The Department of Art and Art History offers three graduate degrees—the MFA in art practices, the MA in art history and the PhD in the Arts of the Americas—as well as the MFA/MBA and MA/MBA dual degrees in collaboration with the Leeds School of Business.

The MA in art history is intended to give students a broad general knowledge of art history in a two-year program. Students who have achieved a distinguished record in this MA program should be well prepared for acceptance into a doctoral program in art history as well as other careers requiring an MA in art history or an equivalent degree. 

The MFA in art practices is a rigorous program intended for artists committed to pursuing a professional life in the arts and prepares students for careers as practicing artists and arts professionals, as well as teachers in colleges, universities and art schools. During the two-and-a-half-year program, students focus on one of several fields, including: ceramics, IMAP (photography, digital media, video, integrated arts), painting and drawing, printmaking, sculpture and post-studio practice, and film (in collaboration with the Department of Cinema Studies and Moving Images Arts). 

The MFA/MBA and MA/MBA program requires candidates to submit separate applications to the Department of Art and Art History as well as the Leeds School of Business. In addition to the required coursework, MFA and MA students gain additional insights about their respective fields through the Visiting Artist Program and Visiting Scholars Program, both of which invite distinguished artists and scholars to CU for talks, seminars and individual meetings with students.

The PhD in arts of the Americas emphasizes the cross-cultural circulation of visual culture in the Americas from ancient to contemporary times. Our program encourages students to think across subfields (e.g., Pre-Columbian Art, Colonial Latin American Art, Modern and Contemporary Latin American Art, Native North American Art, Modern and Contemporary American Art, etc.) and to situate American visual culture in the fluid circuits of cross-cultural exchange, as well as global intellectual and trade networks. This interdisciplinary approach brings Art History into dialogue with Anthropology, History, Ethnic Studies, Women's and Gender Studies, Religious Studies, and other disciplines in the humanities, social sciences, and natural sciences. Our accelerated PhD program is ideal for students who already have an MA in art history or an equivalent degree, including professionals in the art field seeking an opportunity to advance in their career by earning a PhD.

The faculty are highly active in their respective fields, from publishing important articles and books on historical and contemporary art to exhibiting in galleries and museums to establishing nontraditional artist venues and opportunities. The faculty are also committed teachers and mentors who work closely with graduate students, helping them to realize their individual visions as artists and historians.

Students who are accepted to the MA, MFA,  MFA/MBA, MA/MBA and PhD programs join the CU Boulder Graduate School, which serves the community of graduate students, faculty and staff, one of the nation's premier comprehensive research universities. The Graduate School offers guidance on a wide array of academic, social and financial issues, and can assist in navigating the often complex world of graduate education.

Serving as an umbrella organization since 1892, the Graduate School currently oversees 100 graduate and professional programs. The Graduate School works to guarantee a standard of quality and cohesion across all disciplines, ensuring the continuing integrity and value of a CU Boulder graduate degree. The Graduate School also helps make possible the many connections between the campus and outside constituencies, in the state, the nation and the world.

Click here to visit the Department of Art and Art History's Website.

Course codes for these programs are ARTF, ARTH and ARTS.

Special Programs

The CU Art Museum

The CU Art Museum is a cultural gateway to CU Boulder, facilitating engagement with larger societal issues through a greater understanding of the arts in a global context. The CU Art Museum is committed to enhancing understanding and appreciation of the visual arts within the academic community and among regional, national and international audiences. It provides access to art of the highest quality through exhibitions, publications and related educational events that reflect diversity, critical thinking and creative research. The museum also facilitates student training in museum practices. As a collecting institution, the CU Art Museum promotes the excellence, preservation, scholarly interpretation, exhibition and growth of its comprehensive permanent collection, which includes artworks from numerous time periods, artistic traditions and cultures. The 25,000-square-foot CU Art Museum contains five galleries, including permanent collection galleries, changing exhibition galleries and a video gallery. The CU Art Museum also includes a collections study center, allowing students, faculty and researchers the opportunity to schedule appointments to view, research and study works in its permanent collection.

The CU Art Museum's Permanent Collection

The Permanent Collection of the CU Art Museum contains over 8,800 works of art. The collection includes works from numerous time periods and cultures including ancient Greek pottery, Roman Glass, ancient Iranian pottery, Southwestern and South American santos, Southeast Asian pottery, African sculpture, Old Master works on paper, British 18th century prints, 19th and 20th century American prints and paintings, Japanese ukiyo-e prints, 19th century photography, Pop art, Minimalist works on paper and modern and contemporary ceramics, sculpture, works on paper, paintings, photography, video and new media art.

Visiting Scholar Program

This program is organized to explore the discipline of art history—its cultural connections, methodological pursuits and its changing nature—by focusing extensively on the research and insights of individual academic experts. Three to five highly regarded art historians and/or art critics speak at a public lecture, presenting current research and published papers. 

Visiting Artist Program

Artists of national and international reputation interact with graduate and advanced undergraduate students and discuss their studio work at seminar meetings. Artists present a public lecture during their visit, providing continuous input of significant developments and a comprehensive view of contemporary issues in the arts.

Visual Resources Center (VRC)

The mission of the VRC is to provide and facilitate access to images, imaging and related information resources for teaching and research in the Department of Art and Art History. This includes: 1) a departmental image collection and support for other important image resources; 2) resources, training and support in digital imaging and image presentation software; and 3) equipment for use in creative work, documentation and classrooms within the department. The digital image collection contains works by faculty, MFA thesis recipients, visiting artists and other contemporary and historical works. Digital imaging resources include slide and flatbed scanning stations, with training available in digitization standards and best practices. VRC equipment includes laptops, data projectors, digital SLR cameras, video cameras, tripods and other equipment for use in the department. The VRC also circulates its collection of DVDs containing lectures and interviews from the department's Visiting Artist Program. Visit the department's Visual Resources Center webpage for more information.

For a full list of departmental resources, visit the department's Resources webpage. 

Faculty

While many faculty teach both undergraduate and graduate students, some instruct students at the undergraduate level only. For more information, contact the faculty member's home department.

