DEPT. THE HUMANITIES

Art History Courses

Film Studies Courses

History Courses

Philosophy and Theory Courses

Religious Studies Courses

Art History Courses

This is the first part of a general survey in Western Art. The course will touch on all major periods and styles with concrete examples taken from the art collections of the Piedmont and Lombardy regions.
Prerequisite: None

This is the second part of a general survey in Western Art. The course will touch on all major periods and styles with concrete examples taken from the art collections of the Piedmont and Lombardy regions.
Prerequisite: None

A survey of the methods and styles used to produce photographic images from the early days of Daguerreotypes and Calotypes, to the latest forms of digitalized photography. Of particular interest will be the theoretical literature produced in an attempt to define the elusive nature of this type of image. (Designated Writing Intensive Course)
Prerequisite: None

This course will provide a background of Egyptian civilization and its presence in Mediterranean cultures through archaeological documents and museum collections. This survey will begin with a visit to the Egyptian Museum in Torino, which has One of the most important collections of Egyptian art outside of Cairo. Students will be required to write a formal analysis paper on an object in the Egyptian Museum. Attention will be given to the connections and differences between royal sites and private sites, focusing on archaeological sites in the Delta valleys of Thebes, Abido, the Memphis area and Tanis.
Prerequisite: None

Introduction to Architectural History. A general overview of the development of urban architectural form in cultural context throughout history. The evolution of the architectural discipline is studied within the context of social, cognitive, and technological transformation.
Prerequisite: None

Prehistory to Renaissance. Introduces the development of urban and architectural form in a cultural context from the first settlements of Neolithic times to the consolidation of architecture as a discipline in the 1450's.
Prerequisite: None

Renaissance to Modern. Introduces the fundamentals of architectural design from the theory and practice of the 1450's to the built and written manifestos of modern times. The evolution of the architectural discipline is situated within the context of social, cognitive and technological transformation.
Prerequisite: DHM-ARH 2130 Architectural History I

Topics range from the history of art museums, current theories, and methodologies of display to museum administration. In addition to class discussion, students meet with staff members at the various museums in the city of Torino and other institutions to learn the basics of museum operations, including curatorial work, exhibition design, registration, educational and public programming, marketing and public relations, and finance. On- and off- campus museum visits required.
Prerequisite: DHM-ARH/1010 Art History Survey I and DHM-ARH/1020 Art History Survey II

Developments in Greek sculpture, vase painting, and architecture are traced from the destruction of the Mycenaean palaces (c. 1200 B.C.E.) to the rise of the Roman Empire (1st and 2nd centuries B.C.E.). Topics include: the impact of Near Eastern civilizations on early Greek culture; the "classical" style's florescence in 5th-century Athens; creation of the Hellenistic world by Alexander the Great. Visits to Torino's Antiquities Museum and on-site presentations will supplement class readings and discussions. Students will be required to write a formal analysis paper on an object in the Antiquities Museum.
Prerequisite: None

This course investigates the relationship between the physical structure of the museum and the objects housed within it. Students will focus both on the different kinds of exhibitions (archaeological, anthropological, scientific, and artistic) as well as on the possible modifications to the architectural structure and spaces in order to meet the exigencies of the particular exhibition. A case-history examination of past exhibitions and their spaces will introduce students to the politics of display adopted by museums and galleries. The goal of this course is to provide students with the critical skills necessary to create the ideal space for various kinds of exhibitions.
Prerequisite: DHM-ARH/2150 Museum Studies

A survey of Roman culture and history through material remains. Sculpture, painting, architecture, and the "minor" arts are examined with respect to aesthetic considerations, stylistic developments, and social significance. Topics include: the influence of Greek visual culture on Rome; the "Romanization" of the empire's far-flung provinces; and the Roman foundations of Christian art and architecture. Visits to Torino's Antiquities Museum and on-site presentations will supplement class readings and discussions. Students will be required to write a formal analysis paper on an object in the Antiquities Museum.
Prerequisite: None

