We're still actively developing this site. If you encounter any issues, please report them! - Report an issue

INTRODUCTION TO AFRICAN ART AND ARCHITECTURE

AFROAMER/ARTHIST 241
Course Description

Examines the rich heritage of African arts and architecture as they shape and have been shaped by the histories and cultural values (social, political, religious, philosophical, and aesthetic) of African peoples, both past and present, on the continent where humanity began. It includes an historical overview of selected artistic traditions from different parts of the continent from 26,000 BCE to the 21st century and thematic/cultural case studies: artists and aesthetics; textiles, decorative, and personal/body arts; architecture; and individual artists.

Prerequisites

None

Satisfies

This course does not satisfy any prerequisites.

Credits

Not Reported

Offered

Not Reported

Grade Point Average
3.97

23.95% from Historical

Completion Rate
100%

2.63% from Historical

A Rate
94.74%

105.53% from Historical

Class Size
19

-70.31% from Historical

Cumulative Grade Distribution

Instructors (2026 Summr)

Sorted by ratings from Rate My Professors

Similar Courses

INTRODUCTION TO AFRO-AMERICAN ART

AFROAMER/ARTHIST 242

Historical survey of African American art. Beginning with the African heritage and concluding with creativity of the 1970's, examine the evolution of African American art. Attention to the aesthetic sensibilities of diverse styles as well as the social significance of Black art within the art arena.

ADVANCED TOPICS IN AFRICAN CULTURAL STUDIES

AFRICAN 605

Introduces foundational texts in the study of modern Africa and the social, political, and economic contexts of the continent's cultural production and productivity. Conceptual explorations of interesting issues such as the African encounter with Europe, anticolonialism, race, racialism, and subjectivity, African and European languages and epistemology, transformations in gendered structures, and the environment, and the circulation and consumption of cultural forms and practices. Examines the long histories and theories of cultural production and practices in Africa, the local/global provenance of forms and styles, and the contexts of their local, national, and global circulation and consumption. Promotes critical thinking by putting like and unlike texts together and considering rhetoric and implied meanings, all in the context of Africa's interactive history with the world in the modern era.

TOPICS IN AFRICAN AND AFRICAN DIASPORA ART HISTORY

ARTHIST 412

Cultural and historical forces that have shaped the arts of either a specific people or a specific site in Africa or the African Americas.

ART AND POWER IN THE ARAB WORLD

ARTHIST 440

Considers the use of art and architecture as an expression of power in the Arab world, from the seventh century to the present. Beginning with the establishment of the caliphate and ending with the arts of revolution following the Arab Spring, investigates the shifting role of art and architecture in the quest for political dominance. With a particular focus on the arts of Cairo, Baghdad, Cordoba, Mecca, Jerusalem, Damascus, and the modern Arabian Gulf, explore competing visions of power and sources of legitimacy, through the lens of artistic production.

AFRICAN LITERATURE AND VISUAL CULTURE

AFRICAN 303

An introduction to literature and visual culture of Africa in various periods and places; specific topics will vary.