Alhadeff, Albert
Associate Professor; PhD, New York University

Ambrose, Kirk T.
Professor; PhD, University of Michigan Ann Arbor

Amerika, Mark
Professor; MFA, Brown University

Brown, Marilyn Ruth
Professor Emerita; PhD, Yale University

Chamberlin, H. Scott
Professor; MFA, New York State College of Ceramics at Alfred University

Chong, Albert
Professor; MFA, University of California, San Diego

Christie, Matt
Instructor; MFA, Virginia Commonwealth University

Cline, Clinton C.
Professor Emeritus

Cohen, Brianne Caitlin
Assistant Professor; PhD, University of Pittsburgh

Cordova, James M.
Associate Professor, Associate Chair; PhD, Tulane University

Day, Robert E.
Professor Emeritus

de Stecher, Annette W.
Assistant Professor, Associate Chair; PhD, Carleton University

Dickey, Kimberly
Professor; MFA, New York State College of Ceramics at Alfred University

Duresse-Stimilli, Francoise
Associate Professor; MFA, Temple University

Ecker, Robert R.
Professor Emeritus

Farago, Claire Joan
Professor Emerita; PhD, University of Virginia

Forsman, Charles S.
Professor Emeritus

Foster, Suzanne R.
Professor Emeritus

Frost, Steven
Instructor; MFA, School of Art Institute of Chicago

Geck, Francis J.
Professor Emeritus

Gregorio, Alvin P.
Associate Professor; MFA, Claremont Graduate School

Iwamasa, Ken
Professor Emeritus

Kassianidou, Marina
Assistant Professor; PhD, Chelsea College of Arts (UK)

Kunkel, Jerry W.
Professor Emeritus

Liotta, Jeanne M.
Associate Professor; BFA, New York University

Miller, Kay
Professor Emerita

Minor, Vernon H.
Professor Emeritus

Nauman, Robert
Senior Instructor; PhD, University of New Mexico

Potter, Thomas J.
Professor Emeritus

Qualley, Charles A.
Professor Emeritus

Quinn, Jeanne
Professor, Chair; MFA, University of Washington

Rivera, George F. Jr.
Professor; PhD, SUNY at Buffalo

Roth, Yumi J.
Associate Professor; MFA, SUNY College at New Paltz

Sampson, John Franklin
Professor Emeritus

Saxton, Richard W.
Associate Professor; MFA, Indiana University Bloomington

Shell, Hannah Rose
Associate Professor; PhD, Harvard University

Stevens, Charlene
Associate Professor; MFA, Indiana University Bloomington

Su, Stephanie Wenhui
Assistant Professor; PhD, University of Chicago

Sweetman, Alex John
Associate Professor; MFA, SUNY at Buffalo

Theodore, Michael
Associate Professor; PhD, University of California, San Diego

Tsouhlarakis, Georgianna
Assistant Professor; MFA, Yale University

Valdovino, Luis Hector
Professor; MFA, University of Illinois at Urbana–Champaign

Vandersall, Amy L.
Professor Emerita

Walker, Melanie
Associate Professor; MFA, Florida State University

Wilson, John B.
Professor Emeritus

Wolfe, Lynn Robert
Professor Emeritus

Womack, Mike Fitzgerald
Associate Professor, Associate Chair; MFA, Pratt Institute

Woodman, Elizabeth A.
Professor Emerita

Yazzie, Melanie A.
Professor; MFA, University of Colorado Boulder

Courses

Art Film Studies

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ARTF 5000 (3) Advanced Digital Postproduction

The world of video changes with blinding speed. This class lays the groundwork to keep up with the changing technology and all the technical details of working in commercial post. We will look at distributed rendering, color grading, film scanning, multi-editor collaboration, live production virtual reality and distribution. Every week students will have a technological challenge and work as a team to solve it. Strong familiarity with Adobe, Avid and DaVinci is recommended.

Equivalent - Duplicate Degree Credit Not Granted: CINE 4000
Requisites: Restricted to graduate students only.
Additional Information: Departmental Category: Graduate Film Courses

ARTF 5003 (3) Film and Literature

Explores similarities and differences between literature and film as narrative arts. Studies novels, short stories and plays and films made from them. Examines problems in point of view, manipulation of time, tone, structure, and setting.

Equivalent - Duplicate Degree Credit Not Granted: CINE 4003
Requisites: Restricted to graduate students only.
Additional Information: Departmental Category: Graduate Film Courses

ARTF 5004 (3) Topics in Film Theory

Provides topic-centered analyses of controversial areas in film theory. Students read extensive materials in the topic area, analyze and summarize arguments as presented in the literature, write "position" papers and make oral presentations in which they elaborate their own arguments about specific assigned topic, establishing critical dialogue with the primary materials.

Equivalent - Duplicate Degree Credit Not Granted: CINE 4004 and HUMN 4004
Repeatable: Repeatable for up to 6.00 total credit hours.
Requisites: Requires prerequisite course of CINE 3051 (minimum grade D-). Restricted to graduate students only.
Additional Information: Departmental Category: Graduate Film Courses

ARTF 5010 (1-3) Topics in Film Production

Prepares students for advanced cinema production courses. Subject matter varies each semester.

Equivalent - Duplicate Degree Credit Not Granted: CINE 4010
Repeatable: Repeatable for up to 9.00 total credit hours. Allows multiple enrollment in term.
Requisites: Restricted to graduate students only.
Additional Information: Departmental Category: Graduate Film Courses

ARTF 5013 (3) Film, Photography and Modernism

Provides interdisciplinary study of film, photography and modernism, focusing on issues such as dystopia, alienation, sexuality, subjectivity and self-referentiality. Photographs by Stieglitz, Strand, Weston, Evans, Cartier-Bresson, Kertesz and Moholy-Nagy. Films by Dziga-Vertov, Eisenstein, Resnais, Antonioni, Bergman, Bunuel and Bertolucci.

Equivalent - Duplicate Degree Credit Not Granted: FILM 4013
Requisites: Requires prerequisite course of FILM 1502 (minimum grade D-).
Recommended: Prerequisite FILM 3051.
Additional Information: Departmental Category: Graduate Film Courses

ARTF 5021 (3) Directing/Acting for the Camera

Offers an intensive workshop that provides students with experience directing dramatic material, acting before a camera, and interpreting or adopting dramatic material for film. No experience in directing or acting required. Attendance, research, and papers required.

