Bachelor of Arts
Gary Wells, 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. The Art History major will sharpen students' ability to perceive and understand visual images in a world where ideas and information are increasingly communicated through visual media.
2. The study of art history will deepen their 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. Analysis of the achievements of past and present artists and architects will 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 3 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.
Area 1 |
Minimum of one course |
3 |
Area 2 |
Minimum of six courses. At least one course must be from each of the four categories within Area 2 |
18 |
Area 3 |
Minimum of two courses |
6 |
Area 4 |
Minimum of one Seminar |
3 |
|
Three courses, in any area |
9 |
|
Total |
39 |
|
Art |
3 |
|
222-14100 Introduction to Photography may be used as a substitute for a course in the art department. |
|
|
Electives (it is strongly recommended that students include two years of a foreign language as part of their program) |
78 |
Total required for the degree |
120 |
· Level 1: No more than two courses (6 credits) at level 1 will be counted toward the major. Senior majors may not take a level 1 art history course.
· Level 3: At least three courses (9 credits) must be taken at level 3.
Permissible substitutions within the major: One of the following courses may be substituted for one of the three electives within the major.
314-32600 |
Seminar in Aesthetics |
|
222-24000 |
History of Photography |
|
222-44000 |
Contemporary Photographic Issues |
Courses in the area of cultural traditions are broad surveys of a single culture, or a logical grouping of cultures, with the purpose of introducing students to the breadth of artistic production in those cultures.
376-11200 |
Introduction to Architecture |
|
376-11700 |
Survey of Western Art I |
|
376-11800 |
Survey of Western Art II |
|
376-17500 |
Introduction to the Arts of the Americas |
|
376-17600 |
Introduction to the Arts of Asia |
|
376-21700 |
British Art and Architecture I: 1066-1660 [London Center only] |
|
376-21800 |
British Art and Architecture II: 1660-1914 [London Center only] |
|
376-22600 |
Islamic Art and Architecture |
Courses in the period studies categories are designed to introduce students to important art or architectural historical periods within a single culture or related group of cultures. Courses are divided chronologically. Focused historical studies are examinations of more narrow chronological periods or more specific national or cultural divisions than are contained within the period studies courses.
a. Period Studies: Ancient to Medieval
376-20300 |
Art of Egypt and the Ancient Near East |
|
376-21900 |
Arts of Antiquity: Greece and Rome |
|
376-22000 |
Medieval Art and Architecture |
|
376-22200 |
Architecture from Catacombs to Cathedrals |
b. Period Studies: Renaissance to Eighteenth Century
376-23000 |
Renaissance Art |
|
376-23200 |
Architecture from Renaissance to Revolution |
|
376-23400 |
Baroque Art |
|
376-23600 |
Eighteenth-Century Art and Society |
c. Period Studies: Modern
376-25100 |
Nineteenth-Century European Art |
|
376-25200 |
Twentieth-Century European Art |
|
376-28100 |
American Art and Architecture to 1913 |
|
376-28200 |
Twentieth-Century American Art |
|
376-28500 |
Contemporary Art |
d. Focused Historical Studies
376-30600 |
The Romantic Movement in British Art and Architecture [London Center only] |
|
376-30700 |
Victorian Art and Society [London Center only] |
|
376-32800 |
The Age of Chivalry: Art, Architecture, and Society in the Later Middle Ages |
|
376-33400 |
Van Eyck to Brueghel: Renaissance Art in Northern Europe |
|
376-33600 |
Late Renaissance Art in Italy |
|
376-35200 |
Architecture, Power, and the Public in the Eighteenth Century |
|
376-35700 |
Nineteenth-and Twentieth-Century Architecture |
Courses in the category of art historical perspectives are designed to provide students with an understanding of art or architectural history across chronological divisions and/or cultures by focusing on themes, issues, or media.
376-11000 |
Introduction to Art |
|
376-23300 |
Great Spaces: An Introduction to Urban Design |
|
376-31500 |
History of Graphic Arts |
|
376-31800 |
Memorable Cities |
|
376-32000 |
Sculpture at First Hand |
|
376-34100 |
Women Artists and Cultural Change |
|
376-34200 |
Images of Women in Western Art |
|
376-39000 |
The Gallery in History and Practice |
Seminar courses are advanced studies in topics built on lower-level art history courses. These topics may be derived from chronological, stylistic, thematic, or media-related studies.
376-49000 Seminar in Art History
Note: Students who major in art history will be designated as "humanities" majors within the School of Humanities and Sciences.
In addition to fulfilling core requirements for the major, art history students may elect to complete a concentration in architecture. The concentration is designed for students interested in architectural history and theory, architectural design, historic preservation, urban design, and city planning. It will complement the broad coverage accomplished by the major requirements by providing interested students with in-depth exposure to a related subfield.
The concentration consists of 15 credits of course work chosen from the list below. Of the 15 required credits, at least 3 credits must be taken at level 1 or 2, and at least 6 credits must be taken at level 3 or 4 (one level 4 seminar or capstone on an architectural topic is strongly recommended).
Courses taken to satisfy major requirements may also be counted toward the concentration. 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.
376-11200 |
Introduction to Architecture |
|
376-22200 |
Architecture from Catacombs to Cathedrals |
|
376-23200 |
Architecture from Renaissance to Revolution |
|
376-23300 |
Great Spaces: An Introduction to Urban Design |
|
376-31800 |
Memorable Cities |
|
376-35200 |
Architecture, Power, and the Public in the Eighteenth Century |
|
376-35700 |
Nineteenth and Twentieth Century Architecture |
|
376-49000 |
Seminar in Art History (architecture topic) |
|
|
Total |
15 |
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.
