Art History
9 courses · El Camino College · 2026-2027 Catalog
Classes: Fall 2026 · Winter 2027 · Spring 2027
AHIS 101 Art and Visual Culture: A Global Perspective
- Units
- 3
- Hours
- 3 hours lecture
- Advisory
- ENGL 1 or eligibility for ENGL 1A (now ENGL C1000) or qualification by appropriate assessment
- Formerly
- Art 101
- Transfers to
- CSU, UC
This course is an introduction to art and visual culture across time and diverse cultures with a global perspective. Examining works of art through themes, theory, terminology and media, students acquire analytical and interpretive skills to develop visual literacy as well as an understanding of the role of art and visual culture in relation to contemporary life. This course explores how meaning is constructed, transmitted and negotiated in an increasingly visual world.
AHIS 102C History of Western Art - 19th Century to Contemporary Times
- Units
- 3
- Hours
- 3 hours lecture
- Advisory
- ENGL 1 or eligibility for ENGL 1A (now ENGL C1000) or qualification by appropriate assessment
- Formerly
- Art 102C
- Transfers to
- CSU, UC
This course is a survey of the history, development, and evolution of painting, sculpture, architecture, photography, and related art forms of Western Europe and the United States from the mid-nineteenth century to the late-twentieth century. Artworks, art movements, and art styles are studied in relation to relevant social, political, philosophical, and technological factors, and the accelerating changes that characterize the modern era. Students will see how the aesthetic of newness, originality, anti-academicism, and radical formal invention characteristic of avant-garde modernism was rooted in the deep-seated social changes and values that defined modernity. Students will be introduced to fundamental methods of analysis that will assist them in understanding art and aesthetic human activities.
AHIS 205A History of Asian Art - India and Southeast Asia
- Units
- 3
- Hours
- 3 hours lecture
- Advisory
- eligibility for ENGL 1A (now ENGL C1000)
- Formerly
- Art 205A
- Transfers to
- CSU, UC
This course surveys the arts of India and Southeast Asia from their earliest beginnings in Indus Valley cultures through the 18th century with an emphasis on Buddhist and Hindu art forms. Key artworks are studied in relation to historical, cultural, and religious contexts.
AHIS 205B History of Asian Art - China, Korea, and Japan
- Units
- 3
- Hours
- 3 hours lecture
- Advisory
- eligibility for ENGL 1A (now ENGL C1000)
- Formerly
- Art 205B
- Transfers to
- CSU, UC
This course surveys the arts of China, Japan, and Korea from the Neolithic period through the 21st century in relation to cultural, political, religious, and philosophical contexts. It traces the transmission of cultural ideas and art forms from one civilization to another and considers the effect of Western art's historical methodologies on the study and appreciation of Asian art and culture.
AHIS 207 Art History of Mexico and Central and South America
- Units
- 3
- Hours
- 3 hours lecture
- Advisory
- ENGL 1 or eligibility for ENGL 1A (now ENGL C1000) or qualification by appropriate assessment
- Formerly
- Art 207
- Transfers to
- CSU, UC
This course surveys the art of Mexico, Central America, and South America, from Pre-Colombian civilizations through contemporary times. Key artworks are studied in relation to historical and cultural contexts that consider the effects of shifting social, political, philosophical, and spiritual paradigms on the production of art.
AHIS 208 History of American Art
- Units
- 3
- Hours
- 3 hours lecture
- Advisory
- ENGL 1 or eligibility for ENGL 1A (now ENGL C1000) or qualification by appropriate assessment
- Formerly
- Art 208
- Transfers to
- CSU, UC
This course is an introductory survey of American Art and visual culture from its pre-colonial past to the contemporary era with a focus on the social, political, economic, and philosophical conditions that have constructed the visualization of diverse American identities. American Art will be examined in relation to issues of representation and marginalization. Both art and artists will be studied within contexts that consider constructions of race, class, hybridity, gender, and sexuality and how these identifications factor into the construction of the canon, or mainstream, of the art world and the (in)visibility of diverse artists within art history.
AHIS 208H Honors History of American Art
- Units
- 3
- Hours
- 3 hours lecture
- Advisory
- ENGL 1 or eligibility for ENGL 1A (now ENGL C1000) or qualification by appropriate assessment
- Transfers to
- CSU, UC
This honors course, intended for students in the Honors Transfer Program, is an introductory survey of American Art and visual culture from its pre-colonial past to the contemporary era with a focus on the social, political, economic, and philosophical conditions that have constructed the visualization of diverse American identities. American Art will be examined in relation to issues of representation and marginalization. Both art and artists will be studied within contexts that consider constructions of race, class, hybridity, gender, and sexuality and how these identifications factor into the construction of the canon, or mainstream, of the art world and the (in)visibility of diverse artists within art history. This course is enriched through extensive, rigorous reading, writing, and research assignments.
AHIS 209 History of African Art
- Units
- 3
- Hours
- 3 hours lecture
- Advisory
- ENGL 1 or eligibility for ENGL 1A (now ENGL C1000) or qualification by appropriate assessment
- Formerly
- Art 109
- Transfers to
- CSU, UC
This course is an introductory survey of African art in relation to its historical and cultural contexts. It focuses on specific groups and regions with an emphasis on sub- Sahara West and Central Africa, stressing the different roles of the visual arts within each culture.
AHIS 210 History of Islamic Art and Visual Culture
- Units
- 3
- Hours
- 3 hours lecture
- Advisory
- Eligibility for ENGL 1A
- Transfers to
- CSU, UC
This course surveys the foundations of Islamic art and visual culture globally (including the Middle East, North Africa, Europe, and Central, South, and Southeast Asia), from the 7th to the 21st centuries CE. Key artworks are studied in relation to historical and cultural contexts that consider the effects of shifting social, political, philosophical, and spiritual paradigms on the production of art. Additionally, the course will focus on the presentation and collection of Islamic art in Western museums, and the influence of Islam on the intellectual and cultural life of the West.