Art History

The Art History program provides the academic experience to prepare students for further education at a four-year institution in art history and related fields, such as museum studies, art education, and arts administration. The Associate in Arts in Art History for Transfer, also called the Art History AA-T Degree, provides the academic experience to transfer into the CSU system to complete a baccalaureate degree that will prepare students for a career in art history and the arts. The Art History AA-T is especially designed for students who plan to complete a bachelor’s degree in Art History at a CSU campus. Students completing an Art History AA-T are guaranteed admission to the CSU system, but not to a particular campus or major. The Art History AA-T degree requires students to complete 60 CSU transferable units including completion of CSU GE or IGETC and 18-20 units in the major with a cumulative GPA of 2.0 or better. Title 5 requires that students must earn a “C” or better in all courses required for the major or area of emphasis. There are no additional graduation requirements. Students are advised to consult with a counselor to verify transfer requirements.


The Art History program promotes awareness of the relationship between art and the history of human values, cultural diversity, and the liberal arts tradition and provides a broad foundation of knowledge in the global history of art, architecture, and culture for students wishing to pursue a degree, and prepare for transfer.


Students who complete the Art History AA-T degree will be able to:

  • Demonstrate knowledge of conventions of representation, systems of support, and materials and techniques used in artistic production in diverse cultures.
  • Communicate the value and function of art to human experience throughout time and across cultures.
  • Evaluate works of art in relation to socio-historical context and to influence on subsequent cultural developments and human activity.

Students with an art history degree are prepared for a variety of careers in the arts. In the museum field, art history majors may work as curators, educators, exhibition designers, researchers, in marketing and outreach, and in art restoration and conservation. Art history degrees prepare graduates to work in art galleries (commercial or not-for-profit). Art history degree-holders can work as art consultants for private or corporate clients. There are also teaching opportunities at the elementary and high school levels for art history majors with proper teaching credentials.
 

Advisor:

Lisa Soccio
Art History
lsoccio@collegeofthedesert.edu
760.776.7377

Associate Degree for Transfer (AD-T)

ARTH 002A  History of Art I: Prehistoric to Medieval   Units: 3

This course provides an overview of art and architecture from the paleolithic era through the fourteenth century, to include Prehistoric, Mesopotamian, Egyptian, Aegean, Greek, Etruscan, Roman, Early Christian, Byzantine, Islamic, Early Medieval, Romanesque, and Gothic periods. (C-ID ARTH 110)
Lecture Hours: 54         Lab Hours: None          Repeatable: No
Grading: Letter
Prerequisite: None
Advisory: ENG 001A
Limitation on enrollment: None
Transfer Status: CSU/UC                 Degree Applicable: AA/AS
COD GE: C3                 CSU GE: C1                 IGETC: 3A

ARTH 002B  History of Art II: Renaissance to Contemporary   Units: 3

This course provides an overview of art and architecture from the Renaissance through the contemporary period, to include Early and High Renaissance, Northern Renaissance, Mannerism, Baroque and Rococo, Neoclassicism, Romanticism, Realism, Impressionism, Post-Impressionism, Modernism, Postmodernism, and the history of photography in Europe and America, and contemporary art worldwide. (C-ID ARTH 120)
Lecture Hours: 54         Lab Hours: None          Repeatable: No
Grading: Letter
Prerequisite: None
Advisory: ENG 001A
Limitation on enrollment: None
Transfer Status: CSU/UC                 Degree Applicable: AA/AS
COD GE: C3                 CSU GE: C1                 IGETC: 3A

ARTH 002C  History of Modern Art   Units: 3

This course covers art and architecture of the major modern movements in global art, from the 19th and 20th centuries to the present, including: Neoclassicism and Romanticism; Realism, Impressionism, Post-Impressionism, Symbolism; Art Nouveau, Fauvism, Cubism, Non-Objectivity; Expressionism, Dada, Surrealism; American Modernism, including WPA and Abstract Expressionism; Minimalism, Pop Art; Conceptual Art, Happenings, Earthworks, Installation, site-specific art; the history of photography; Postmodernism, Neo-Expressionism; Globalization. (C-ID ARTH 150)
Lecture Hours: 54         Lab Hours: None          Repeatable: No
Grading: Letter
Prerequisite: None
Advisory: ENG 001A
Limitation on enrollment: None
Transfer Status: CSU/UC                 Degree Applicable: AA/AS
COD GE: C3                 CSU GE: C1                 IGETC: 3A

ARTH 010  Understanding Art   Units: 3

This course provides a general introduction to art that offers a look at works of art through the study of theory, terminology, themes, visual elements and design principles, media and techniques, with an introduction to the visual arts across time and diverse cultures. (C-ID ARTH 100)
Lecture Hours: 54         Lab Hours: None          Repeatable: No
Grading: Letter
Prerequisite: None
Advisory: ENG 001A
Limitation on enrollment: None
Transfer Status: CSU/UC                 Degree Applicable: AA/AS
COD GE: C3                 CSU GE: C1                 IGETC: 3A

ARTH 012A  Arts of Asia   Units: 3

This course provides a select overview of art and architecture from India, Southeast Asia, China, Korea, and Japan. (C-ID ARTH 130)
Lecture Hours: 54         Lab Hours: None          Repeatable: No
Grading: Letter
Prerequisite: None
Advisory: ENG 001A
Limitation on enrollment: None
Transfer Status: CSU/UC                 Degree Applicable: AA/AS
COD GE: C3                 CSU GE: C1                 IGETC: 3A

ARTH 012B  Arts of Africa, Oceania, & Indigenous North America   Units: 3

Survey of visual culture within select regions in Africa, Oceania, and indigenous North America. (C-ID ARTH 140)
Lecture Hours: 54         Lab Hours: None          Repeatable: No
Grading: Letter
Prerequisite: None
Advisory: ENG 001A
Limitation on enrollment: None
Transfer Status: CSU/UC                 Degree Applicable: AA/AS
COD GE: C3                 CSU GE: C1                 IGETC: 3A

ARTH 012C  Arts of Latin America   Units: 3

Survey of visual culture of ancient civilizations in Mexico, Central America, and South America up to European contact, and an overview of select artistic developments in these regions from the colonial period through the contemporary era. (C-ID ARTH 145)
Lecture Hours: 54         Lab Hours: None          Repeatable: No
Grading: Letter
Prerequisite: None
Advisory: ENG 001A
Limitation on enrollment: None
Transfer Status: CSU/UC                 Degree Applicable: AA/AS
COD GE: C3                 CSU GE: C1                 IGETC: 3A

ARTH 033  History of Photography   Units: 3

This course provides an overview of the history of photography from its beginning in the mid-nineteenth century to the present, examining technological and aesthetic developments, significant movements and photographers, and the impact that photography has had on culture and society.
Lecture Hours: 54         Lab Hours: None          Repeatable: No
Grading: Letter
Prerequisite: None
Advisory: ENG 001A
Limitation on enrollment: None
Transfer Status: CSU/UC                 Degree Applicable: AA/AS
COD GE: C3                 CSU GE: C1                 IGETC: 3A