Simon Fraser University
Engaging the World

Course Outlines

Spring 2026 - CA 118 D100

Contemporary Art History (3)

Class Number: 4221

Delivery Method: In Person

Overview

  • Course Times + Location:

    Jan 5 – Apr 10, 2026: Mon, 9:30 a.m.–12:20 p.m.
    GOLDCORP

Description

CALENDAR DESCRIPTION:

A study of the visual arts from 1945 to the present, with attention to the artists, artworks, movements, and discourses that re-defined the functions and meanings of art. The debates of modernism, postmodernity, postcolonialism, feminism, and the avant-garde will be systematically explored. May be of particular interest to students in other departments. Students with credit for CA 168 may not take this course for further credit. Breadth-Humanities.

COURSE DETAILS:

A critical survey of western visual art and culture from about 1900 to the present with particular emphasis on the inheritance and legacies of modern art movements. We will examine the different streams of the early avant-garde and the rise of a “global” art history. This course will address the social, political, and philosophical questions raised by modernism, postmodernism and postcolonial theory and their influence on art in the twentieth and twenty-first centuries. Movements and art forms to be covered include Fauvism, German Expressionism, Cubism, Soviet Constructivism, Surrealism, Afro-Modernism, Abstract Expressionism, Pop Art, Land Art, Performance, Conceptual Art, and feminist, activist and new media art.

The major focus of the course is delivered via weekly lectures and screenings. They are supported by occasional break-out working groups in which students gather in smaller groups to discuss weekly readings, lecture material, assignments, and to work together on exercises.

Through assignments and exams, students will be expected to: identify and classify works of art (artists’ names, dates, movements); understand and apply art historical terminology; analyze and develop arguments about the formal, material, cultural, philosophical, historical and political significance of important works of art from this period; evaluate and engage critically with various arguments made by historians and critics; and develop lucid and engaging close readings of artworks.

Grading

  • In-Class Midterm Examination 30%
  • Reflection Journal 30%
  • Final Examination (Date and time TBA) 35%
  • Participation 5%

NOTES:

All work will receive a percentage grade.

Reflection Journals may be submitted up to one week late with the automatic loss of one percentage point per day, to a maximum of seven points. Reflection Journals will not be accepted beyond a week after the due date except in the most extraordinary of circumstances.

Break-out working group sessions during class provide you with an opportunity to engage in a close analysis of images informed by lectures and readings with your peers. Your active involvement in these discussions is the best preparation for the exams and other assignments.

Materials

REQUIRED READING:

H. Arnason and Elizabeth C. Mansfield, History of Modern Art, 7th edition. Boston: Pearson, 2013. Available at SFU Vancouver bookstore and on reserve at Belzberg Library. Other assigned readings will be available as pdfs through the course Canvas website (Canvas.sfu.ca).

REQUIRED READING NOTES:

Your personalized Course Material list, including digital and physical textbooks, are available through the SFU Bookstore website by simply entering your Computing ID at: shop.sfu.ca/course-materials/my-personalized-course-materials.

Registrar Notes:

ACADEMIC INTEGRITY: YOUR WORK, YOUR SUCCESS

At SFU, you are expected to act honestly and responsibly in all your academic work. Cheating, plagiarism, or any other form of academic dishonesty harms your own learning, undermines the efforts of your classmates who pursue their studies honestly, and goes against the core values of the university.

To learn more about the academic disciplinary process and relevant academic supports, visit: 


RELIGIOUS ACCOMMODATION

Students with a faith background who may need accommodations during the term are encouraged to assess their needs as soon as possible and review the Multifaith religious accommodations website. The page outlines ways they begin working toward an accommodation and ensure solutions can be reached in a timely fashion.