Equivalent - Duplicate Degree Credit Not Granted: CINE 4021
Requisites: Restricted to graduate students only.
Additional Information: Departmental Category: Graduate Film Courses

ARTF 5023 (3) Topics in International Cinema

Focuses on major international filmmakers who have had a decisive impact on world cinema. Students will learn how directors create their own innovative body of work with specific formal and thematic patterns and will also learn to place such work within multiple frameworks that will cover film history, theory, aesthetics, philosophy and social and cultural analysis.

Equivalent - Duplicate Degree Credit Not Granted: CINE 4023
Repeatable: Repeatable for up to 6.00 total credit hours.
Requisites: Requires prerequisite course of CINE 1502 (minimum grade D-). Restricted to graduate students only.
Recommended: Prerequisites CINE 3051 and CINE 3061.
Additional Information: Departmental Category: Graduate Film Courses

ARTF 5024 (3) Advanced Research Seminar

Focuses on a specific topic, director, or genre chosen by the professor. Research skills and critical thinking are emphasized. With faculty guidance, students determine individual projects and present them to the class. Class participation is mandatory. Each student submits a thorough and original research paper for a final grade.

Equivalent - Duplicate Degree Credit Not Granted: CINE 4024
Repeatable: Repeatable for up to 6.00 total credit hours.
Requisites: Restricted to graduate students only.
Recommended: Prerequisites CINE 3051 and CINE 3061.
Additional Information: Departmental Category: Graduate Film Courses

ARTF 5040 (3) Advanced Analog Alchemy

Investigating, developing, and re-interpreting historical approaches and processes involved in the creation of Analog motion picture works. Students will work with Analog mediums in alternative modes and unestablished ways and develop their personal process towards the goal of producing a unique moving image work to be presented in a final analog format for exhibition.

Equivalent - Duplicate Degree Credit Not Granted: CINE 4040
Repeatable: Repeatable for up to 6.00 total credit hours.
Requisites: Restricted to Art Practices (ARTF) students only.

ARTF 5043 (1-3) Topics in Cinema Critical Studies

Prepares students for advanced Cinema Studies critical studies courses. Subject matter varies each semester.

Equivalent - Duplicate Degree Credit Not Granted: CINE 4043
Repeatable: Repeatable for up to 9.00 total credit hours. Allows multiple enrollment in term.
Requisites: Restricted to graduate students only.
Additional Information: Departmental Category: Graduate Film Courses

ARTF 5105 (3) Advanced Screenwriting

Introduces professional screenwriting, in the form of a creative writing workshop. Admission by portfolio (see film department). Students write scenes and scripts for short films, feature treatments, etc., and are graded on a final portfolio. Department enforced prerequisite: approved writing sample.

Equivalent - Duplicate Degree Credit Not Granted: CINE 4105
Recommended: Prerequisites CINE 3051 and CINE 3061.
Additional Information: Departmental Category: Graduate Film Courses

ARTF 5200 (3) Flow Visualization

Explores techniques for the visualization of the physics of fluid flows including seeding with dyes, particles and bubbles, and shadowgraphy and schlieren. Reviews optics and fluid physics, especially atmospheric clouds. Assignments are student-driven, to individuals and mixed teams of graduates, undergraduates, engineering majors and photography/video majors.

Equivalent - Duplicate Degree Credit Not Granted: CINE 4200, MCEN 4151, MCEN 5151, ATLS 4151 and ATLS 5151
Requisites: Restricted to graduate students only.
Additional Information: Departmental Category: Graduate Film Courses

ARTF 5211 (3) History of Russian Cinema

Surveys Russian cinema in historical and cultural context from early 20th century to the present. Taught in English.

Equivalent - Duplicate Degree Credit Not Granted: RUSS 5211 and RUSS 4211 and CINE 4211
Requisites: Restricted to graduate students only.

ARTF 5400 (3) Digital Post-Production

Through projects, discussions, and screenings, this class explores the practices and aesthetics of computer-based moving-image art editing.

Equivalent - Duplicate Degree Credit Not Granted: CINE 4400
Additional Information: Departmental Category: Graduate Film Courses

ARTF 5453 (3) History of Avant-Garde Film

Traces the history and aesthetics of avant-garde/experimental films in light of similar ideas found in the other arts, particularly painting, poetry, photography and music. Topics covered include Dada and the early avant-garde; surrealism and psychodramas; Brakhage and abstract expressionism; feminist arts and film since the 1980s; the idea of the sublime in painting, music and film; landscape in painting, photography and film; post-modernism and the cinema; queer theory, gender/identity politics and aesthetics of recent films; and specific multiple disciplinary artists such as Andy Warhol, Michael Snow, Helen Levitt and Gunvor Nelson.

Equivalent - Duplicate Degree Credit Not Granted: CINE 4453
Requisites: Restricted to graduate students only.
Additional Information: Departmental Category: Graduate Film Courses

ARTF 5500 (3) Cinema Production 2

Advanced exploration of creative cinema production through short production and post-production projects. Course focuses on the tactics and strategies of independent cinema production exploring either documentary, experimental, or narrative genres.

Equivalent - Duplicate Degree Credit Not Granted: CINE 4500
Repeatable: Repeatable for up to 9.00 total credit hours.
Requisites: Restricted to graduate students only.
Additional Information: Departmental Category: Graduate Film Courses

ARTF 5604 (3) Colloquium in Film Aesthetics

Seminar for the serious round table discussion and critique of film as an art form, emphasizing development of appropriate verbal and written language skills for description of film.

Equivalent - Duplicate Degree Credit Not Granted: FILM 4604
Repeatable: Repeatable for up to 6.00 total credit hours.
Requisites: Restricted to graduate students only.
Additional Information: Departmental Category: Graduate Film Courses

ARTF 5610 (3) Image-makers Graduate Seminar

Explores advanced graduate studio work in a seminar setting. Focuses on the development of ideas and activities which advance creative image making.

Repeatable: Repeatable for up to 12.00 total credit hours.
Requisites: Restricted to graduate students only.
Additional Information: Departmental Category: Graduate Film Courses

ARTF 5717 (1-3) Graduate Studio Critique

Repeatable: Repeatable for up to 6.00 total credit hours. Allows multiple enrollment in term.
Requisites: Restricted to graduate students only.
Additional Information: Departmental Category: Graduate Film Courses

ARTF 5846 (1-3) Graduate Independent Study-Video

Participate in graduate independent study.

