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Art History
Director of Undergraduate Studies: Tom Cummins, CWAC 262, 702-0262
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.
Courses for Nonconcentrators. Introduction to Art (Art History 101)
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 of the West (Art History 150-151-152) 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 of the East (Art History 161) provides an equivalent introduction
to Eastern art. Art in Context (Art History 170) 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.
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.
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 following section).
4. Within the special field, they should write a senior paper (see following
section). 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.
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 Preparation for the Senior Paper (Art History
299) 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.
Summary of Requirements
General Introductory courses in Art and Design or Music
Education
Track I 3 ArtH 150-151-152
3 ArtH courses in special field
5 ArtH electives (including one course each in
Western art before 1400, Western art after
1400, and non-Western art)
1 ArtH 295 (senior seminar)
- senior paper
12
Track II 3 ArtH 150-151-152
5 courses in special field (three departmental and
two extradepartmental)
3 ArtH electives
1 ArtH 295 (senior seminar)
- senior paper
12
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.
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 Preparation
for the Senior Paper (Art History 299), 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
MICHAEL CAMILLE, Professor, Department of Art and the College
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, Associate 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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