The course, taught in the manner of a laboratory, will offer students experience in the hypothetical planning of a permanent exhibition. Group projects will encourage the teamwork that is an essential part of the museum environment. Students will choose and assemble objects for display and will also address such practical issues as climate control, lighting and conservation. Particular attention will be given to reconciling the exhibition's curatorial goals with the exigencies of the public. Visits to museums will supplement class discussions and readings.
Prerequisite: DHM-ARH/2250 Museum Architecture

Explores the development of architecture, sculpture, and painting from the fall of Rome to c. the late 13th century.
Prerequisite: None

An examination of painting, sculpture, and architecture produced in Italy from the late 13th century to the 16th century, including Giotto, Masaccio, Donatello, Brunelleschi, Piero Della Francesca, Botticelli, Leonardo, Raphael, Bramante, Giorgione and Titian. The regional styles of Florence, Rome and Venice, and Piemonte will be discussed. Visits to the Galleria Sabauda and on-site presentations will supplement class readings and discussions. Students will be required to write a formal analysis on a museum object.
Prerequisite: None

Surveys art and architecture from the 1580s to 1700 in Italy. Artists to be considered include the Carracci, Caravaggio, Guido Reni, Guercino, Domenichino, Bernini, Guarini and Poussin. Special attention is given to the social, political, and religious conditions that helped to shape the art of the early modern period. Visits to the Galleria Sabauda and on-site presentations will supplement class readings and discussions. Students will be required to write a formal analysis on a museum object.
Prerequisite: None

European art from the French Revolution to 1900, with movements in France, Germany, and England receiving particular attention. Major artists studied include David, Gericault, Delacroix, Ingres, Frederich, Constable, Turner, the Pre-Raphaelites, Daumier, Manet, Degas, Monet, and Gauguin. A visit to the Modern Art Gallery in Torino (GAM) will be an integral part of this course. Students will be required to write a formal analysis paper on an object in the museum.
Prerequisite: None

This class begins with a survey of the revolutionary modern movements of the 20th century (e.g., Cubism, Expressionism, Dada, and Surrealism). In examining the most important objects of art produced between 1900 and 1945, we will focus on style, materials, subject matter, and philosophy. Visits to the Modern Art Gallery (GAM) in Torino and on-site presentations will supplement class readings and discussions.
Prerequisite: None

This course will introduce the time period and works of Futurism, an avant-garde artistic movement that originated in Italy at the beginning of the 20th century, which evolved from the idea that the arts should be free from their cultural, historical and artistic heritage and embrace the activism of the new century. Futurism found its expression in almost every genre: painting, sculpture, poetry, theater, music, architecture, photography, cinema and even gastronomy. This course examines the concept of Futurism in an in-depth way by analyzing not only its most important literary experiments, but also its most important paintings and sculptures by famous artists such as Balla, Carrà and Boccioni.
Prerequisite: Lower level Art History survey

Introduces the diversity of practices that have dominated the history of art since World War II. Movements include: Abstract Expressionism, postwar European painting, Happenings, Fluxus, Pop art, minimalism, conceptual art, performance art, and postmodernism. While European and North American art are emphasized, Asian and Latin American art are also addressed, particularly in the context of increasing globalization. Visits to the Rivoli Castle and the Re Rebaudengo Foundation to view contemporary art in context will supplement class readings and discussions. Students will be required to write a formal analysis on an object in One of these museums.
Prerequisite: None

Arte Povera is One of the key movements in contemporary art. Since 1967, the term refers to an aesthetics grounded on the mutual relation between nature and culture through the use of humble materials, both natural and industrial. The course is intended to offer a synoptic view of Arte Povera, focussing on its relevance within the history of Italian culture and the international context. Taking advantage of the strong links between Arte Povera artists and the cultural mileu of Turin and the Piedmont region, the course also offer the possibility to directly meet the artists and their works, through a number of studio visits and sessions in several of the major museums and foundations located in the area.
Prerequisite: Permission of the Instructor

This seminar focuses on the inception of the "readymade" and the abandonment of traditional forms of painting in the work of Marcel Duchamp, as well as the later development of readymade practices in the context of New York and Paris Dada. The history of the readymade as an artistic strategy is traced.
Prerequisite: Lower level Art History survey at least One other Art History course at the 2000-level or above

