The study of visual culture encompasses the production, use, form, and reception of images past and present. It incorporates the painting, sculpture, and architecture traditionally defined by art history, and extends throughout the fields of visual imagery beyond the conventional boundaries formerly drawn by the academy. The History of Art and Visual Culture (HAVC) Department offers courses covering a wide variety of representations from the cultures of Africa, the Americas, Asia, Europe, and the Pacific Islands, including areas as diverse as ritual, performance, bodily adornment, oil painting, installation art, textiles, architecture, and photography.