Week 1
Lesson 1
Introduction to Art History and Arts of the Baroque Period
During Week 1, we will begin with a brief overview of what art history actually is and how it formed as a discipline. We will also introduce major art terminology that we will use throughout the course. Afterwards, this week is all about the elaborate ornamentation of baroque and rococo art! Students will start this week discussing famous artists Rembrandt and Caravaggio and how their attention to detail produced art that was very different from their Renaissance counterparts! 
 Week 2
Lesson 2
Romanticism and Neoclassicism  
Romanticism and Neoclassicism battle it out for the lead in the art world! We will discuss the lush landscapes and stories of Rococo through the works of French artists like Jean Honore-Fragonard, whose work "The Swing" is considered the pinnacle of Rococo lavishness. Rococo will lead us into our discussion of Romanticism. Students will discuss the stark differences between the romanticists and neoclassicists, and be able to identify the traits of both. 
 Week 3
Lesson 3
Impressionism 
This unit focuses on Impressionism, the first Modern art movement. Students will start with Courbet, who first tested the boundaries of traditional academic style paintings through his new style, Realism, and continue to evaluate the paintings of Impressionists such as Manet, Degas, Van Gogh, and Monet. The discussion will emphasize the impact of Modernity on the art world during the late 19th century. This week’s case study will be Monet’s infa
 Week 4
Lesson 4
Post-Impressionism and Fauvism
This unit, students will jump into post-Impressionism and Fauvism at the turn of the century! This unit will emphasize the expressive usage of color in each of these movements and important techniques for the application of paints, as developed by each of these groups. This week’s case study will be Seurat’s “La Grande Jatte,” also known as “Sunday Afternoon in the Park, emphasizing the scientific application of paint used by Seurat known as stippling. 
 Week 5
Lesson 5
Cubism and German Expressionism
This week we will start by discussing how art is becoming more and more abstracted through the movement of Cubism. This week’s case study is Picasso’s "Guernica" and "Ma Jolie" as a way of discussing how artists transition to abstraction and geometric patterning.The rest of class emphasizes how politics influence artistic practice through an evaluation of German Expressionism. Our discussionof German Expressionism focuses on how the destruction of World War I altered art practices.
 Week 6
Lesson 6
Dada and Surrealism
This unit, we delve into the mindset of the Surrealists and Dadas, who both questioned what art truly was and what it should represent.  This week's case study revolves around Marcel Duchamp's "Fountain" and how the Dadas sought to question the practices of the art world through their mockery of traditional artistic practices. Surrealism sought to evoke psychological, inward subject matter in a way that was similar to a dreamlike state. 
 Week 7
Lesson 7
Abstract Expressionism
Students will evaluate the impact of Abstract Expressionism, considered the first truly American art form, on the art world in the post-War period. This week's case study will include several works by Jackson Pollock, the most well known of the Expressionists, and students will discuss how art shifted to purely abstracted imagery, as well as focusing on the purely abstract subject matter. 
 Week 8
Lesson 8
The Impact of Modernism post-1960--Pop Art, Minimalism, and Performance
This unit, students begin their exploration of Contemporary arts, including Pop art, Minimalism, and Performance art. Students will look at artists like Andy Warhol, Marina Ambramovic, and Robert Smithson, who interpreted Modernist tendencies in new ways during the contemporary period. Students will discuss how popular culture impacted the art world and how artists began shifting away from traditional methods of art in the contem
 Week 9
Lesson 9
Feminism and Identity Politics in Art 
This week is all about women and artists of color in the contemporary era, primarily from 1980-today! We will discuss how artists of different backgrounds tell their stories through their art, including Jenny Holzer, Barbara Kruger, Carrie Mae Weems, Kara Walker, Jean Michele Basquiat, and Romare Bearden. In this class, we will discuss why traditional art history tends to ignore these important voices and why their contemporary works are so influential. 
 Week 10
Lesson 10
Art from 2000 to the Present Day
In this final class, we will discuss trends in art today. We will discuss everything from the mass produced art of Jeff Koons and his inflatable dog sculptures, the identity politics of Kehinde Wiley and his portraits of black artists in traditional paintings and his portrait of Barack Obama, and the resurgence of graffiti as an artform with Banksy. After this course, students will understand trends in the art market in the present day and why they see the art they see out in the world!