While ostensibly a theme steeped in naturalism and verisimilitude, the body in art was actually a topic greatly influenced by contexts, hierarchies, and systems. This course investigates the way "natural" bodies have been represented from ancient Egypt until the present day.
Prerequisite: Lower level Art History survey at least One other Art History course at the 2000-level or above

Changing conceptions of the production, reception, functions and use of the portrait genre will be discussed from Egypt to the present day. Issues to be considered include likeness and presence, the problematic question of realism, funerary portraiture, and self-portraiture.
Prerequisite: Lower level Art History survey at least One other Art History course at the 2000-level or above

An examination of Two media of great importance for the codification and dissemination of artistic styles. Focus will be on the Early Modern period. Class readings and discussions will be supplemented by visits to the Royal Library in Torino, which has an excellent collection of Early Modern prints and drawings.
Prerequisite: Lower level Art History survey at least One other Art History course at the 2000-level or above

This course examines decorative arts and interiors as material culture throughout time. We will begin by examining what constitutes the decorative arts, and how they are distinguished from more codified objects of art-historical inquiry. We will study the ways that objects such as furniture and household goods, which combine both useful and aesthetic principles, reflected the private and public lives of those who owned them. Visit to the Decorative Arts Museum (Museo Accorsi) in Torino will supplement class discussions and readings. Students will be expected to write a paper on an object in the collection.
Prerequisite: Lower level Art History survey at least One other Art History course at the 2000-level or above

Investigates the themes, diverse genres, and major figures in 17th-century Dutch and Flemish painting. Artists to be considered include Rembrandt, Rubens and Vermeer. Current problems of interpretation are examined, including the idea that there may have been a specifically northern form of visual thinking.
Prerequisite: Lower level Art History survey at least One other Art History course at the 2000-level or above

Examines the relationship between text and image in art from Egypt to the present day. Covering topics as diverse as hieroglyphs, illuminated manuscripts, and the performative pieces of contemporary artists such as Jenny Holzer, whose works have been projected in the squares of Torino, this course will not be framed by chronology but will instead investigate the central themes surrounding written discourse and visual art.
Prerequisite: Lower level Art History survey at least One other Art History course at the 2000-level or above

An introduction to the poststructuralist discourses that have inflected and changed the way that art history has been written in the last century. Topics to be considered include constructions of sexuality, gender, and race, the social history of art, deconstruction, phenomenology and psychoanalysis.
Prerequisite: Lower level Art History survey at least One other Art History course at the 2000-level or above

Topics to be considered include documentaries, medical illustrations, and depictions of dissections, as well as the relationship between text and image in these media. Visits to the Royal Library to examine rare books, prints, and drawings first hand, as well as a visit to the Human Anatomy Museum, will supplement class discussions.
Prerequisite: Lower level Art History survey at least One other Art History course at the 2000-level or above

Examines the history of design as it relates to the history of technology and industrialization. Covering a variety of design disciplines, including architecture and urban planning, graphic design, fashion, and industrial design, this course focuses less on aesthetics than on the cultural programs and policies that have shaped buildings, objects, and communication systems for more than Two centuries
Prerequisite: Lower level Art History survey at least One other Art History course at the 2000-level or above

Focuses on the leading American avant-garde painters who emerged in the 1940s, including Willem de Kooning, Philip Guston, Franz Kline, Barnett Newman, Jackson Pollock, Mark Rothko, and Clyfford Still. The course relates their art to cultural, intellectual, social, and political developments of the period, with special attention to recent revisionist approaches to Abstract Expressionism. We will also investigate the stages involved in the pursuit of abstraction and the nonrepresentational in modern art, with special attention given to the careers of Kandinsky and Mondrian.
Prerequisite: Lower level Art History survey at least One other Art History course at the 2000-level or above

Presents a historical approach to the development of the Surrealist movement, from its inauguration in Paris in the 1920s to its later transformations. The course examines the multiple media in which the Surrealists worked, the contradictory approaches of such figures as André Breton and Georges Bataille, and influence of Surrealism on postwar artistic practices.
Prerequisite: Lower level Art History survey at least One other Art History course at the 2000-level or above

