Course Overview
Students are introduced to key visual images, sculptures, and buildings in the Western cultural tradition: their features, materials, interrelationships, and social, religious, economic, and political contexts. After brief grounding in the visual culture of the ancient world and Middle Ages, the course focuses on painting, architecture / built environment, sculpture, photography and other products of visual culture in Europe and the Americas from the 1400s CE to the present. The Renaissance, Mannerism, the Baroque, Neoclassicism, Realism, Impressionism, Post-Impressionism, Modernism and Post-Modernism are addressed. Influences on Western art from China, Japan, India, and Africa are also briefly considered. Through studying how visual culture has been defined, classified, ranked, and analyzed in Western culture – an approach established in Renaissance Europe – course participants will be equipped to contextualize the built environment, and past and current images.
Prerequisite(s)
- C+ in Grade 12 English
Credits
3.0
Domestic fees
$629.13
International fees are typically 3.25 times the domestic tuition. Exact cost will be calculated upon completion of registration.
Learning Outcomes
Upon successful completion of this course, the student will be able to:
- Define and use standard terminology central to the study of visual culture (images, objects, buildings), including chronological and stylistic features.
- Demonstrate awareness of continuity and change in the history of visual culture, by discussing changes in subjects, themes, styles and materials in painting, sculpture, architecture, photography and other products of visual culture.
- Analyze selected works of artists and architects in specific periods in Western art.
- Identify major cultural, scientific and technological changes that significantly affected visual culture.
- Discuss the roles of artists, architects, patrons, and other leaders in developing, enforcing and critiquing artistic norms.
Effective as of Fall 2022
Related Programs
Introduction to Western Visual Culture: European Renaissance to the Present (AHVC 1126) is offered as a part of the following programs:
- Indicates programs accepting international students.
School of Construction and the Environment
- Interior Design
Diploma Full-time
- Interior Design
Diploma Part-time
- Residential Interiors
Diploma Part-time
Course Offerings
Spring/Summer 2026
Below is one offering of AHVC 1126 for the Spring/Summer 2026 term.
CRN 69298
Dates
Apr 09 - Jun 25 Loading
- CRN 69298
- $629.13 Domestic fees
Class meeting times
| Dates | Days | Times | Locations |
|---|---|---|---|
| Apr 09 - Jun 25 | Thu | 18:00 - 21:00 | Burnaby SE06 Rm. 114 |
Duration
12 weeks
Instructor
Michael Coughlin
Course outline
Course outline TBD — see Learning Outcomes in the interim.
Important information
- Please note, this CRN is reserved for students registered in the Residential Interiors and Interior Design Diploma. Students are introduced to key visual images, sculptures, and buildings in the Western cultural tradition: their features, materials, interrelationships, and social, religious, economic, and political contexts. After brief grounding in the visual culture of the ancient world and Middle Ages, the course focuses on painting, architecture / built environment, sculpture, photography and other products of visual culture in Europe and the Americas from the 1400s CE to the present. The Renaissance, Mannerism, the Baroque, Neoclassicism, Realism, Impressionism, Post-Impressionism, Modernism and Post-Modernism are addressed. Influences on Western art from China, Japan, India, and Africa are also briefly considered. *(A)* FINAL EXAMS: Final exams will be held in-person. Your instructor will provide further information.
Confirmation
Required
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Status
If you have any questions about this course, please contact us.
Programs and courses are subject to change without notice. Find out more about BCIT course cancellations.