Graduate Calendar Archives: 2003 / 2004

School for Studies in Art and Culture: Art History

The School

Director, Bryan Gillingham

Supervisor of Graduate Studies, Carol Payne

The School for Studies in Art and Culture offers a program of study and research leading to the degree of Master of Arts in Art and Its Institutions. The program is unique in its breadth and comprehensiveness. Students can choose to focus on art and architecture drawn from Canada's wealth of different artistic communities, including the traditions of Euro-Canadians, aboriginal peoples, other ethnic groups, and women. They are encouraged to consider these traditions as aesthetic expressions and within broad contexts of race and gender and of social, political, and economic history.

Qualifying-Year Program

Applicants who do not qualify for direct admission to the master's program may be admitted to a qualifying-year program. Applicants who lack an Honours degree, but have a 3-year degree with an honours standing (at least B overall) will normally be admitted to a qualifying-year program. Refer to the General Regulations section of this Calendar.

Master of Arts

Admission Requirements

The minimum requirement for admission to the master's program is an Honours bachelor's degree (or the equivalent) in art history or a related discipline, with at least high honours standing. Related disciplines may include anthropology, Canadian history, and Canadian studies. Applicants without a background in art history may be required to take up to a maximum of 2.0 credits in certain designated courses from the undergraduate art history program in addition to their regular program.

Program Requirements

The specific program requirements for students in the M.A. program are as follows:

• ARTH 5000 (1.0 credit)
• 2.0 credits with a minimum of 1.5 to be taken from the following artistic traditions: Euro-American, First Nations, Inuit art, architecture, photography, folk and popular arts. 0.5 credits must be taken in a tradition other than your thesis area of study.
• ARTH 5909 (2.0 credits)

Subject to the approval of the graduate supervisor, 0.5 credit may be taken outside the Art History program. A maximum of 1.0 credit may be selected from course offerings at the 4000-level in Art History.

The student's program will be developed in consultation with the graduate supervisor and graduate faculty of Art History, and must be approved by the graduate supervisor. The prescribed program will take into account the student's background and special interests, as well as the research strengths of the Art History graduate faculty.

Deadlines

Thesis Proposal

Full-time students normally will submit their thesis topic to the thesis proposal board no later than April 15 of the first year of registration for students enrolled full-time, and no later than the middle of the fifth term of registration for students enrolled part-time.

Thesis

Regulations governing requirements for the master's thesis, including deadlines for submission, are outlined in the General Regulations section of this Calendar.

Language Requirements

Students are required to demonstrate a reading knowledge of French (or another language to be approved by the Art History graduate supervisor).

Academic Standing

A standing of B- or better must be obtained in each credit counted towards the master's degree.

Graduate Courses

Not all of the following courses are offered in a given year. For an up-to-date statement of course offerings for 2003-2004 and to determine the term of offering, consult the Registration Instructions and Class Schedule booklet, published in the summer and also available online at www.carleton.ca/cu/programs/sched_dates/

Course Designation System

Carleton's course designation system has been restructured. The first entry of each course description below is the new alphanumeric Carleton course code, followed by its credit value in brackets. The old Carleton course number (in parentheses) is included for reference, where applicable.

ARTH 5000 [1.0 credit] (formerly 11.500)

The Practice of Canadian Art History

Examination of the historiography of native and non-native Canadian art history; history and practice of collecting institutions, including contemporary theoretical approaches; cross-cultural and multi-cultural aspects of contemporary art, with on-site research in the major collecting institutions of the National Capital Region.

ARTH 5001 [0.5 credit] (formerly 11.501)

Graduate Practicum

Practical on-site work in the collecting institutions of the National Capital Region (as available), including a written assignment. The practicum coordinator and the on-site supervisor jointly determine the final mark. A maximum of 1.0 practicum credit may be applied towards degree requirements.

ARTH 5002 [0.5 credit] (formerly 11.502)

Directed Readings and Research

Students may pursue topics in Canadian art, which they have selected in consultation with the graduate faculty of the program.

ARTH 5101 [0.5 credit] (formerly 11.511)

Topics in Historical Canadian Art

A consideration of social, political, and economic contexts of Canadian art in selected periods from French settlement to 1900. Emphasis will be placed on the transformation of European traditions by artists and sculptors and on the impact of Canada's geographical proximity to the United States.