This survey of art and architecture from the African continent introduces students to objects from prehistoric, ancient, medieval, modern, and contemporary periods. Our discussion of the visual arts will be supplemented with considerations of contemporary ritual life, music, and dance. Equal weight will be given to the urban cultures of Ethiopia, Ife, Zimbabwe, and Jenne and works from small-scale societies throughout the continent. Emphasis will be on social contexts, ritual life, and historical processes. Meets non-Western art history requirement.
Prerequisite: Art history major or Permission of Instructor

This course is a survey of the arts and architecture of the Americas before European contact in the 16th century. Special emphasis will be given to the religious and social contexts of the arts as well as the identification of regional ethnic styles. Meets non-Western art history requirement.
Prerequisite: Art History Major or Permission of Instructor

This course familiarizes students with the painting, sculpture, and architecture of China, Japan and India, focusing on periods of transition and stylistic innovation. Particular emphasis will be given to the arts of Asia as reflections of changing religious culture, as well as to the emergence of Asian centers of contemporary art. Meets non-Western art history requirement.
Prerequisite: Art History Major or Permission of Instructor

Introduces the diversity of practices that characterize the writing of museum didactics today. The theoretical component of the seminar will concentrate on the ideas of the fathers of the modern educational system: Steiner, Read, Dewey, Stern, Bruno Munari and Marco Dallari. Lectures will include guests from the educational departments of the Modern Art Gallery in Torino (GAM) and Rivoli Castle.
Prerequisite: Lower level Art History survey at least One other Art History course at the 2000-level or above

This course provides basic training in the business of museum management. The goals will be as follows: developing the organizational expertise necessary to manage complex projects; offering theoretical and methodological crafts needed to understand the business politics of the museum; and selecting strategies that make all museum activities most competitive. The public relations aspect of museum management will also be explored. To supplement this class, the University will organize internships with museum managers in Torino.
Prerequisite: DHM-ARH/2150 Museum Studies

An historical analysis of the methods, tools and materials used by restorers, as well as a field survey of the restoration of monuments, sculptures, paintings, photographs and film in Torino. Class meetings will be supplemented with hands-on laboratories and visits with object restorers in various museums in Torino.
Prerequisite: Lower level Art History survey at least One other Art History course at the 2000-level or above

The practical and often vexed relationship of art to the market will be discussed, with workshops and on-site visits to galleries in Torino and showrooms in Milan, including at Christie's auction house.
Prerequisite: DBE-BUS/2700 Principles of Marketing and 90 credits or Permission of the Instructor.

The study of a particular theme (e.g., politics, gender, warfare) or of a particular artist in any given period is used as a springboard to familiarize students with various art historical methodologies. Topics will be proposed that coincide with exhibitions opening in museums in the city of Torino. Students work individually on some aspect of this theme, making class presentations and completing a research paper.
Prerequisite: Lower level Art History survey at least One other Art History course at the 2000-level or above.

Explores reciprocal influences of Western and non-Western art from the Renaissance to the modern period. The class will begin with a reading of Edward Said's seminal book Orientalism to familiarize students with the critical discourse of the "other." Topics include diverse artistic movements such as "Orientalism," "Japonism," and "Primitivism." The class also examines the impact of non-Western art on specific artists, including Delacroix, Manet, Whistler, Picasso, and Pollock.
Prerequisite: Lower level Art History survey at least One other Art History course at the 2000-level or above and 90 credits.

A survey of One of the most successful art movements in recent history. Both the art and the literature produced in the wake of this movement will be taken into consideration, with particular attention to the work of Jasper Johns, Robert Rauschenberg, Roy Lichtenstein, Charles Oldenburg and Andy Warhol. Also their legacy will be assessed in the work of later generations, from Jeff Koons to Gerhad Richter.
Prerequisite: Lower level Art History survey at least One other Art History course at the 2000-level or above and 90 credits.

Students use the methodology of art history in an extended project (e.g., a research thesis, an internship at a museum or gallery in Torino, a critical study, or a project based on monuments found within the Piemonte Region).
Prerequisite: 90 credits or Permission of advisor
Credits: 8 credits total (4 credits per semester. It is not possible to receive credit for the first semester until the second is completed).

