Fall 2026 ART HISTORY COURSES

Please check back for more updates. Use the Schedule of Classes link below to look up current information regarding times, instructors, and locations.

Schedule of Classes

For a complete list of all history of art courses and degree requirements, see the academic catalog.

Courses numbered 500+ may be taken for graduate credit.

Academic Catalog

Undergraduate Courses

Interior view of a large Renaissance chapel with gray-and-white marble architectural elements, tall fluted pilasters, arched windows, and decorative niches. At the center is an elaborate marble tomb featuring three sculpted human figures: one seated above the tomb and two reclining on either side below. The floor has a geometric black-and‑white pattern, and wooden doors line the walls on both sides.

HA 100/300 Intro to Western Art History

Online and In-person sections available
Core 34: Arts & Humanities
Intended for non-majors
Course Description
A nighttime photograph of the Parthenon on the Acropolis in Athens, illuminated by warm artificial lighting that highlights the building’s Doric columns and partially reconstructed entablature. The structure stands atop a large stone platform, with scaffolding visible along several sections of the colonnade, indicating ongoing conservation work. The surrounding sky is a deep blue, creating contrast with the golden tones of the marble. The foreground shows the rugged stone fortification wall of the Acropolis

HA 150 History of Western Art: Ancient through Medieval

Core 34: Arts & Humanities
Foundation Course
Course Description
A painted scene showing two seated figures on a wooden bench against a stormy gray sky. The two figures sit side by side and hold hands. Each figure’s chest is shown open to reveal anatomical hearts connected by a shared artery. The figure on the left wears a white dress with lace details, and the figure on the right wears a blue top and a brown skirt. Blood flows from the exposed heart of the figure on the left, trailing down onto the white skirt. The composition is symmetrical, with both figures depicted

HA 151 History of Western Art: Renaissance to Contemporary

Core 34: Arts & Humanities
Foundation Course
Course Description

Undergraduate Courses

A large rock‑cut shrine is carved into a cliff face, featuring two monumental seated figures sculpted directly from the stone. The larger figure sits with both hands resting on the lap, wearing a carved draped garment with detailed folds and patterned motifs along the chest and shoulders. A second, slightly smaller figure sits to the right, with one hand raised and similarly dressed in a patterned robe. Both sculptures are framed by recessed niches with intricate carved reliefs behind and around them. A met

HA 166 The Visual Arts of East Asia

Online and In-person sections available
Core 34: Global Culture
Foundation Course
Cross-listed with EALC 198
Course Description
KU Art History Logo in blue. White background with blue grid. Place Holder for later image.

HA 176 Declaring Independence: Art, Culture, and the American Revolution

First-Year Seminar (limited enrollment)
Core 34 US Culture

Jr/Sr Undergraduate Courses

A large Renaissance-style fresco shows two prominent human figures positioned horizontally across the center of the composition. On the left, a nude human figure reclines on a rocky surface, body angled diagonally with one arm extended outward and the other resting near the torso. On the right, another human figure is depicted in flowing, pale garments, reaching toward the figure on the left with an outstretched arm. This right-side figure is surrounded by a cluster of additional human figures partially enc

HA 305/505/550 Inventing the Renaissance: From Leonardo to Columbus

Major Breadth Requirements: Europe and 1400-1850
Capstone offered
Cross-listed with HIST 389
Course Description
A large Renaissance fresco depicting an architectural hall filled with numerous ancient philosophers engaged in discussion, teaching, and contemplation. The setting features grand arches, marble steps, and statues in niches along the walls. Figures cluster in groups across the foreground and midground, some standing, some seated on the steps, and others gesturing toward one another. At the center, two prominent figures walk side by side down the middle of the hall, surrounded by other scholars. The composit

HA 330 Italian Renaissance Art

Online Course
Core 34: Arts & Humanities
Major Breadth Requirements: Europe and 1400-1850
Course Description
A panoramic outdoor scene showing a wide green park bordered by a low teal-colored railing in the foreground. Two figures stand near the railing on the left, dressed in long, dark and light garments, accompanied by a small child. Another child stands closer to the center with their back to the viewer. Beyond the railing, the park extends into open pathways, scattered figures walking, and horses pulling carriages. In the distance, a broad view of a cityscape stretches across the horizon, with bridges, cluste

