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ART HIST 115

RELIGION AND ART

3 credits.

Fundamental to all religions are shared beliefs about human beings' relation to that which they regard as holy, sacred, spiritual, divine, or worthy of reverence. Focuses on how religions around the world, from antiquity to the present, mediate sacred and divine presence through material means, aimed to stimulate the human senses. Considers the questions: What makes particular places sacred? How do architecture and ritual contribute to the fashioning sacred worship spaces or places of pilgrimage and healing in diverse religious traditions? How do some religions use icons/images, painted or sculpted, to mediate divine presence, while others consider figural images to be idols? How do art, architecture, and even landscapes serve as places of memory and convey fundamental beliefs about the afterlife?

Prerequisites & course information

Requisites: None Course Designation: Core GenEd - Humanities & Arts Breadth - Humanities Level - Elementary L&S Credit - L&S Liberal Arts and Science Repeatable for Credit: No Last Taught: Spring 2026 Learning Outcomes: 1. Analyze, compare, and evaluate theories about the material manifestations of religion Audience: Undergraduate 2. Recognize, describe, compare and differentiate visual images, architecture, landscapes and religious material culture of different religious traditions Audience: Undergraduate 3. Demonstrate collaborative skills by working in small groups to critically respond to questions about readings prepared in advance or works of art in the museum Audience: Undergraduate 4. Develop written and oral arguments based on visual and material evidence. Audience: Undergraduate 5. Employ research skills to interpret religious images and architecture Audience: Undergraduate Learning Outcomes: 1. Analyze, compare, and evaluate theories about the material manifestations of religion Audience: Undergraduate 2. Recognize, describe, compare and differentiate visual images, architecture, landscapes and religious material culture of different religious traditions Audience: Undergraduate 3. Demonstrate collaborative skills by working in small groups to critically respond to questions about readings prepared in advance or works of art in the museum Audience: Undergraduate 4. Develop written and oral arguments based on visual and material evidence. Audience: Undergraduate 5. Employ research skills to interpret religious images and architecture Audience: Undergraduate

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