Film Studies Courses

This course, through a critical study of cinema, outlines basic theoretical concerns in this field. Many important film genres will be discussed, both narrative and non-narrative. This course may include lectures presented by faculty members and will involve a considerable amount of writing.
Prerequisite: None

The course approaches the art of screen emphasizing the type of skills necessary to produce the proper imagery, character formation, and narrative structures needed on sets to stage and shoot modern films. (Designated Writing Intensive Course)
Prerequisite: DFA-FLS/1010 Introduction to Film Studies

The course surveys the history of cinema from its early beginnings in 1895 to 1935. Particular emphasis is given to the progressive development of narrative techniques, from the Lumiere brothers sound passing through Griffith, German Expressionism, American silent features, Soviet theories of montage. This course also includes visits to the archives of the Museum of Cinema in Torino.
Prerequisite: DFA-FLS/1030 Introduction to Screen Analysis

The course surveys the history of cinema from its early beginnings in 1895 to 1935. Particular emphasis is given to the progressive development of narrative techniques, from the Lumiere brothers sound passing through Griffith, German Expressionism, American silent features, Soviet theories of montage. This course also includes visits to the archives of the Museum of Cinema in Torino. The course surveys the history of cinema from its early beginnings in 1895 to the present. It starts with Renoir and Welles in the 1930s and 1940s and follows evolution of narrative films to the present. The course also approaches Italian Neorealism, French New Wave cinema, and more recent experimental productions bordering with contemporary art.
Prerequisite: DFA-FLS/1050 History of Cinema I

This course deals with aspects of U.S. history in the twentieth century with regard to the public released feature motion pictures. Often there is much to be learned about the relationship between the culture and society and its use of visual media such as motion pictures, television and photography. In fact, students come in contact with images of history through visual media on an almost daily basis. With this in mind, it is essential for the student to think critically about visual media. This course will show ten motion pictures to display ten different aspects of American culture. These films will be discussed and analyzed in terms of plots and the historical assumptions that provided the intellectual underpinning of the movies. Papers will be written based on students' abilities to comprehend these matters.
Prerequisite: None

This course covers the history of Italian cinema from its beginnings to the present time. Students will study works from the period just after the Second World War and will examine important contemporary works made by some of the most important directors today. During the course, students will watch and discuss films that are characteristic of the different periods from the birth of the film industry (1903-1915), to the year 2000.
Prerequisite: DFA-FLS/1030 Introduction to Screen Analysis

This course will introduce the students to the important Italian film-makers of today, and will give them a good understanding of present-day Italian cinema and its recurrent preoccupations. It will discuss the critical and commercial reception Tornatore's "Nuovo Cinema Paradiso" and Benigni's "La Vita è Bella". No prior knowledge of Italian is required as all films include subtitles.
Prerequisite: DFA-FLS/2100 The History of Italian Cinema

This course will comparatively examine six novels which have been made into films. Through class lectures and discussions students will learn about the following subjects: various fictional techniques and themes, the rendering of these themes and techniques in literature and film, and the application of those themes in literature and cinema in contemporary culture. (Designated Writing Intensive Course).
Perquisite: DFA-FLS/1030 Introduction to Screen Analysis

This course will examine the evolution of modern French culture and its relationship to cinema. Students will discuss the early influence that literature and theater have had on cinema and will learn about its subsequent detachment and independence as an art form. No prior knowledge of French is required, as all films include subtitles.
Prerequisite: None

This course analyzes the evolution of American cinema from its origins in 1895 to the present. It will discuss the development and expansion of narrative cinema and the classical Hollywood studio system.
Prerequisite: None

This course will discuss selected non-Western film and may include One or all of the following countries: Japan, India, Korea and/or China. Students will learn about important directors and significant works as well as the social and political impact of film in its respective country. Students will also compare and contract Western and non-Western film.
Prerequisite: DFA-FLS/1030 Introduction to Screen Analysis

This course surveys the most significant exponents of Eastern European cinema from the 1940's to the fall of the Berlin Wall in 1989. Important national and international directors such as Polanski, Chytilová, Szabó, Forman, Makavejev, and many others will be discussed along with their works. Emphasis will be placed on themes such as: nationalism and socialism in Eastern European cinema, cinema as propaganda and the rise of cinematic traditions in Poland, Yugoslavia, Hungary and Czechoslovakia. (Designated Global Perspectives/Dive