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Art History Curriculum

Formal study of the history of art begins with introductory survey courses. There are three such courses in Western art (ART-HIST 301, ART-HIST 302, and ART-HIST 303) and two in non-Western art (ART-HIST 315 and ART-HIST 319). There are no prerequisites for these courses. These courses are assigned 300-level numbers. They cannot be taken for graduate credit. Students are encouraged to take the survey sequence in Western art sequentially, if possible.

Seminars are considered advanced-level courses and are assigned 400- and 5000-level numbers. The prerequisite for these courses is the relevant survey course, or permission of the instructor. Enrollment will be granted by permission of the student's department advisor on the basis of previous study in art history or cognate fields. Undergraduate participation in a graduate-level seminar is feasible for selected students through enrollment in a suitably titled, independent-study course.

A small group of independent-study courses, titled generically by major periods or cultural divisions in the history of art, are assigned 497-level numbers. Enrollment in these courses is granted only by the instructor who will supervise the study. Graduate credit is possible only when a student is admitted to graduate study.

Cluster courses are taught through the program of integrated studies in the humanities. These are interdisciplinary courses offered in conjunction with one or more similar courses in cognate disciplines, but in our case, with an emphasis on the knowledge base appropriate to the history of art.

Program Requirements

1. The three Western surveys: ART-HIST 301, ART-HIST 302 and ART-HIST 303.

2. At least three seminar courses (400-level with at least two different faculty).

3. At least two non-Western courses (survey or seminar).

4. At least nine hours of studio art: ART 112, ART 114, and ART 206 are recommended.

5. College-mandated capstone course: ART-HIST 482.

6. At least 12 hours each in two cognate fields (e.g. history, literature, foreign language).

Grade-point Average Requirements

All art history majors are required to maintain a minimum of 2.5 GPA in art history courses.

Combined Major in Art History and History

The department also participates in a combined major in art history and history. For students majoring in either department, this program permits the option of a combined program of integrated studies in both subjects. The combined program is especially intended for the superior student who wishes to explore in-depth the integrated effects of political, religious, economic and artistic developments of selected periods in Western European and American history.

Enrollment in the combined program will be plotted by the coordinators of the program in both departments working individually with each student. A detailed set of requirements is available on request, but the combined major requires 39 hours with 18 specified hours in the primary department; nine specified hours in the secondary department; nine restricted elective hours; and a three-hour capstone course (directed studies) in which a student pursues a senior project related to a problem of study common to history and art history and directed by faculty members in both disciplines.