Bachelor of Arts
Stephen C. Clancy, Associate Professor and Chair
The Department of Art History believes in the importance of visual knowledge and visual experience as a means to historical awareness and cultural literacy. The program in art history is designed to develop both specific areas of knowledge about the style, meaning, history, and context of art, and a broader foundation of reasoning, analytical thinking, and critical written and verbal communication. Courses in the department offer a variety of approaches to art history, including the study of themes development, theory and criticism, and media and techniques.
The study of the history of art will serve several objectives:
1. Sharpen students' ability to perceive and understand visual images in a world where ideas and information are increasingly communicated through visual media.
2. Deepen students' understanding of history in general. Because visual artifacts eloquently express cultural values, students will learn to analyze works of art as carriers of political, social, and religious meanings.
3. Enrich students' lives by opening the door to a lifetime of aesthetic enjoyment, intellectual stimulation, and creative inspiration.
The major curriculum will prepare students interested in pursuing a career in the arts or further study at a graduate level in the humanities. The major will also appeal to students who wish to study visual culture, human expression, or ideas through history. The minor in art history complements studies in studio art, photography and cinema, communications, literature, cultures, and languages.
The honors program in art history offers a stimulating and advanced undergraduate training for art history majors who show particular promise in the field.
Students interested in entering the program should apply to the chair of the department during their junior year. After consultation with other faculty members and evaluation of the student's ability to meet the requirements outlined below, the chair gives written approval of acceptance to the program. Upon acceptance, the student agrees to do a three-credit honors tutorial or honors independent study course during the fall semester of the senior year, under the guidance of one or more art history faculty members. (The honors course must be completed during the fall semester so that the decision regarding honors can be made in time to be included in the graduation announcements.)
Research done in this course culminates in an honors thesis which is evaluated and graded by the faculty members who have agreed to work with the student. Honors are granted only to those students who receive a B or better on this project.
1. An overall GPA of 3.00 and a 3.30 average in art history courses.
2. Proficiency in at least one foreign language. The student must have completed two years of a foreign language with grades of B- or better, or must pass a proficiency exam.
3. Approval by the department faculty. This is based on the faculty's judgment of whether the student is properly prepared and motivated to do independent research, and the availability of one or more members of the faculty to work with that student.
· No more than four courses at level 1.
· A minimum of four courses at level 3 or above (one of which may be a level 4 seminar).
376-20100 |
Practicing Art History |
3 |
Select one course from:
376-13500 |
Visual Culture |
|
376-13700 |
Visual Persuasion |
|
376-20200 |
Body Language |
|
376-21500 |
The Power of the Print |
|
376-25500 |
The Mediated Image |
|
376-26800 |
Introduction to Japanese Culture |
|
376-28300 |
American Visual Culture: 1690−1960 |
|
376-49000 |
Seminar (visual culture topic) |
|
Total restricted electives in visual culture |
3 |
Select five courses, with at least two in each category:
A. Ancient to Renaissance
376-20300 |
Egypt and Its Neighbors |
|
376-20900 |
Introduction to the Roman World |
|
376-21900 |
Arts of Antiquity: Greece and Rome |
|
376-22800 |
Introduction to the Age of Chivalry |
|
376-23000 |
Italian Renaissance Art |
|
376-23100 |
Northern Renaissance Art |
|
376-33100 |
Studies in Art from Ancient to Renaissance |
|
376-33600 |
Late Renaissance Art in Italy |
|
376-49000 |
Seminar (ancient to Renaissance topic) |
B. Baroque to modern
376-23400 |
Baroque Art |
|
376-25100 |
Nineteenth-Century European Art |
|
376-25200 |
Twentieth-Century European Art |
|
376-28500 |
Art since 1960 |
|
376-35000 |
Studies in Art from Baroque to Modern |
|
376-38600 |
American Painting: Landscape into History |
|
376-49000 |
Seminar (baroque to modern topic) |
|
Total restricted electives in period studies |
15 |
Minimum of one course, selected from the following:
376-11000 |
Introduction to Art |
|
376-20800 |
Mythology and Art |
|
376-32000 |
Sculpture at First Hand |
|
376-34100 |
Women Artists and Cultural Change |
|
376-34200 |
Images of Women in Western Art |
|
376-39000 |
Introduction to Museology |
|
376-49000 |
Seminar (issues, themes, and media topic) |
|
Total restricted electives in issues, themes, and media |
3 |
Minimum of two courses, selected from the following:
376-11300 |
The Elements of Architecture |
|
376-11400 |
Architecture across Cultures |
|
376-22200 |
Architecture from Catacombs to Cathedrals |
|
376-23200 |
Architecture from Renaissance to Revolution |
|
376-23300 |
Great Spaces: An Introduction to Urban Design |
|
376-24000 |
Nineteenth- and Twentieth-Century Architecture |
|
376-31800 |
Memorable Cities |
|
376-35800 |
Form, Function, and Fantasy: Architecture since 1945 |
|
376-38000 |
Studies in Architectural History and Theory |
|
376-49000 |
Seminar (Architecture topic) |
|
Total restricted electives in architecture |
6 |
Art history electives |
9 | |
Total requirements in art history |
39 |
Permissible substitutions for one of the three art history electives:
222-24000 |
History of Photography |
|
222-44000 |
Contemporary Photographic Issues |
All majors must take a level 4 seminar; this seminar may count toward the credits required in any of the four areas of the major
Art |
3 | |
Language |
||
Electives |
78 | |
Total, B.A. in art history |
120 |
In addition to fulfilling core requirements for the major, art history students may elect to complete a concentration in architecture. The concentration is designed to lay the groundwork for professional training in architectural design, historic preservation, urban design, and city planning. The concentration also complements the broad coverage of the major requirements by providing interested students with an in-depth exposure to architectural history and theory.
