Visual Studies Graduate Certificate
Course Guide:
Spring 2026 Required Courses:
VISS 599 will not be offered in spring of 2026. The course will next be offered in summer of 2026 and will be led by Vanessa Schwartz at LACMA. A course flyer with details is available. Students who are currently enrolled in the VSGC program will be given preference for enrollment in the summer class. VISS 501 will be offered in fall of 2026, and VISS 599 will again be offered in spring of 2027.
Pre-approved Seminars:
AHIS 520: Seminar in Modern Art
Amy Ogata THH 308 Tuesday 2-4:50pm In-depth exploration of a specified topic within the area of European art of the late 19th and 20th centuries.
ANTH 502: Contemporary Theory in Anthropology
Andrea Ballestero KAP 165 Tuesday 2-4:50pm
Explores the emergence and transformation of modern anthropology as an empirically based, but theoretically informed, practice of knowledge production about human sociality and culture.
CSLC 640: Seminar in Film and Visual Studies
Panivong Norindr SOSB38 Thursday 2-4:50pm
Intensive study of various types of discourse (film, photography, literature) and their intersection with wider social, political, and theoretical issues.
CTCS 517: Topics in Cultural Studies: The Politics of Worlding
Nitin Govil SCA 316. Tuesday 10am-1:50pm Introduction to central concepts, key theories and leading figures in cultural studies, particularly as they relate to issues of popular culture and visual media.
CTCS 688: Advanced Methods and Approaches
Laura Isabel Serna SCA 216 Monday 10am-1:50pm Research seminar in methods and approaches to moving image history including film, television and digital media. Focus on archival research and issues in writing history.
SLL 665: Seminar in Russian Culture and the Arts (*note this is a 3 unit course)
Ellina Sattarova WPH 204 Wednesday 2-4:50pm
Subject varies from year to year. A trend or major figure will be studies in its cultural and artistic contexts.
AHIS 512: Seminar in Renaissance Art
Amy Knight Powell THH 308 Thursday 2-4:50pm