Repeatable: Repeatable for up to 6.00 total credit hours.
Requisites: Restricted to graduate students only.
Additional Information: Departmental Category: Graduate Film Courses

ARTF 5857 (1-3) Graduate Independent Study

Participate in graduate independent study.

Repeatable: Repeatable for up to 6.00 total credit hours.
Requisites: Restricted to graduate students only.
Additional Information: Departmental Category: Graduate Film Courses

ARTF 6959 (1-6) Master's Thesis

Preparation, research, writing of critical studies Master's thesis in fulfillment of concurrent BAM in Cinema Studies.

Repeatable: Repeatable for up to 6.00 total credit hours.
Requisites: Requires prerequisite course of ARTF 5004 (minimum grade D-). Restricted to graduate students only.
Additional Information: Departmental Category: Graduate Film Courses

Art History

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ARTH 5029 (1) Art History Research Methods

In this class we will investigate how art scholarship is formed and organized; learn to expertly navigate the vast array of art research resources; and explore advanced techniques for searching both online and offline sources of art information. We will work to develop a critical understanding of our own research processes and reflect on the tools and techniques that lead to both expert research and successful participation in art discourse.

Equivalent - Duplicate Degree Credit Not Granted: ARTH 4029 and LIBR 4029
Requisites: Restricted to graduate students only.
Additional Information: Departmental Category: Art History

ARTH 5099 (3) Ancient Greek Sculpture

Understanding that Greek sculpture, like all visual media, was part of the fabric of ancient Greek life and expressed the values of its creators and audience is a valuable way to gain insights into the social, economic, and political world of ancient Greece. This course will examine the work of Greek sculptors from the Archaic to the Hellenistic period. Key stylistic and technical developments, as well as significant works of art, sculptors and workshops will be discussed in detail. Some issues we will consider are the physical, religious and/or socio-historical context of individual freestanding sculptures and how specific sculptural programs illustrate aspects of Greek culture. Iconographic and narrative choices made by artists working in stone, compared to other material, will also be addressed.

Equivalent - Duplicate Degree Credit Not Granted: ARTH 4099, CLAS 4099, and CLAS 5099
Grading Basis: Letter Grade

ARTH 5109 (3) Ancient Italian Painting

Explores the problems, theories and methods for understanding the iconography, styles, topologies, contexts and techniques of fresco wall painting in ancient Italy from the 6th century B.C.E. to the 4th century C.E. Topics covered include Etruscan tomb paintings, late Republican and early imperial fresco paintings from Rome and Campania and later Roman wall paintings, including the painted images in ancient catacombs. Previous coursework on ancient Italy or the history of pre-modern art is highly recommended.

Equivalent - Duplicate Degree Credit Not Granted: CLAS 5109 and ARTH 4109 and ARTH 5109
Additional Information: Departmental Category: Art History

ARTH 5119 (3) Roman Sculpture

Examines ancient Roman sculpture, emphasizing the display, iconography, and production of private and public monuments in the Roman Empire. Explores sculpture as evidence for historical developments, societal and gender attitudes, and state ideologies in the ancient Roman world.

Equivalent - Duplicate Degree Credit Not Granted: ARTH 4119 and CLAS 4119 and CLAS 5119
Requisites: Restricted to graduate students only.
Additional Information: Departmental Category: Art History

ARTH 5139 (3) Greek Vase Painting

A comprehensive overview of Greek vase painting, from prehistoric through the fourth century B.C.E. Emphasis is on learning the development of primary decorative styles and on refining skills of visual analysis, scholarly research, critical thinking, oral commentary and written presentation.

Equivalent - Duplicate Degree Credit Not Granted: ARTH 4139 and CLAS 4139 and CLAS 5139
Additional Information: Departmental Category: Art History

ARTH 5159 (3) Hellenistic Art and Archaeology

Examines art and archaeology from the period following the death of Alexander the Great (late fourth century B.C.E.) to the conquest of Greece by the Romans (middle second century B.C.E.).

Equivalent - Duplicate Degree Credit Not Granted: CLAS 5159
Requisites: Restricted to graduate students only.
Additional Information: Departmental Category: Art History

ARTH 5169 (3) Topics in Ancient and Classical Art and Archaeology

In-depth consideration of an aspect of ancient Mediterranean culture. Topics vary and may include ancient wall painting, Greek sculpture, artists and patrons, the ancient Near East, Egyptian art and archaeology, or Etruscan art and archaeology.

Equivalent - Duplicate Degree Credit Not Granted: CLAS 4169 and ARTH 4169 and CLAS 5169
Repeatable: Repeatable for up to 9.00 total credit hours. Allows multiple enrollment in term.
Additional Information: Departmental Category: Art History

ARTH 5179 (3) City of Athens

Explores in detail the buildings, sculptures, pots, foreign imports and society of Athens, considering material culture of individuals as much as civic programs. Emphasis is on ways the textual and archaeological evidence complement and/or contradict one another. Focuses on the Periklean period, considering ways in which it developed from earlier times and influenced later ones in Athens.

Equivalent - Duplicate Degree Credit Not Granted: CLAS 5179
Additional Information: Departmental Category: Art History

ARTH 5189 (3) City of Rome

Explores in detail the architecture, sculptures, coins, frescos and other material evidence alongside the political and social history of Augustan Rome. Emphasis is on ways in which the textual and archaeological evidence complement and/or contradict one another. Explores the impact of the early imperial period on later Roman phases of urban design and image making in the capital city.

Equivalent - Duplicate Degree Credit Not Granted: CLAS 5189
Requisites: Restricted to graduate students only.
Additional Information: Departmental Category: Art History

ARTH 5229 (3) Ancient Egyptian Art and Archaeology

Archaeology of ancient Egypt in light of recent excavations; the history of excavations of the different sites; and the art of ancient Egypt through time. Formerly ANTH 5420.

