Cultural historian George Scheper explores Oaxaca, Mexico—a vital crossroads from pre-Columbian times to today. He highlights the Zapotec and Mixtec peoples, Spanish colonial legacy, and Oaxaca’s evolution into a global arts center. Now a UNESCO World Heritage Site, the city boasts well-preserved colonial churches and palaces and a dynamic cultural life that reflects centuries of rich heritage and creative expression.
The HMS Challenger spent almost four years exploring the world’s oceans in the 1870s. It identified major ocean currents and defining features of the seafloor; measured sea temperatures and chemistry, creating baseline data; and collected nearly 5,000 sea creatures and plants new to science. More than 150 years later, the expedition’s findings are also shining a light on the effects of climate change. Author Gillen D’Arcy Wood looks at the legacy of this scientific odyssey.
Originally part of the residence of the Medici dynasty, the Palatine Gallery encompasses the entire second floor of the Pitti Palace in Florence, Italy. Its collection includes the largest concentration of paintings by Raphael in the world, as well as works by Titian, Tintoretto, Caravaggio and Rubens. Italian Renaissance art expert Rocky Ruggiero discusses some of these magnificent pieces of art. (World Art History Certificate elective, 1/2 credit)
The Renaissance is often linked to antiquity’s rediscovery, but art historian Liz Lev argues its roots lay in mendicant orders emphasizing the Gospel’s human elements. St. Francis of Assisi, founder of the Franciscans, embodied holiness that “went viral,” inspiring Giotto and Dante to reform art, highlighting the human condition with its quirks and heroic journeys. By weaving The Divine Comedy with frescoes in Assisi and Padua’s Scrovegni Chapel, Lev contends Renaissance art’s most compelling features arose from new spirituality rather than pagan revival. (World Art History Certificate elective, 1/2 credit)
The Gallerie dell’Accademia in Venice contains a wealth of masterpieces of Venetian painting. The most notable piece in the collection, which is only rarely on display due to its fragile nature, is Leonardo da Vinci’s Vitruvian Man. The collection also includes works by Bellini, Carpaccio, Giorgione, Tintoretto, Titian, and Veronese. Italian Renaissance art expert Rocky Ruggiero showcases gems from this treasure trove. (World Art History Certificate elective, 1/2 credit)
Whether you want to work in digital or film, this course offers a solid foundation for new photographers ready to learn the basics. Topics include camera functions, exposure, metering, working with natural and artificial light, and composition.
From ancient gods and goddesses to timeless heroic narratives, classical myths have long shaped artistic expression—but how do these age-old stories resonate in modern and postmodern art? Art historian Jennie Hirsh explores the surprisingly vital and often overlooked role of classical mythology in contemporary art, showing how artists use these stories not just to illustrate, but to engage with questions of identity, power, gender, and society. (World Art History Certificate elective, 1/2 credit)
Raphael, one of the High Renaissance’s great masters alongside Michelangelo and Leonardo, rose from Perugino’s apprentice in Urbino to the favored artist of popes and princes. In just two decades, he synthesized influences into serene compositions and ideal beauty, leaving a legacy of harmony and grace before his death at 37. Art historian Elaine Ruffolo explores his extraordinary ascent—from early apprenticeships under Perugino to encounters with Michelangelo and Leonardo in Florence, and finally to his crowning achievements in Rome. (World Art History Certificate elective, 1/2 credit)
