All upcoming World Art History Certificate: Core Courses programs

Over the centuries, major themes in art continue to appear and reappear. Portraiture, landscapes, and scenes of everyday life are a few notable examples of areas that artists have interpreted in styles ranging from the naturalistic to the surreal. Art historian Joseph Cassar examines significant masterworks within selected genres and offers a new way to understand and appreciate their similarities, as well as the uniqueness of the artists and the cultural norms that influenced them. (World Art History Certificate core course, 1 credit)

Explore the art and architecture of the Middle Ages through dazzling early Christian mosaics, sumptuous Carolingian illuminated manuscripts, sculpted Romanesque church facades, and soaring Gothic cathedrals. Art historian Judy Scott Feldman examines the art of the thousand-year period between classical antiquity and the Renaissance and its relationship to a diverse society infused with faith and spirituality. (World Art History Certificate core course, 1 credit)

Art superstars Mary Cassatt, Georgia O’Keeffe, and Frida Kahlo didn’t evolve within a vacuum. They descended from centuries of celebrated women artists—as well as those whose names were lost. Art historian Nancy G. Heller traces the history of European and American women artists from the late 16th century to 1950, addressing the socioeconomic, political, and aesthetic significance of their work and placing their lives and art within the context of their male contemporaries. (World Art History Certificate core course, 1 credit)

Painting was often perceived as a sister art of music, though typically occupying a somewhat lower place in the hierarchy. Nonetheless, throughout the Early Modern era, painters used musical motifs in their works to give their paintings a "voice" and convey a sense of beauty and harmony comparable to those qualities in musical compositions. Art historian Aneta Georgievska-Shine explores this relationship as it evolved between the 15th and the 17th centuries in Italy and Northern Europe. (World Art History Certificate core course, 1 credit)