Equivalent - Duplicate Degree Credit Not Granted: ARTH 4229 and CLAS 4229 and CLAS 5229
Additional Information: Departmental Category: Art History

ARTH 5269 (3) Art and Archaeology of the Ancient Near East

Examines civilizations of the Iran-Iraq region from the rise of urbanism in Mesopotamia through the era of the first 'world empire,' Achaemenid Persia. Emphasizes the material record of religious and state institutions of the ancient Near East, especially monuments that illustrate concepts of kingship. Explores notions of style, symbolism, visual rhetoric, text-image synthesis, patronage, creativity and roles of artists.

Equivalent - Duplicate Degree Credit Not Granted: ARTH 4269 and CLAS 4269 and CLAS 5269
Additional Information: Departmental Category: Art History
Departmental Category: Asia Content

ARTH 5909 (1-3) Graduate Independent Study---Art History

Repeatable: Repeatable for up to 9.00 total credit hours.
Requisites: Restricted to graduate students only.
Additional Information: Departmental Category: Art History

ARTH 5929 (1-3) Special Topics in Art History

Equivalent - Duplicate Degree Credit Not Granted: ARTH 4929
Repeatable: Repeatable for up to 18.00 total credit hours. Allows multiple enrollment in term.
Requisites: Restricted to graduate students or Art History Concurrent Degree (C-AAAH) or Film Art History Concurrent Degree (C-FILMAAAH) students only.
Additional Information: Departmental Category: Art History

ARTH 5939 (3-6) Art Museum Internship

Focuses on opportunities at the Denver Art Museum, working with individual curators and master teachers in selected areas, such as audience interpretation, interpretive research files, and public school curriculums. Introduces students to the professional culture and activities of art museums.

Equivalent - Duplicate Degree Credit Not Granted: ARTH 4939
Repeatable: Repeatable for up to 6.00 total credit hours. Allows multiple enrollment in term.
Additional Information: Departmental Category: Art History

ARTH 5949 (3) Visiting Scholars Seminar

Brings speakers to campus to work with seminar students, usually four guest scholars per semester, subjects vary. Students read scholar's work and discuss methodological issues. Focuses on the research and insight of scholars who are currently shaping the field and defining research agendas. Required for all MA art history students, open to others.

Repeatable: Repeatable for up to 6.00 total credit hours.
Requisites: Restricted to graduate students only.
Additional Information: Departmental Category: Art History

ARTH 5959 (3) Introduction to Critical Theory for Visual Studies

Provides overview for critical theory from Marx to contemporary writers with emphasis on their relevance to visual studies. Addresses issues that underlie a wide range of academic discussion in arts and sciences. Foucault, Derrida, Said, Lacan and other authors will be subject to weekly discussions leading to research papers, presentations, and projects. Class fulfills critical theory requirement for MFA and MA students.

Requisites: Restricted to graduate students only.
Additional Information: Departmental Category: Art History

ARTH 6150 (3) Critical and Theoretical Issues in Museums

Investigates key problems facing museum institutions and studies the staging and representation of historical knowledge, the ethics of collecting and display, the changing nature and uses of historical evidence and relations between curatorial practice, collecting and field work. Critically examines different approaches to museums and museology in various disciplines, both past and present.

Equivalent - Duplicate Degree Credit Not Granted: MUSM 6150 and HIST 6150 and ANTH 6150
Requisites: Requires prerequisite course of MUSM 5011 (minimum grade D-). Restricted to graduate students only.
Additional Information: Departmental Category: Art History

ARTH 6559 (3) Power & Visuality After the Conquest

Examines how artistic production was informed by, and participated in, Latin America¿s colonial experience (16th to 19th centuries). With a critical eye and decolonial approach, students examine the complex strategies and objectives of visual culture in an ethnically/racially diverse colonial setting. Focus on historiography, visual culture, artists, patrons, hybridity, extinction, conquest, conversion, materiality, literacy, and global networks. Emphasis on colonial Mexico and Peru and their Indigenous populations. Previously offered as a special topics course.

Requisites: Restricted to graduate students only.

ARTH 6779 (3) Visualizing Gender Before and After the Conquest

Examines issues of gender and power in Pre-Columbian and Colonial Latin American visual culture. Special focus on women¿s social roles and the nature and function of their images in pre-Hispanic and colonial times. Course readings and discussions draw from a variety of art-historical, ethnohistorical, literary, and anthropological sources. The interdisciplinary scope provides an intellectually diverse framework that accounts for historical and contemporary assumptions about art, representation, race/ethnicity, and gender.

Requisites: Restricted to graduate students only.

ARTH 6929 (3) Seminar: Theories of Art History

Provides a systematic critical overview of the development of art history as a discipline beginning with 18th century theories of aesthetics and ending with current interdisciplinary models of critical interpretation. Weekly readings, discussions, reports, and written papers constitute the format of this seminar in methodology. Topics vary from semester to semester. Required for MA (art history) students.

Repeatable: Repeatable for up to 6.00 total credit hours. Allows multiple enrollment in term.
Requisites: Restricted to graduate students or Art History Concurrent Degree (C-AAAH) or Film Art History Concurrent Degree (C-FILMAAAH) students only.
Additional Information: Departmental Category: Art History

ARTH 6939 (3) Graduate Seminar: Open Topics in Art History

Subjects and topics vary.

Repeatable: Repeatable for up to 9.00 total credit hours. Allows multiple enrollment in term.
Requisites: Restricted to graduate students or Art History Concurrent Degree (C-AAAH) or Film Art History Concurrent Degree (C-FILMAAAH) students only.
Additional Information: Departmental Category: Art History

ARTH 6949 (1) Master's Candidate for Degree

Registration intended for students preparing for a thesis defense, final examination, culminating activity, or completion of degree.

Requisites: Restricted to graduate students only.
Additional Information: Departmental Category: Art History

ARTH 6959 (1-6) Master's Thesis

Requisites: Restricted to graduate students only.
Additional Information: Departmental Category: Art History

ARTH 6969 (1-6) Master's Project (Art History)

Repeatable: Repeatable for up to 6.00 total credit hours.
Additional Information: Departmental Category: Art History

ARTH 8990 (1-10) Doctoral Dissertation

All doctoral students must register for no fewer than 30 hours of dissertation credit as part of the requirements for the degree. For a detailed discussion of doctoral dissertation credit, refer to the Graduate School section.

Repeatable: Repeatable for up to 60.00 total credit hours. Allows multiple enrollment in term.
Requisites: Restricted to students in the AAAH-PHD program, and who have completed a minimum of 30 credit hours.