HA 334/534/550 Impressionism & Post Impressionism

Major Breadth Requirements: Europe and post-1850
Capstone offered
Cross-listed with HIST 389 and WGSS 534
Course Description
A clay or earthenware sculpture depicting a fantastical creature kneeling on one leg atop an oval base. The creature has a muscular torso, an open mouth showing teeth, and multiple long, sharp horn‑ or flame‑like extensions rising from its head and back. One arm is raised upward with clawed fingers extended, while the other arm bends at the elbow. The surface shows areas of reddish pigment, and the base includes smaller sculpted forms that appear partially embedded beneath the creature. The background is a

HA 340/546/550 Chinese Sculpture

Major Breadth Requirements: East Asia and cross-period
Capstone offered
Cross-listed with HIST 390
Course Description

Jr/Sr Undergraduate Courses

A brightly colored illustrated cover featuring a cartoon-style character flying through a stylized outer‑space background. The character has a compact, youthful body, pointed hair, a white top, dark shorts, and large red boots, with one arm extended forward. Behind the character are swirling bands of color and several planet‑like spheres with ring shapes. At the top of the cover, bold lettering reads “Osamu Tezuka’s Original ASTRO BOY,” with additional small printed text in a circular badge near the upper l

HA 344/544 Manga: Histories and Theories

Online Course
HA 544/EALC 544 offered 1st mini-mester only.
Major Breadth Requirements: East Asia and post-1850
Cross-listed with HA 344/544
Course Description
A large outdoor mural depicting a group of figures in celebratory poses. Several uniformed figures appear to be greeting or embracing others dressed in everyday clothing. Some individuals hold flowers, and others raise their arms upward. The scene includes people clustered together across the width of the mural, shown in front of a textured background with faint silhouettes of additional figures above them. The mural is mounted on a long wall with a red lower border, and the ground in front of it is paved.

HA 363 Modern Korean Art and Culture

Online Course
Major Breadth Requirements: East Asia and post-1850
Cross-listed with EALC 373
Course Description
A group of seven performers stands on a brightly lit stage with a glossy yellow floor. All seven wear coordinated outfits in shades of yellow and beige, including tailored jackets, long coats, trousers, and white footwear. Several performers hold microphones, and one performer near the left has one arm raised. The background features a large yellow display with partially visible bold black lettering. Off to the side, additional people are visible in the dimly lit audience area with raised hands. The stage i

HA 365 K-Pop & the Arts

Online Course
Major Breadth Requirements: East Asia and post-1850
Cross-listed with EALC 365
Course Desciption

Jr/Sr Undergraduate Courses

A traditional Japanese woodblock-style seascape showing a towering blue wave curling from the left toward the center of the image, its crest breaking into white, claw-like foam. Below and within the wave, several small wooden boats with visible oars are tossed on dark blue water with sharp, rhythmic wave patterns. In the distance near the center-right, a small, snow-capped mountain rises against a pale beige sky, providing a calm contrast to the dramatic foreground. The image uses deep blues, white foam, an

HA 367 Art & Culture of Japan

Major Breadth Requirements: East Asia and cross-period
Cross-listed with EALC 367
Course Description
A vintage-style world map labeled “Dymaxion Airocean World,” laid out as a series of connected triangular panels. The continents are shown in yellow, green, orange, and red to indicate temperature or climate zones, while oceans and grid lines are rendered in gray. North America appears in the center, with Europe, Africa, Asia, South America, and Australia spread across adjacent triangles, emphasizing the continuous connection of landmasses. The Arctic and Antarctic regions appear as circular or triangular s

HA 373/573/550 Art & the Sea

Major Breadth Requirements: Americas, Africa, Middle East and cross-period
Capstone offered
Cross-listed with HIST 389, AAAS 373/573, EVRN 420
Course Description
A rectangular abstract expressionist painting featuring dense, overlapping splatters and drips of black, white, and gray paint against a tan background. The paint forms an all‑over web of energetic lines, loops, and splashes that cover nearly the entire canvas, creating a chaotic, layered texture. There are no discernible figures or shapes—only interwoven strokes and droplets that vary in thickness and intensity, giving the piece a dynamic, rhythmic appearance.

