Overview
The Department of Art offers introductory, intermediate and advanced courses in Art History. The major consists of 30 credits. No more than 15 credits transferred from another institution may be applied to the major.
The 30-Credit Art History Major BA is intended for students interested in a liberal arts education in the humanities or students planning to continue their art history studies in a graduate program. A broad range of courses from different fields, rather than specialization in one area, is encouraged. In order to declare a major in art history, students must have taken ARTH 111 (or ARTH 121 or 122). Majors who have completed 3 credits in art history beyond ARTH 111 are eligible to take the required seminar, Research Methods of Art History (ARTH 300), to be programmed in consultation with an art history adviser.
Majors planning graduate study in art history should discuss, with an art history adviser, the requirements for graduate admission, including graduate language requirements; this should be done during an early semester.
Learning Outcomes for Students Earning a BA in Art History:
1. Students will gain an understanding of the study of art and culture as a historical discipline.
2. Students will develop an awareness of the rich visual and material cultures of the past and present from a global perspective.
3. Students will demonstrate the ability to identify, locate, evaluate, and synthesize information relevant to works of art and architecture from primary and secondary sources.
4. Students will acquire the skills to analyze objects and images, both traditional and in new media, and to understand their political and social significance, and to situate them within an interdisciplinary perspective.
5. Students will learn the terminology, methods, and critical modes of analysis of the visual field and be able to demonstrate that knowledge in both written and spoken expression.
6. Students will gain the ability to think critically about art, materials and the past as well as the world around us!