Art Studio and Non-Studio

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ARTS 5017 (1-3) Special Topics in Studio Arts

Introduces timely subjects in studio art courses that cannot be offered on a regular basis. Information on topics in any given semester is available prior to pre-registration in departmental office.

Equivalent - Duplicate Degree Credit Not Granted: ARTS 4017
Repeatable: Repeatable for up to 6.00 total credit hours. Allows multiple enrollment in term.
Requisites: Restricted to graduate students only.
Additional Information: Departmental Category: Seminars/Special Topics

ARTS 5024 (3) Public Art

Focuses on the two areas 1) lecture/discussion, both based on political, historical and the aesthetic evolution regarding examples of public art and 2) current practice, in reference to how to use such information to generate new more innovative and original ideas regarding public art and its application. Includes lectures, readings and discussions, writing assignments, studio projects and visual presentations.

Equivalent - Duplicate Degree Credit Not Granted: ARTS 4024
Requisites: Restricted to graduate students only.
Grading Basis: Letter Grade
Additional Information: Departmental Category: Sculpture

ARTS 5050 (3) Writing Across the Arts: Culture Writing in the 21st c

In this culture writing class, we¿ll listen in on and contribute to the conversation, touching on many forms of expression, from fine art to pop culture. Art, of course, does not exist solely in a museum or gallery, and we will consider¿both in our reading and in written assignments-- its social context as well as, more personally, art¿s capacity to challenge us, to incite empathy or self-scrutiny, to provoke and inspire.

Equivalent - Duplicate Degree Credit Not Granted: ARTS 4050
Requisites: Restricted to graduate students only.
Grading Basis: Letter Grade

ARTS 5060 (3) Art Writing As Practice

This seminar is designed for visual artists in pre-thesis, supporting them in building a regular writing practice that will allow them to reflect upon and lend critical context to their creative work. Through written prompts, presentations and discussions--as well as looking to the example of artists we count as influences--we'll craft a narrative about our work and where it fits into larger conversations about art, identity, history, and our own times. Formerly offered as a special topics course.

Equivalent - Duplicate Degree Credit Not Granted: ARTS 4060
Grading Basis: Letter Grade

ARTS 5075 (3) Graduate Ceramics

Seminar includes group and individual critiques and individual studio visits. Explores different approaches to studio and post studio art practices, research, reading and writing as it relates to your own art practice and contemporary art. May be repeated for up to 18 total credit hours.

Repeatable: Repeatable for up to 18.00 total credit hours. Allows multiple enrollment in term.
Requisites: Restricted to graduate students only.
Additional Information: Departmental Category: Ceramics

ARTS 5087 (3) Selected Topics in Contemporary Art

Selectively studies significant areas of visual art of the last decade including major critical opinions.

Equivalent - Duplicate Degree Credit Not Granted: ARTS 4087
Repeatable: Repeatable for up to 6.00 total credit hours. Allows multiple enrollment in term.
Requisites: Restricted to graduate students only.
Additional Information: Departmental Category: Seminars/Special Topics

ARTS 5095 (3) Special Topics in Ceramics

Designed for graduate students in art practices or art history. Covers many subjects related to contemporary art practice and ceramics. Topics change from semester to semester from the raw material science behind ceramics to the relation between object making and poetic practice, to food and contemporary art explorations, to political and social art movements, to many other relevant subjects for those interested in the arts. May be repeated for up to 9 total credit hours.

Equivalent - Duplicate Degree Credit Not Granted: ARTS 4095
Requisites: Restricted to graduate students only.
Additional Information: Departmental Category: Ceramics

ARTS 5097 (1-3) Special Topics-Non-Studio

Introduces timely subjects in the visual arts that cannot be offered on a regular basis. Information concerning the topics offered in any given semester is available prior to preregistration from the fine arts department.

Equivalent - Duplicate Degree Credit Not Granted: ARTS 4097
Repeatable: Repeatable for up to 6.00 total credit hours. Allows multiple enrollment in term.
Requisites: Restricted to graduate students only.
Additional Information: Departmental Category: Seminars/Special Topics

ARTS 5104 (3) Performance/Installation

Primarily focuses upon personal imagery as a live situation occurring in either an invented constructed reality or real environment. Work may be individual or group configuration and may also take on the visual linguistic form of a solo performance or of a multimedia presentation.

Equivalent - Duplicate Degree Credit Not Granted: ARTS 4104
Repeatable: Repeatable for up to 6.00 total credit hours.
Requisites: Restricted to graduate students only.
Additional Information: Departmental Category: Sculpture

ARTS 5107 (1-3) Special Topics

Repeatable: Repeatable for up to 7.00 total credit hours.
Additional Information: Departmental Category: Seminars/Special Topics

ARTS 5117 (3) Graduate Art Seminar

Requisites: Restricted to graduate students only.
Additional Information: Departmental Category: Seminars/Special Topics

ARTS 5118 (3) Visiting Artist Program

Artists of national and international reputation, interacting with graduate and advanced undergraduate students, discuss their studio work at seminar meetings and at public lectures or events. Provides continuous input of significant developments and a comprehensive view of contemporary issues in the arts.

Equivalent - Duplicate Degree Credit Not Granted: ARTS 4118
Requisites: Restricted to graduate students only.
Additional Information: Departmental Category: Visiting Artist Program

ARTS 5126 (3) Digital Art 2

Offers studio experience using personal computer in the generation and processing of imagery in the visual arts.

Equivalent - Duplicate Degree Credit Not Granted: ARTS 4126
Repeatable: Repeatable for up to 6.00 total credit hours.
Requisites: Restricted to graduate students only.
Additional Information: Departmental Category: Media Arts

ARTS 5130 (3) Integrated Media

Encourages experimentation with media and integration of traditional areas of drawing, painting, sculpture and photography. Covers two- and three-dimensional collage/assemblage, correspondence art, artist's books, site-specific, performance, audio and video art.

Equivalent - Duplicate Degree Credit Not Granted: ARTS 4130
Additional Information: Departmental Category: Integrated Arts

ARTS 5140 (3) Integrated Arts Studio

Explores the creative process through a series of conceptually-based studio exercises. Students are encouraged to work across traditional media boundaries as they address themes such as identity, place, spirituality, politics, and consumerism. Includes individual and collaborative studio projects, as well as reading and writing about the course themes.

