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Go to: Program of Study
Courses for Nonconcentrators. Art History 101, Introduction to Art,
develops basic skills in the analysis and critical enjoyment of the visual
arts. Issues and problems in the history of art are explored through classroom
discussion of key works and critical reading of fundamental texts, and through
writing. Art History 150-151-152, Art of the West, surveys the history of
Western art from ancient Greece to the modern world. The Western survey
furthers the student's appreciation both for major monuments of art and
architecture, and for the place of art in the broad development of Western
culture. Art History 161, Art of the East, provides an equivalent introduction
to Eastern art. Art History 170, Art in Context, introduces students to a
well-defined issue, topic, or period of art in depth. Any of these 100-level
courses is an appropriate choice to fulfill the Common Core requirement in the
musical and visual arts; usually the Core requirement must be met with a
100-level course. None presupposes prior training in art.
Students who have taken at least one course in art history or studio art, or
who have equivalent nonacademic experience, may elect to take an advanced
lecture course, numbered from 201 to 289. The prerequisites for these courses
are any 100-level art history or art and design course, or the consent of the
instructor. The 200-level art history courses investigate the arts of specific
periods and places from a variety of perspectives. Some courses embrace large
bodies of material defined by national culture; others follow developments in
style, iconography, and patronage as they affect works in selected media. The
role of the individual artist in the creation and development of major
movements is frequently examined, as is its complement, the growth of cultural
systems and their expression in the visual arts.
Go to top of document General Requirements for All Concentrators:
1. Concentrators are required to take Art History 150-151-152. They should do
so as early as possible in their program, ideally by their sophomore year.
2. They must write at least two research papers of intermediate length before
starting their senior year, ordinarily in conjunction with 200-level courses
taken in art history. It is the student's responsibility to make the
appropriate arrangements with the instructor.
3. They should develop a special field of interest (see below).
4. Within the special field, they should write a senior paper (see below). They
should also participate in the senior seminar.
5. They must use an approved course in either art and design or music to
fulfill the Common Core music and visual arts requirement.
Recommendations for Concentrators:
6. Concentrators are encouraged to take graduate seminars, having obtained the
permission of the instructor first. (Such seminars are also open to
nonconcentrators with the same proviso.)
7. They are urged to pursue upper-level language courses. When such a course is
relevant to the student's special field, he or she may petition the director of
undergraduate studies to have it count toward their electives for the art
history program.
8. Those planning to continue their study of art history at the graduate level
are advised to fulfill their Common Core foreign language requirement in French
or German, or in Italian for those with primary interest in the art of Italy.
The prospective graduate student will do well to achieve language competency
equal to at least two years of college study.
Two Tracks. In structuring their programs, concentrators may choose one of
two orientations (tracks): one offering a broad coverage of the history of art,
the other a close study of a specific area or topic.
Track I. In addition to Art History 150-151-152 and Art History 295, Track
I students take eight further courses within the department. Students are
encouraged to distribute the eight courses widely throughout Western and
non-Western art and are specifically required to take at least one course in
Western art before 1400, one course in Western art after 1400, and one course
in non-Western art. Within the eight departmental courses, students must
develop a special field consisting of three courses whose relevance to one
another must be clearly established. The field may be defined by chronological
period, medium, national culture, genre, methodological concerns, or a suitable
combination. Because they reflect the interests of individual concentrators,
such fields range widely in topic, approach, and scope. Reading courses with
art history faculty may be used to pursue specific questions within a field.
The topic for the senior paper normally develops from the special field and
allows for the further study of the area through independent research and
writing.
Track II. In addition to Art History 150-151-152 and Art History 295, Track
II students take eight further courses: three courses inside and two courses
outside the art history department make up the special field; three additional
courses in art are taken at the student's discretion. Because the last three
courses are intended to give an overall sense of the discipline, each Track II
student is encouraged to select them from widely differing periods and
approaches in the history of art.
The special field may take many different forms. It may be civilization defined
by chronological period, nation-state, cultural institution, or a suitable
combination. Extradepartmental courses in history and literature would be
particularly relevant to such a program. Another special field might be
conceptual in character (e.g., art and the history of science, urban history
and geography) and draw upon a variety of extradepartmental courses in the
Humanities and Social Sciences Collegiate Divisions. A field could combine
historical, critical, and theoretical perspectives (e.g., visual arts in the
twentieth century) and involve courses in art history, music, film, drama, and
popular culture. Finally, art historical and studio courses (e.g., Committee on
Art and Design) may be combined in special fields exploring their
interrelations (e.g., abstraction and conceptualism in modern art). As with
Track I, the senior paper normally develops within the special field.
Special Field. Whether a student is following Track I or Track II, the
proposal for the special field, in the form of a written petition, must be
received by the director of undergraduate studies and approved by a faculty
committee no later than the end of a student's junior year. The student should
consult the director for guidelines on the organization and preparation of the
proposal. Students are strongly recommended to have completed at least two
courses in their special field by the end of their junior year.
Go to top of document Senior Paper. It is the student's responsibility, by the end of the junior
year, to have found a member of the faculty who agrees to act as the faculty
research adviser. Together, they will agree on a topic for the student's senior
paper, preferably before the start of the autumn quarter of the senior year.
The topic must be registered no later than the fourth week of that quarter on a
departmental form available from the director of undergraduate studies.
