History of Art and Architecture

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The Department of History of Art and Architecture familiarizes DePaul students with works of art that define civilizations around the world from their emergence to the present day. The study of art is integral to the development of human knowledge and thus consistent with the academic goals of DePaul University as well as a liberal arts education. We extend the Vincentian mission in our particular focus on comparative culture and art in its urban setting. In an increasingly interconnected world, art history encourages a critical engagement with the visual and its role in individual and social formation.

The study of art and architectural history prepares students for a wide variety of careers and post-graduate pursuits. Thus, all of our classes foster critical thinking by developing visual literacy, close reading, persuasive writing, research skills and oral communication. Taking advantage of the rich cultural resources of Chicago through classroom lectures, discussions and site visits to exhibits, museums, and architectural monuments, students come to understand how art is produced and how it operates in its social and historical moment. In more advanced classes, students become well-versed in the nature of the field and its current and traditional theoretical issues. In these classes, too, consideration is given to the professional world, including museums, galleries, cultural institutions, and the global art market.

All of these goals are consistent with our professional aspirations, not only as faculty, but as scholars who distinguish ourselves by the breadth of our geographical and chronological interests and through our record of publishing and professional achievements. Although our approaches vary widely, we are united in our shared interest in the creative, social, and political forces that both determine and emanate from all works of art.

Faculty

Mark DeLancey, PhD
Professor and Chair
Harvard University

Elena Boeck, PhD
Professor
Yale University

Delia Cosentino, PhD
Professor
University of California, Los Angeles

Joanna Gardner-Huggett, PhD
Associate Professor
Rutgers University

Yun-Chen Lu, PhD
Assistant Professor
University of California, Santa Barbara

Lisa Mahoney, PhD
Associate Professor and Director of Islamic World Studies
Johns Hopkins University

Mark Pohlad, PhD
Associate Professor
University of Delaware

Adjunct Faculty

Cheryl Bachand, MA
Professor of Professional Practice and Director of Museum Studies
University of Massachusetts, Amherst

Karen Barzman, PhD
Adjunct Professor
John Hopkins University

Jody Berman, PhD
Adjunct Professor
University of Florida

Heather Bowen-Struyk, PhD
Adjunct Professor
University of Michigan

Curtis Hansman, PhD
Adjunct Professor
University of Kansas

Sarah Holian, MPhil
Adjunct Professor
City University of New York

Joseph Socki, PhD
Adjunct Professor
Binghamton University

Marin Sullivan, PhD
Adjunct Professor
University of Michigan, Ann Arbor

Catherine Zurybida, MA
Adjunct Professor
University of Chicago​

Emeriti

Sally A. Kitt Chappell, PhD
Emerita Professor
Northwestern University

Elizabeth Lillehoj, PhD
Emerita Professor
Columbia University

Susan Solway, PhD
Emerita Professor
Northwestern University

Simone Zurawski, PhD
Emerita Professor
Brown University