Repeatable: Repeatable for up to 9.00 total credit hours.
Additional Information: Departmental Category: Integrated Arts

ARTS 5150 (3) Graduate Integrated Arts

Investigates the conjunction of interdisciplinary concepts in the creation of art. Looks beyond traditional media to new sources for art-making. a curious intellect, combined with exceptional research skills, will be the basis for original writing and rigorous discussion.

Repeatable: Repeatable for up to 18.00 total credit hours.
Additional Information: Departmental Category: Integrated Arts

ARTS 5154 (3) Metalsmithing 1

Introduces students to the fundamental techniques used in metalsmithing, including cold and hot fabrication techniques, forming and coloring. Through projects, discussions, readings and demonstrations, students will learn how to create, analyze, understand and critique contemporary metalwork. Projects will focus on design and concept development, while enhancing students' technical and problem-solving skills.

Equivalent - Duplicate Degree Credit Not Granted: ARTS 4154
Requisites: Restricted to graduate students only.
Additional Information: Departmental Category: Sculpture

ARTS 5161 (3) Graduate Photography

Explores the creative process through lens-based conceptual work with a concentration on individual critique. Students are encouraged to work across traditional media boundaries as they address themes such as identity, place, spirituality, politics, and consumerism. Possibilities include individual and collaborative studio projects, as well as relevant readings and writings. May be repeated for up to 18 total credit hours.

Repeatable: Repeatable for up to 18.00 total credit hours.
Additional Information: Departmental Category: Photography

ARTS 5171 (3) New Directions in Photography

Investigates the use of the photographic image in new, antique, or nonstandard ways including nonsilver, photosculpture, various color processes, photolanguage, photoinstallations, electronic media, performance, filmmaking, electrostatic art (copy machine), photobooks, photocollage, and audio/visual art. Course content changes each semester.

Equivalent - Duplicate Degree Credit Not Granted: ARTS 4171
Repeatable: Repeatable for up to 9.00 total credit hours.
Requisites: Restricted to graduate students only.
Additional Information: Departmental Category: Photography

ARTS 5176 (3) New Directions in Digital Art

Investigates the use of digital art in various contexts including digital narrative, web publishing, Internet art, multimedia performance, animation, conceptual art, information art, sound art, language art and network installations.

Equivalent - Duplicate Degree Credit Not Granted: ARTS 4176
Repeatable: Repeatable for up to 9.00 total credit hours.
Requisites: Restricted to graduate students only.
Additional Information: Departmental Category: Media Arts

ARTS 5202 (3) Graduate Painting

This course is an intense inquiry into contemporary studio practices. Students will be expected to consider and communicate the context (social, political, personal, philosophical, etc.) underpinning studio work as well as the decisions that go into making that work. Specific themes of inquiry will vary by semester, depending on the instructor. Coursework may include readings, group discussions, group and individual critiques, written assignments, and projects. May be repeated for up to 18 total credit hours.

Repeatable: Repeatable for up to 18.00 total credit hours.
Requisites: Restricted to graduate students only.
Additional Information: Departmental Category: Painting/Drawing

ARTS 5246 (3) Graduate Beginning Video Production

Presents a studio course on basic single camera video production strategies and concepts. Through class screenings, projects, demonstrations, discussions, and readings, students gain an introductory familiarity with camera, lighting, sound, editing and the organization and planning involved in a video project. Explores a basic theoretical understanding of video as an art form and its relationship to television, film, art, history, culture.

Equivalent - Duplicate Degree Credit Not Granted: ARTS 4246
Repeatable: Repeatable for up to 9.00 total credit hours.
Requisites: Restricted to graduate students only.
Additional Information: Departmental Category: Media Arts

ARTS 5303 (3-18) Graduate Relief

Continues the study of the expressive/formal aesthetics of relief processes. Studio practice/investigation of artistic attitudes as exemplified through historical perspectives, traditional/contemporary usages. Students with limited experience in relief processes will be given an overview in those practices.

Repeatable: Repeatable for up to 18.00 total credit hours.
Requisites: Restricted to Studio Arts or Art History (AASA or AAAH) graduate students only.
Grading Basis: Letter Grade
Additional Information: Departmental Category: Printmaking

ARTS 5316 (3) History and Theory of Digital Art

Explores the history and theory of digital art. Discussion topics include the emergence of Internet art, hypertext, new media theory, online exhibitions, web publishing, virtual reality and the networked interface. Includes collaborative and individual projects.

Equivalent - Duplicate Degree Credit Not Granted: ARTS 4316
Requisites: Restricted to graduate students only.
Additional Information: Departmental Category: Media Arts

ARTS 5346 (3) Graduate Intermediate Video Production

Continuation of beginning video production. Extends the knowledge of single camera video production strategies and concepts. Expands the concept of montage (editing) and strategies to develop a video project through class screenings, projects, discussions and readings. Furthers theoretical understanding of video as an art form.

Equivalent - Duplicate Degree Credit Not Granted: ARTS 4346 and FILM 4340
Requisites: Requires prerequisite course of ARTS 4246 or ARTS 5246 (minimum grade D-). Restricted to graduate students only.
Additional Information: Departmental Category: Media Arts

ARTS 5403 (3) Graduate Intaglio

Continuation of the study of expressive and formal aesthetics of Intaglio processes. Studio practice and investigation of artistic attitudes as exemplified through historical perspectives, traditional, and contemporary usages. Building a body of work in this course is the goal. Taught with ARTS 3403 and ARTS 4403.

Repeatable: Repeatable for up to 18.00 total credit hours.
Requisites: Restricted to Studio Arts or Art History (AASA or AAAH) graduate students only.
Additional Information: Departmental Category: Printmaking

ARTS 5413 (3) Graduate Lithography

Graduate students are expected to edition Lithographs that are conceptually relevant and technically proficient. Projects are proposed and developed with the instructor. Students with limited experience in aluminum plate or stone lithography will be given an overview in those practices. The development of concepts and personally significant imagery leading to thesis work is required. May be repeated for up to 9 total credit hours. Taught with ARTS 3413 and ARTS 4413.

