Dr. Rebecca Weller
CSUB—Art Department
rweller@csub.edu
Office: LB 102
654-2283
Office hours: (Tues/Thurs) 12:00 – 1:00 p.m.
(Wed) 12:00 – 3:00 p.m.
ART 484: “Contemporary Directions in Art”
Winter 2016
DDH 107E
TR 10:00 a.m. – 12:05 p.m.
Course Description: How did the difficult and often unpopular avant-garde Modern art
become accepted as the institutional standard of taste? Whose taste is that? What is
Postmodernism? When did it begin? Why? What cultural shifts caused Modernism to
implode? Or did it? From late Modernism through Postmodernism, this class is an
exploration of movements in art since the late 1940s. Much emphasis will be placed
upon building an art vocabulary with which to discuss today’s art.
By the end of this course, students will be able to:
 Discuss major artists and art movements since the end of WWII.
o Assessment: exam essay questions
 Relate the now-historical art strategies to current (2016) art issues.
o Assessment: In-class assignments and term paper
 Examine art through the more diverse lenses of Postmodernism, problematizing
the privileged Modernist artist/genius who tended to be white, male, and
heterosexual, by comparing this so-called canonical art to that made by nonwhite, non-male, and non-heterosexual artists.
o Assessment: In-class assignments and Reading Reviews
Required Text:
 Hal Foster, Rosalind Krauss, et al. Art Since 1900: Modernism, Antimodernism,
Postmodernism, 1945 to the present (VOLUME 2—2nd Edition). Thames &
Hudson (2011). ISBN #978-0-500-28953-2
Synopsis of Assignments:
 Reading Reviews [15%]: read the assigned material for the day and assess the
main points of the article BEFORE class. I will check for your notes at the start
of class, so do not be late or you will not receive credit for your work.

In-class work [15%]: On most days, I will have you write a brief analysis in
relation to the topic of the day. All work will be handed in during that same class
period. I will not accept late work or offer make-ups.

Exams [30%]: consist of slide identifications (artist, title, art movement) and
short essay questions that allow you to demonstrate your knowledge of art terms,
social issues surrounding the work, and information about the specific artworks.
A “Study Guide” will be attached to my website (www.csub.edu/~rweller) prior
to the exams.

Essay Exams [40%]: consist of essay questions that allow you to demonstrate
your knowledge of the articles read in class, applying this information to specific
artworks and critiquing them. A “Study Guide” will be attached to my website
(www.csub.edu/~rweller) prior to the exams. Blue books are required!
Attendance: Attendance is crucial to your understanding of the material since missed
slide lectures and discussions cannot be made up and information necessary for your
exams and papers will be presented in class. Remember to contact me regarding any
absences. NO MAKEUPS!
Late Paper Policy: Papers must be turned in on time (at the start of class on specified
due dates). Papers will be docked one letter grade (10 points) per day until I receive it.
Plagiarism will not be tolerated. For information on what constitutes plagiarism, search
“Academic integrity” on CSUB’s home page.
To request academic accommodations due to a disability, please contact the Office of
Services for Students with Disabilities (SSD) as soon as possible. Their office is located
in SA 140, and they may be reached at 661-654-3360 (voice) or 661-654-6288 (TDD).
WARNING: on some days, we will be viewing material that deals with the often
uncomfortable issues of sexuality, race, and gender for the purpose of intellectual
discussion. The titles of some artworks include profanity. Please talk to me about any
concerns over potentially explicit material.
ART 484
Winter 2016
Schedule of Lectures and Assignments
Lectures: Survey of art, Post-WWII to the 1960s
Jan 5
Jan 7
Jan 12
Jan 14
Jan 19
Jan 21
Introduction
Abstract Expressionism
Postwar European
Post-Painterly Abstraction, NeoDada
Assemblage, Environments
Exam 1
Exam
Discussion: Art After Auschwitz
Jan 26
Jan 28
Feb 2
Feb 4
Signature Style & the Legacy of Jackson Pollock (1947b)
The Tactile Surface: Art Informel (1946)
Clement Greenberg & the Legacy of One Critic (1960b)
Exam 2
380-86
369-74
477-82
Exam
Lectures: Survey of art, 1960s to the Present
Feb 9
Feb 11
Feb 16
Feb 18
Feb 23
Feb 25
Mar 1
Pop Art, Minimalism
Process Art, Earth Art, Conceptual Art, Fluxus
Movie: Basquiat
Neo-Expressionism, East Village Art, Feminist Art
Postmodern Architecture
Video Art, Art of the 21st Century
Exam 3
Exam
Discussion: Constructing & Accumulating
Mar 3
Mar 8
Mar 10
Mar 18
Traumatic Realism: Warhol’s Disasters (1964b)
Industry or High Art: David Smith’s Constructions (1945)
Assemblage & Accumulations (2007b)
Exam 4 (11:00 a.m. – 1:30 p.m.)
530-35
364-68
724-31
Exam