HA 374/574/55 American Art & Culture Since 1900

Major Breadth Requirements: Americas, Africa, Middle East and post-1850
Capstone offered
Cross-listed with Hist 389, AMS 374
Course Description

Jr/Sr Undergraduate Courses

A black‑and‑white photograph showing an individual standing beside an early 20th‑century luxury automobile parked on a city street. The person is wearing a long, heavy fur coat and heeled shoes, positioned next to the open car door. The car features large white‑wall tires, a prominent spare wheel mounted on the side, and polished chrome detailing. Behind the vehicle is a row of tall stone townhouses with stoops and evenly spaced windows, creating an urban residential backdrop.

HA 380 History of Photography

Online Course
Major Breadth Requirements: Americas, Africa, Middle East and post-1850
Course Description
A traditional religious painting depicting multiple seated Buddhist figures arranged in a horizontal row against a dark green background. Each figure sits cross-legged on an ornate lotus pedestal and is enclosed within a circular halo outlined in red, white, and green. The figures are richly detailed with layered robes in red, gold, white, and blue, and wear elaborate crowns or headdresses. Several figures hold ritual objects or make symbolic hand gestures. Decorative architectural elements and stylized mot

HA 385/585/550 The Art of Buddhism

Major Breadth Requirements: East Asia and cross-period
Capstone offered
Cross-listed with EALC 385
Course Description
A vertical-format traditional painting depicting a rooster standing among rocks and flowering plants near the base of a gnarled tree. The rooster, positioned slightly left of center, has a red comb and face, a dark body, and long, flowing tail feathers in white, black, and brown. Surrounding foliage includes leafy branches arching overhead and clusters of blossoms near the lower right. The background is a light tan parchment-like surface with subtle texture, typical of scroll paintings, bordered on both sid

HA 386/586/550 Japanese Painting

Major Breadth Requirements: East Asia and cross-period
Capstone offered
Cross-listed with EALC 386
Course Description

Graduate Seminars

A gilded panel painting framed by a pointed arch, featuring a seated central figure holding a small child on its lap. The central figure is dressed in richly patterned garments with deep red and dark tones, and both figures have large, ornate gold halos decorated with intricate designs. The background is filled with detailed gold leaf patterns, floral motifs, and decorative borders. The figures sit against an elaborately textured surface within a wooden, gold-colored frame that includes geometric and circul

HA 706/906 The Kress Study Collection Seminar

This seminar focuses on the Samuel H. Kress Study Collection at the Spencer Museum of Art. The collection comprises 17 objects, mostly Italian paintings dating from 1400–1700, that were given to KU in the middle of the 20th century. Seminar topics will include broader themes raised by this collection, such as provenance, display, the history of connoisseurship, art and philanthropy, and cultural relations between the East Coast and the American Heartland in the middle of the 20th century. Students will conduct research independently and as a group in both museum and archival settings. This research will provide fresh perspectives on the Kress Study Collection at the SMA and illuminate its potential for the study of early modern European art today.
A soft, atmospheric landscape study showing an open grassy field rendered in muted green and yellow tones. A faint path curves through the foreground, leading toward dense, dark foliage at the right. In the background, a row of bare and sparsely leafed trees stands against a pale, gently clouded sky. The edges of the artwork show the texture and wear of the paper support, and the lower right corner includes a handwritten signature.

HA 706/955 Nineteenth-Century Environments

This seminar explores the representation of environments, broadly understood and primarily in Europe in the long nineteenth century, a period that witnessed the advent of a fossil-fueled industrial age during which irreversible environmental degradation was set in motion. Focusing on the depiction of such entities as earth, rock, trees, plants, bodies of water, ice, air, pollution, and fog, we will examine the ways in which artists responded to their times and construed the affective, interconnected, and material agency of the natural world. Students’ research paper topics may fall within or outside of the chronological and/or geographic scope of the course.
A two-page spread from an illustrated book showing ink-and-color drawings of two distinct ornamental rocks. The left page features a tall, vertically striated rock formation with clustered green foliage at its base. The right page shows a more irregular, arch-like rock with holes and curved contours, also surrounded by small patches of foliage. Both illustrations are framed by thin rectangular borders, with handwritten characters along the outer margins. The paper has a warm, aged tone with visible creases

HA 780/990 Print Culture in East Asia


Print culture in media such as books, scrolls, folios, and various ephemera involves such issues as text-and-image relations, transnational exchange in imagery and technology, and intersections of popular and elite taste. While most readings will be new scholarship on Chinese print culture, students are encouraged to pursue research topics in Japanese or Korean art. No language requirements. Instructor permission required.