Repeatable: Repeatable for up to 9.00 total credit hours.
Requisites: Restricted to graduate students only.
Additional Information: Departmental Category: Printmaking

ARTS 5423 (3) Graduate Screen Printing

Screen print for creative expression with a focus on studio practice. Developing personal visual language/aesthetics. Focus on the complexities and multi-disciplinary activities of printmaking. Development of concepts leading to thesis work is a focus. Historical/contemporary awareness, evolving technologies/strategies. Students with limited experience in screen print processes will be given an overview in those practices. May be repeated for up to 9 total credit hours.

Repeatable: Repeatable for up to 9.00 total credit hours.
Requisites: Restricted to graduate students only.
Additional Information: Departmental Category: Printmaking

ARTS 5433 (3) Alternative Printmaking 2

Continued research into developing a sharper critical response, both aesthetically and conceptually, to their own work, as well as the work of other artists. Various alternative printmaking methods will be introduced and each student is expected to explore and examine these processes through a body of work. Emphasis is put on the interrelationship of processes, materials and ideas/aesthetics.

Equivalent - Duplicate Degree Credit Not Granted: ARTS 4433
Repeatable: Repeatable for up to 9.00 total credit hours.
Requisites: Restricted to graduate students only.
Additional Information: Departmental Category: Printmaking

ARTS 5444 (6) Art and Rural Environments Field School

Puts students in touch with various rural landscapes in Colorado. Takes place off campus each summer during Maymester. Focuses on site-based approaches to art creation and is designed as an experiential course, meaning that students learn through the experience of place, and then by the process of making. After introductions to each site, students will be responsible for a site interpretation piece utilizing various mediums including photography, drawing, land art and collaboration.

Equivalent - Duplicate Degree Credit Not Granted: ARTS 4444
Requisites: Restricted to graduate students only.
Additional Information: Departmental Category: Sculpture

ARTS 5453 (3) Monotype 2

Continued research into developing techniques of using a varied grouping of matrixes will be the focus of this class. Students will be expected to develop sharper critical responses both aesthetically and conceptually, to their own work, as well as the work of other artists.

Equivalent - Duplicate Degree Credit Not Granted: ARTS 4453
Repeatable: Repeatable for up to 9.00 total credit hours.
Requisites: Restricted to graduate students only.
Additional Information: Departmental Category: Printmaking

ARTS 5457 (3) Sound Art Seminar

Covers the history of sound art from Luigi Russolo and his noise machine during the Futurist Movement to today's experimental music/sound art contributions. Students will listen to sound art works by artists in all areas of sound art, as well as read about theoretical views on sound art.

Equivalent - Duplicate Degree Credit Not Granted: ARTS 4457
Requisites: Restricted to graduate students only.
Additional Information: Departmental Category: Seminars/Special Topics

ARTS 5500 (3) Art, Design, and Engineering: Thinking and Making

Examines the aesthetics, design, and engineering of sculpture, installation, and public art. Through research presentations, readings, and field trips, students learn about the process of making art. In addition to classroom learning, students engage in internships with artists and art fabricators. Highlights national and international hybrid art, design, and engineering advanced degree programs and additional art-related internships and job opportunities.

Requisites: Restricted to Art History (AAAH) or Engineering and Applied Science (COEN) graduate students only.
Recommended: Prerequisite Prior courses or real-life experience in conceptualizing and creating objects, products, or art.
Grading Basis: Letter Grade

ARTS 5504 (3) Graduate Sculpture

Through readings, discussions, critiques, and one-on-one meetings, Graduate Sculpture will provide a forum for students to explore and develop their work and practice. Additionally, when possible, students will plan a research-based class field excursion in consultation with the faculty teaching the course.

Repeatable: Repeatable for up to 18.00 total credit hours. Allows multiple enrollment in term.
Requisites: Restricted to graduate students only.
Additional Information: Departmental Category: Sculpture

ARTS 5540 (3) Generative Art

Attends to the interdisciplinary pursuits of scientists, humanists and anyone interested in creating works of visual art according to step by step procedures as in musical compositions, mathematical formulae, linguistic rules, computer programs, etc. Includes collaborative and individual projects.

Repeatable: Repeatable for up to 6.00 total credit hours.
Additional Information: Departmental Category: Integrated Arts

ARTS 5641 (3) String Instrument Building

As a prelude to sculptural art making processes, this course explores a variety of materials, methods and techniques and their application to the making of a musical string instrument, i.e. planning, designing, material selection and a wide variety of woodworking processes. We will also cover theoretical discussions into what is being made.

Equivalent - Duplicate Degree Credit Not Granted: ARTS 4641
Requisites: Restricted to graduate students only.
Grading Basis: Letter Grade
Additional Information: Departmental Category: Sculpture

ARTS 5717 (1-3) Graduate Studio Critique

Repeatable: Repeatable for up to 6.00 total credit hours. Allows multiple enrollment in term.
Requisites: Restricted to graduate students only.
Additional Information: Departmental Category: Seminars/Special Topics

ARTS 5857 (1-3) Graduate Independent Study

Repeatable: Repeatable for up to 6.00 total credit hours.
Requisites: Restricted to graduate students only.
Additional Information: Departmental Category: Seminars/Special Topics

ARTS 5901 (1-3) Graduate Independent Study---Photography

Repeatable: Repeatable for up to 6.00 total credit hours.
Additional Information: Departmental Category: Photography

ARTS 5934 (3) Art, Design, and Engineering: Thinking and Making

Examines the aesthetics, design, and engineering of sculpture, installation, and public art. Through research presentations, readings, and field trips, students learn about the process of making art. In addition to classroom learning, students engage in internships with artists and art fabricators. Highlights national and international hybrid art, design, and engineering advanced degree programs and additional art-related internships and job opportunities. Previously offered as a special topics course.

Equivalent - Duplicate Degree Credit Not Granted: ARTS 4934
Requisites: Restricted to Art History (AAAH) or Engineering and Applied Science (COEN) graduate students only.
Recommended: Prerequisite Prior courses or real-life experience in conceptualizing and creating objects, products, or art.
Grading Basis: Letter Grade

ARTS 6957 (1-6) Master of Fine Arts Creative Thesis

Additional Information: Departmental Category: Seminars/Special Topics