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Art History Courses

Art History MA Courses

Each 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.

 

Description:

This seminar is concerned with built environments and aspects of natural/cultural landscapes.

 

 

Component(s):

Seminar

 

 

Description:

This seminar focuses on the evolving arts practices of Indigenous peoples, including themes of collection, exhibition, historical continuity, and power relations.

 

 

Component(s):

Seminar

 

 

Description:

This seminar explores issues in the theory and practice of craft studies.

 

 

Component(s):

Seminar

 

 

Description:

This seminar considers postcolonial and decolonizing themes, theories and methodologies as these pertain to art and visual culture.

 

 

Component(s):

Seminar

 

 

Description:

This seminar explores various forms of feminist history, theory and activism on the production and reception of art and architecture.

 

 

Component(s):

Seminar

 

 

Description:

This seminar focuses on aspects of art and art history in Canada and Quebec.

 

 

Component(s):

Seminar

 

 

Description:

This seminar focuses on the history, theory and criticism of architecture.

 

 

Component(s):

Seminar

 

 

Description:

This seminar explores various aspects of photography history and theory.

 

 

Component(s):

Seminar

 

 

Description:

This seminar investigates practices, theories, and methodologies related to material culture.

 

 

Component(s):

Seminar

 

 

Description:

This seminar explores how artistic practices intersect with the history and theory of media and technology.

 

 

Component(s):

Seminar

 

 

Description:

This seminar considers how art negotiates questions of globalization, diaspora, and transnationalism.

 

 

Component(s):

Seminar

 

 

Description:

This course allows students to work closely with an individual professor, on a research topic not covered by the program's seminars.

 

 

Component(s):

Seminar

 

 

Description:

This seminar focuses on the history of museums, museological theories, and institutional critique.

 

 

Component(s):

Seminar

 

 

Description:

This seminar is dedicated to curatorial knowledge, theories, skills and practices.

 

 

Component(s):

Seminar

 

 

Description:

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 Term

 

 

Description:

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 Research

 

 

Prerequisite/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 Research

 

Notes:


  • Credit for this pass/fail seminar is accorded once the students have delivered their thesis presentation during the second year of the program.

 

Description:

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):

Thesis Research

 

 

Description:

This seminar explores the social contexts of selected artistic/architectural themes, movements, and periods.

 

 

Description:

This seminar considers art and art history from Black Studies perspectives.

 

 

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.

 

 

Description:

This seminar explores histories and theories of design.

 

 

Description:

This seminar considers the formative role of spirituality and religious practices on art making and architectural practice.

 

 

Description:

This seminar addresses various methodological approaches and theories relevant to art history.

 

Art History PhD Courses

Block A Seminars:  Methodology

 

Description:

Students reflect critically on the theoretical and methodological foundations of current art historical practice. This seminar is offered in English.

 

 

Component(s):

Seminar

 

Notes:


  • 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.

 

Description:

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):

Seminar

 

Notes:


  • 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

 

Component(s):

Seminar

 

Notes:


  • Instructors determine the language or languages of instruction and discussion for Block B seminars.

 

Component(s):

Seminar

 

Notes:


  • Instructors determine the language or languages of instruction and discussion for Block B seminars.

 

Component(s):

Seminar

 

Notes:


  • Instructors determine the language or languages of instruction and discussion for Block B seminars.

 

Component(s):

Seminar

 

Notes:


  • Instructors determine the language or languages of instruction and discussion for Block B seminars.

 

Component(s):

Seminar

 

Notes:


  • Instructors determine the language or languages of instruction and discussion for Block B seminars.

 

Component(s):

Seminar

 

Notes:


  • Instructors determine the language or languages of instruction and discussion for Block B seminars.

Comprehensive Examination, Research and Thesis Courses

 

Description:

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.

 

Description:

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 Research

 

Notes:


  • 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.

 

Description:

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.

 

Description:

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 Research

 

 
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