The concentration consists of 21 credits of coursework chosen as indicated below. Courses within the concentration may be used to satisfy the "area 4" and "seminar" requirements of the major and may also count toward the electives required within the major. Students interested in pursuing graduate degrees in architectural design are encouraged to consult the department for a list of recommended courses in studio art, mathematics, computer science, and physics.
Students electing the architecture concentration will be required to take only two courses in area 2 of the major, one in each category.
· No more than four courses at level 1.
· A minimum of four courses at level 3 or above (one of which may be a level 4 seminar).
376-20100 |
Practicing Art History |
3 |
Area 1: Visual culture
Select one course from:
376-13500 |
Visual Culture |
|
376-13700 |
Visual Persuasion |
|
376-20200 |
Body Language |
|
376-21500 |
The Power of the Print |
|
376-25500 |
The Mediated Image |
|
376-26800 |
Introduction to Japanese Culture |
|
376-28300 |
American Visual Culture: 1690-1960 |
|
376-49000 |
Seminar (visual culture topic) |
|
Total restricted electives in visual culture |
3 |
Area 2: Period studies in art history
Select two courses, with at least one in each category
a. Ancient to Renaissance
376-20300 |
Egypt and Its Neighbors |
|
376-20900 |
Introduction to the Roman World |
|
376-21900 |
Arts of Antiquity: Greece and Rome |
|
376-22800 |
Introduction to the Age of Chivalry |
|
376-23000 |
Italian Renaissance Art |
|
376-23100 |
Northern Renaissance Art |
|
376-33100 |
Studies in Art from Ancient to Renaissance |
|
376-33600 |
Late Renaissance Art in Italy |
|
376-49000 |
Seminar (ancient to Renaissance topic) |
b. Baroque to modern
376-23400 |
Baroque Art |
|
376-25100 |
Nineteenth-Century European Art |
|
376-25200 |
Twentieth-Century European Art |
|
376-28500 |
Art since 1960 |
|
376-35000 |
Studies in Art from Baroque to Modern |
|
376-38600 |
American Painting: Landscape into History |
|
376-49000 |
Seminar (baroque to modern topic) |
|
Total restricted electives in period studies |
6 |
Area 3: Art: issues, themes, and media
Minimum of one course, selected from the following:
376-11000 |
Introduction to Art |
|
376-20800 |
Mythology and Art |
|
376-32000 |
Sculpture at First Hand |
|
376-34100 |
Women Artists and Cultural Change |
|
376-34200 |
Images of Women in Western Art |
|
376-39000 |
Introduction to Museology |
|
376-49000 |
Seminar (topic in issues, themes, and media) |
|
Total restricted electives in issues, themes, and media |
3 | |
Art history electives |
3 |
222-24000 |
History of Photography |
|
222-44000 |
Contemporary Photographic Issues |
Required courses
376-11300 |
Elements of Architecture |
3 |
376-11400 |
Architecture across Cultures |
3 |
12 credits from among the following:
376-22200 |
Architecture from Catacombs to Cathedrals |
|
376-23200 |
Architecture from Renaissance to Revolution |
|
376-23300 |
Great Spaces: An Introduction to Urban Design |
|
376-24000 |
Nineteenth- and Twentieth-Century Architecture |
|
376-31800 |
Memorable Cities |
|
376-35800 |
Form, Function, and Fantasy: Architecture since 1945 |
|
376-38000 |
Studies in Architectural History and Theory |
376-49000 |
Seminar in Art History: architecture topic |
3 |
Total in the concentration |
21 | |
Total in the major |
39 |
Seminar: All majors must take a level-4 seminar; which may count toward the credit hours required in any of the four areas of the major.
Art |
3 | |
Language requirement |
||
Electives |
78 | |
Total, B.A. in art history with architecture concentration |
120 |
Eighteen credits in art history courses with at least 12 credits in courses numbered 20000 or above. Three credits of one of the following may be substituted for 3 credits of art history: any course in the art department (except art majors); 314-22300 Introduction to the Philosophy of Art or 314-32600 Seminar in Aesthetics (except majors in the Department of Philosophy and Religion); 222-24000 History of Photography or 222-14100 Introduction to Photography (except majors in the Department of Cinema and Photography). By written petition to the art history faculty, other courses related to the field may be requested as a substitute for 3 credits toward the minor. Any petition that is acceptable to the faculty will be approved in writing and sent to the student, the dean, and the registrar.
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