed to introduce students to the intellectual and professional aspects of graduate school and academia, such as writing a thesis, conducting research, engaging with art historical theory and methodologies, giving a conference paper, applying for grants.Component(s):
Seminar; Thesis ResearchNotes:
- Credit for this pass/fail seminar is accorded once the students have delivered their thesis presentation during the second year of the program.
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Each student submits a thesis of 13,000 - 15,000 words (excluding notes, bibliography and other supporting materials), prepared under the supervision of a tenured or tenure-track professor in the Department of Art History who examines the thesis along with one other professor.Component(s):
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This seminar explores the social contexts of selected artistic/architectural themes, movements, and periods.Description:
This seminar explores aspects of gender and sexuality in relation to histories of art and architecture.Description:
This seminar investigates how questions of social justice intersect with art and visual culture.Description:
This seminar is concerned with aspects of visual culture, including theories of visuality and various modes of visual production.Art History PhD Courses
Block A Seminars: Methodology
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Students reflect critically on the theoretical and methodological foundations of current art historical practice. This seminar is offered in English.Component(s):
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- The language of discussion in Block A seminars is the same as the language of instruction, with the understanding that students may express complex ideas in the program's other language.
- Students who have received credit for ARTH 800 may not take this course for credit.
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Analyse des bases théoriques de la discipline et réflexion critique sur les questionnements actuels des diverses méthodologies appliquées l'étude des oeuvres d'art.Component(s):
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- The language of discussion in Block A seminars is the same as the language of instruction, with the understanding that students may express complex ideas in the program's other language.
Students who have received credit for ARTH 800 may not take this course for credit.
Block B Seminars: Art History and Its Object
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- Instructors determine the language or languages of instruction and discussion for Block B seminars.
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- Instructors determine the language or languages of instruction and discussion for Block B seminars.
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- Instructors determine the language or languages of instruction and discussion for Block B seminars.
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- Instructors determine the language or languages of instruction and discussion for Block B seminars.
Comprehensive Examination, Research and Thesis Courses
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In the interests of promoting the development of an intellectual community within the program, a forum consisting of professors and students in the program is held twice a year. Each student, at some point during their degree, must give a paper based on their thesis research.Notes:
- This paper will be evaluated by a committee consisting of three professors and accorded a pass or fail grade. The doctoral forum is bilingual, with translation provided when necessary.
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Each student must successfully complete one oral and one written examination, which are evaluated by the three professors constituting the student’s thesis committee. These examinations are based on a pre-established list of readings focused on the theoretical and methodological issues which inform the student’s specific area of research. The exams are intended to verify whether the student is sufficiently prepared to undertake the writing of a thesis. Students determine the language or languages for the examinations.Component(s):
Thesis ResearchNotes:
- Students who fail these examinations must take them a second time during the following semester. Those failing the second attempt will be withdrawn from the program.
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This tutorial is directed by the thesis advisor and is oriented to the student’s thesis topic. Its objective is to allow the student to articulate a detailed research project, define its corpus, and develop its theoretical and methodological hypotheses with a view to obtaining the approval of the thesis committee.Notes:
- This project, including an activity calendar, must be submitted at the end of the student’s first year. Students should register once work is completed and a grade has been assigned.
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The doctoral candidate must submit a thesis which makes an important and original contribution to knowledge in Art History. The thesis is defended orally before a committee composed of five individuals: the thesis advisor, the two other members of the thesis committee, one examiner from a department or program within the university other than the candidate’s, and one external examiner from outside the four universities.Component(s):
Thesis ResearchCuratorial Studies and Practices Courses
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This seminar introduces the students to the histories and theories of curatorial practices in various local, national, and international contexts. It also explores a range of historical, social, economic, educational, ethical, legal, technological, and administrative issues concerning curation and various types of institutions. The course introduces both theoretical and historical aspects of curatorial practice from an array of perspectives such as, but not limited to, Indigenous, Black, queer, feminist, and decolonial approaches, and methodologies including cultural analysis, institutional critique, and activist interventions, to cite only a few examples. The choice of topics will vary depending on the expertise of the faculty member.
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The following course must be completed previously: ARTH 676Description:
This course integrates both theoretical and practical aspects of curatorial practice through a decolonized, anti-oppression, inclusive, and sustainable lens. Curatorial engagements from an array of theoretical perspectives and methodologies such as cultural analysis, collaboration, institutional critique, performative interventions, and networked interactivity are investigated. Current debates concerning how exhibitions function as forms of research and knowledge production, as well as their ideological and social conditions are also examined. The choice of topics will vary depending on the expertise of the faculty member.
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The following course must be completed previously: ARTH 676 . The following course must be taken previously or concurrently: ARTH 677Description:
This course focuses on the research and planning process of a significant project that can be actualized in ARTH 679: Curatorial Project, or later in their career. In addition to developing practical professional skills for exhibition design, such as proposal preparation and budget management, students gain theoretical professional experience by drafting a prospectus or other first deliverable for the project and presenting this to the cohort to refine and strengthen the final work. The course takes advantage of projects, available spaces, planned cultural events or exhibitions taking place in any given year. Students become familiar with the diverse facets and various functions of a given professional environment on a theoretical level.Component(s):
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The following courses must be completed previously: ARTH 676 , ARTH 677 , ARTH 678 .Description:
Students carry out the project researched and planned in ARTH 678, allowing them to be involved from inception to completion. The goal of this practicum is to provide students with the hands-on opportunity to mobilize their theoretical training in a specific setting, as well as enable the development of a critical reflection on their practical work. The hands-on experience and training aspect is enhanced through the supervision and mentorship of the faculty teaching the course as well as the site supervisor. During the practicum course, students gain professional experience through the realization of a significant project.