The senior paper is developed during the course of the senior seminar, Art
History 295. This is offered during autumn quarter and is required of all
concentrators. Most commonly, students take the seminar in the autumn quarter
before graduating in spring quarter; those graduating in the autumn or winter
quarters should take the course in the previous academic year. In the closing
sessions of the seminar students discuss their plans and initial research for
the senior paper, and continue their research on the paper during the following
quarters, meeting at intervals with their faculty research adviser. Students
may elect to take Art History 299 (Preparation for the Senior Paper) in autumn
or winter quarter to afford additional time for research or writing. The first
draft of the paper is due by the first week of the quarter of graduation; the
final version is due the sixth week of that quarter. Both are to be submitted
in duplicate, one copy to the research adviser, the second to the director of
undergraduate studies. Because individual projects vary from student to
student, no specific requirements for the senior paper have been set. Essays
tend to range in length from twenty to forty pages, but there is no minimum or
maximum requirement.
General Introductory courses in Art and Design or Music
Track I
Track II
Grading. Students taking art history courses in fulfillment of the Common
Core requirement in the musical and visual arts must receive letter grades. Art
history concentrators must also receive letter grades in art history courses
taken for the concentration, with one exception: for Art History 299,
Preparation for the Senior Paper, they may receive a Pass grade. Art
history courses elected beyond concentration requirements may be taken for
Pass grades with consent of the instructor. Students concentrating in
other departments may take art history courses for Pass grades with the
consent of their advisers and course instructors. A Pass grade will be
given only for work of C- quality or higher.
Honors. Students who complete their course work and their senior papers
with great distinction are considered for graduation with special honors.
Candidates must have a grade point average of at least 3.0 overall and 3.3 in
art history. Nominations for honors are made by the faculty in the
concentration through the Office of the Director of Undergraduate Studies to
the master of the Humanities Collegiate Division.
Faculty
CHARLES E. COHEN, Professor, Department of Art, Committee on Art & Design,
and the College
THOMAS CUMMINS, Assistant Professor, Department of Art and the College
TERI EDELSTEIN, Senior Lecturer, Department of Art and the College
REINHOLD HELLER, Professor, Departments of Art and Germanic Studies, Committee
on Art & Design, and the College
W. J. T. MITCHELL, Gaylord Donnelley Distinguished Service Professor,
Departments of English Language & Literature and Art, Committees on Art
& Design and General Studies in the Humanities, and the College
ROBERT S. NELSON, Professor, Department of Art, Committees on the Ancient
Mediterranean World and the History of Culture, and the College; Chairman,
Department of Art
GLORIA PINNEY, Professor, Department of Art and the College
PAUL ROGERS, Assistant Professor, Department of Art and the College
KIMERLY RORSCHACH, Senior Lecturer, Department of Art; Director, Smart Museum
INGRID ROWLAND, Assistant Professor, Department of Art and the College
LINDA SEIDEL, Professor, Department of Art, Committee on General Studies in the
Humanities, and the College
JOEL M. SNYDER, Professor, Department of Art, Committees on Art & Design
and General Studies in the Humanities, and the College
BARBARA STAFFORD, Professor, Department of Art and the College
KATHERINE TAYLOR, Assistant Professor, Department of Art and the College
EUGENE WANG, Assistant Professor, Department of Art and the College
MARTHA WARD, Associate Professor, Department of Art and the College
WU HUNG, Professor, Department of Art and the College
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Go to: Summary of Requirements
Go to: Faculty
Art History
Director of Undergraduate Studies: Ingrid Rowland, CWAC 266, 702-0266
Department Secretary: Dhana-Marie Branton, CWAC 166, 702-0278
Program of Study
Art history is a branch of humanistic learning concerned with the study of the
visual arts in their historical context. Individual works are analyzed for the
styles, materials, and techniques of their design and manufacture; for their
meanings; and for their makers, periods, and places of creation. An informed
appreciation of each work is developed, and the proper historical position of
each piece is established. From the study of single works, the art historian
moves to the analysis and interpretation of artistic careers, group movements
and schools, currents of artistic theory, significant patrons, and cultural
contexts. The study of our heritage in the visual arts thus provides a singular
perspective for the study of social, cultural, and intellectual history.
Program Requirements
The Bachelor of Arts concentration in art history is intended to furnish
students with a broad knowledge of Western and non-Western art and to provide
an opportunity for the complementary, intensive study of an area of special
interest. It is recommended for students who wish to develop their abilities of
visual analysis and criticism; to acquire some sense of the major developments
in the arts from ancient times to the present; and to understand the visual
arts as aspects of social, cultural, and intellectual history. So conceived,
the study of art is an element of a general, liberal arts education; the skills
of analytical thinking, logical argument, and clear verbal expression necessary
to the program are basic to most fields. Although the program in art history
has no explicit preprofessional orientation, it does prepare interested
students for advanced study at the graduate level and, eventually, for work in
academic, museum, and gallery settings.
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Go to bottom of documentSummary of Requirements
Advising. Art history concentrators should see the director of
undergraduate studies in art history no less than once a year for consultation
and guidance in planning a special field, in selecting courses, in choosing a
topic for the senior paper, and for any academic problems within the
concentration.
Education
3 ArtH 150-151-152
3 ArtH courses in special field
5 ArtH electives (including 1 course each in Western art before 1400, Western art after 1400, and non-Western art)
1 ArtH 295 (senior seminar)
- senior paper
12 (total)
3 ArtH 150-151-152
5 courses in special field (3 departmental and 2 extradepartmental)
3 ArtH electives
1 ArtH 295 (senior seminar)
- senior paper
12 (total)
MICHAEL CAMILLE, Professor, Department of Art and the College