ARTH 5102 [0.5 credit] (formerly 11.512)

Topics in the History of Art Criticism in Canada

Critical reaction to art exhibitions (historical, modern or contemporary) will be examined with reference to public opinion, critical methodology, and aesthetic attitudes.

ARTH 5104 [0.5 credit] (formerly 11.514)

Canadian Women Artists: Between the World Wars

An examination of art by women in light of the role played by architects, painters, sculptors, printmakers and photographers in the formation of artists' groups, in the development of modernist art and in the production of commissioned works of art which served as Canadian civic and/or national symbols.

ARTH 5105 [0.5 credit] (formerly 11.515)

Reading Modernism and Post-Modernism in Canada

An examination of writings on Canadian modernist and post-modernist art by artists and critics in light of current concerns about audience response and reception theory.

ARTH 5106 [0.5 credit] (formerly 11.516)

Contemporary Women Artists - 1970 to the Present: Vision and Difference

An inquiry into the art of contemporary women artists in the context of cultural, social/political and feminist issues. Examination of patronage systems, viewer response and contemporary art theory will provide additional foci for the discussion of gender and contemporary art-making.

ARTH 5107 [0.5 credit] (formerly 11.517)

Public Art in Canada: Issues and Realities

An examination of works of art commissioned for public spaces. Emphasis is placed on analysis of the art and the interrelationships among the artist, the architect, the patron, the critic and the public. Consideration is also given to social, cultural and political contexts.

ARTH 5109 [0.5 credit] (formerly 11.519)

Aspects of Contemporary Art Practice

Examination of contemporary art practice in Canada, including the artist collective, traditional and new media (painting, sculpture, installation, video, computer art), the relationship of artist and society, critical and public reception of contemporary art, as well as interaction between institutional collecting and artist-run centres.

ARTH 5200 [0.5 credit] (formerly 11.520)

Art of the Aboriginal Peoples

An examination of the creative production and aesthetic culture of selected First Nations in pre-contact and historic times through the early twentieth century, drawing on postcolonial and critical theory.

ARTH 5204 [0.5 credit] (formerly 11.524)

Issues in Contemporary Aboriginal Art

A study of selected aspects of contemporary aboriginal art in Canada, focusing on the period since 1960. Current debates about museum representation, appropriation, and marginalization will also be discussed.

ARTH 5207 [0.5 credit] (formerly 11.527)

Creating an Exhibition

Students curate an exhibition of Canadian works for a museum or gallery in the Ottawa region, under guidance from museum professionals, who instruct in curatorial practice, from the development of an exhibition concept, selection and research of works, writing texts and designing the installation.

ARTH 5208 [0.5 credit] (formerly 11.528)

Museum Studies and Curatorial Practice: Theory and Practice

A seminar realizing an exhibition of Canadian art (Aboriginal and/or non-Aboriginal) to be presented at the Carleton University Art Gallery. This will involve conceptualization, research, selection, cataloguing, labeling, promotion, contextualization, and evaluation using the collections of the Gallery.

ARTH 5303 [0.5 credit] (formerly 11.533)

Topics in Inuit Art

Selected topics in the historical development and significance of Canadian Inuit art in the broad context of world art may include such broad themes as historiography, cross-cultural aesthetics, and the relationship of Inuit art to contemporary critical and social theory.

ARTH 5402 [0.5 credit] (formerly 11.542)

The Archive in Canadian Art and Architecture: Theory and Practice

An introduction to diverse aspects of 'The Archive' that may include theoretical perspectives, access to specialized archival collections, research applications and interrelationships between art, artifact and architectural practices.

ARTH 5403 [0.5 credit] (formerly 11.543)

Topics in Canadian Historical and Contemporary Architecture: Theory and Practice

Specialized topics examine theory and practice of Canadian architects, architectural historians and critics from historical and contemporary perspectives.

ARTH 5500 [0.5 credit] (formerly 11.550)

Issues in Canadian Photography

Examination of photographic practice and reception in Canada. Emphasis will be placed on social, political and cultural contexts as well also on theoretical approaches to the study of photographs.

ARTH 5600 [0.5 credit] (formerly 11.560)

Canadian Folk and Popular Arts: Sources and Styles

An investigation into folk and popular arts in North America with a special emphasis on Canada. Among the issues to be considered are: the role of community-based artistic traditions, the discourse surrounding folk art, the influence of the market, social context, and style.

ARTH 5909 (formerly 11.599)

M.A. Thesis