An introductory survey inviting students, as a mode of inquiry, to explore, examine, analyze and appreciate specific historical visual images, sculptural objects, and architectural structures. It traces thematically and chronologically some of the major developments that have influenced both western and eastern cultures from prehistoric cave painting to the 15th century. Students employ historical means and methods (notably artworks as important historical documents complementing written texts) to question, in a systematic and rigorous way, and to interpret the ways in which particular works of art participate in the social, political, economic, religious and cultural climates of which they have been an integral part learning.