AHIS V3675

1 midterm: 3 slide IDs with questions, term definitions and reading IDs. Straight forward and easy Term paper: 7-10 pages on a work by a choice of artists. Prompt is very broad and she is flexible with topics. Final: Same format as the midterm. Very easy. You should come out with some form of an A.

I loved this class. Rosalyn Deutsche is a fantastic lecturer and an extremely kind person. The theories that govern this class are very complex, but she does a fantastic job at clarifying them. She repeats the important points multiple times in multiple different ways so as to make sure everyone is on the same page. The way the class is structured makes complete sense. First, she introduces the theories of modernism as posited by Clemente Greenberg and Michael Fried. Then, she discusses the ways in which postmodern discourses in art and literature deconstructed these theories and eventually paved the way for a feminist art practice. It is not a normal art history class. You do not look at 20 images per class and memorize your notes on the slides for the exams. You go over the readings and she discusses theories. She brings in one or two works per class, sometimes more and sometimes none at all. She leaves it up to the class to apply the theories of the course to the works of art. After hearing everyone's take, she briefly states her own opinion and then moves on. Just take this class. Whether or not you are an art history major, if you go to Barnard, you should just take advantage of the opportunity to learn about the development of post structuralist thought and feminism.

Midterm (including identifications, short-answer questions, and an essay), 7 - 10 page final paper, and a final. Doing the readings is extremely helpful for the exams but, lecture-wise, she does repeat it all back to you and will occasionally give you quotes in class and explain them.

Hmm, where do I begin? I guess my expectations were higher than I previously thought because, unfortunately, this class didn't meet them (and I don't really set expectations for classes). We spent the first three months of the class talking about everything before the actual subject of the course...which IS helpful and useful but maybe as a beginning of the semester refresher. But after that, the course becomes repetitive until April. I can't say anything regarding the TAs -- they seem very nice but I have only had brief contact with them. Deutsche is repetitive to the point of exasperation. She takes a lot of input from the students during class but I have seen her shoot down a few ideas because they didn't agree with whatever point of view she decided upon at the time. I've taken several Art History courses and know many of the professors in the AH Department. I tried, I really tried to like this class, but I just didn't.

midterm, paper, final - light to medium workload but you have to do the reading for the exams

Prof. Deutsche is by far and away the best professor I have had in the Art History dept. and probably in all of Columbia. Not only does she have a warm and engaging - almost motherly - approach to teaching that puts me at ease, she is brilliant in her observations while still being open to different interpretations. The first half of the class focused on art theory through the modern era into the postmodern era that spanned philosophical/political contexts. While I had already read some of those texts, it was a helpful review that was necessary for contextual purposes when we finally got to see and discuss the amazing feminist art in the second half of the semester. I found myself always interested during her lecture, and she has a great sense of humor as well: "I see phalluses everywhere!" Again, an amazing, wonderful professor - she deserves a GOLD STAR already!

rosalyn deutsche is a sweet lady, and she's really cute. she's certainly knowledgeable and communicates a lot of valuable information, but feminism has gotten boring and she fails a little bit at reviving it. her class feels a little too granola and i found myself rolling my eyes a too frequently. very obvious feminist arguments are presented and you've probably already heard most of them. the work studied is good stuff to know though, so you should take the class just because you won't learn it anywhere else. but while it's good that she encourages discussion, the specific discussions in her class kind of suck. picture fifty wannabe feminists spewing ass liquid for an hour and a half. it gets irritating, and she takes attendance, so you can't skip.

Very dense readings, which she explains in detail in class. Typical slide i.d. midterm and final, final paper. Very fair grader.

This class took my breath away. Prof. Deutsche is really an amazing teacher. The subject-matter is comlicated and often dense, but Prof. Deutsche managed to bring it to her students level without bringing it down to her student's level. No matter how little or much you know about feminism and postmodernism in the 70s and 80s, you will learn a lot from this class. There is a wide variety of theory and criticism that she meticulously explains, so that you are always learning without being overwhelmed. She is a clear and organized lecturer who occasionally expresses her own (interesting) opinions, but she is very open to questions and encourages class participation.