Major & Minor
Major in Art History
Students interested in majoring in Art History should contact the Director of Undergraduate Study for Art History,
Prof. Aurelia Campbell.
The Art History major requires 11 courses (33 credits):
- ARTH1101 Intro to Art History I: Pre-History to Middle Ages
- ARTH1102 Intro to Art History II: Renaissance to Modern
- Two of the following three courses: ARTH2212 East Asian Art and Architecture, ARTH2213 Islamic Art and Architecture, ARTH2250 Introduction to African Art and Visual Culture
- One Studio Art (ARTS) course or ARTH4314 The Materials of Art and their Conservation
- Elective 1 (2000 or 3000 level)
- Elective 2 (2000 or 3000 level)
- Elective 3 (3000 or 4000 level)
- Elective 4 (3000 or 4000 level)
- Elective 5 (3000 or 4000 level)
- ARTH4401 Seminar in Art Historical Research (must be taken in the fall semester of junior or senior year)
- Optional thesis: Students who are interested in writing a thesis should sign up for ARTH4483 Senior Thesis in Art History in the spring semester of their senior year. Students who write a senior thesis are eligible for departmental honors.
Minor in Art History
Students interested in minoring in Art History should contact the Director of Undergraduate Study for Art History,
Prof. Aurelia Campbell.
The Art History minor requires 6 courses (18 credits):
- ARTH1101 Intro to Art History I: Pre-History to Middle Ages
- ARTH1102 Intro to Art History II: Renaissance to Modern
- One of the following three courses: ARTH2212 East Asian Art and Architecture, ARTH2213 Islamic Art and Architecture, ARTH2250 Introduction to African Art and Visual Culture
- Elective 1 (2000 or 3000 level)
- Elective 2 (3000 or 4000 level)
- Elective 3 (3000 or 4000 level)
The Art History minor also requires a copy of a research paper written in one of the Art History elective courses. To satisfy the requirement, the paper must have received a grade of B or above. Please submit the paper to Prof. Aurelia Campbell.
Courses counted for the minor must be taken for a grade, not pass/fail. At least 15 credits (5 courses) in the minor program must not be used to fulfill any other major or minor.
Museum Studies Concentration
The Art History major can also be completed with a concentration in Museum Studies, which requires a minimum of 12 courses (36 credits):
- ARTH1101 Intro to Art History I: Pre-History to Middle Ages
- ARTH1102 Intro to Art History II: Renaissance to Modern
- Two of the following three courses: ARTH2212 East Asian Art and Architecture, ARTH2213 Islamic Art and Architecture, ARTH2250 Introduction to African Art and Visual Culture
- ARTH4314 The Materials of Art and Their Conservation
- ARTH4370 Museum of Art: History, Philosophy, and Practice Course
- One of the following courses: MGMT1021 Organizational Behavior, MGMT2123 Negotiation, MGMT2127 Leadership, MGMT2132 Managing Change, MGMT2133 Leading High Performance Teams, MGMT2265 Globalization, Culture, and Ethics
- Elective 1 (2000 or 3000 level)
- Elective 2 (2000 or 3000 level)
- Elective 3 (3000 or 4000 level)
- Elective 4 (3000 or 4000 level)
- ARTH4401 Seminar in Art Historical Research (must be taken in the fall semester of junior or senior year)
Learning Outcomes
The art history faculty has determined the following outcomes for our program:
Students will be able to analyze the patterns of interaction between art and its historical context, developing knowledge of the discipline’s subfields across the globe.
Students will be able to integrate art history with other disciplines in the humanities and sciences, such as biology, chemistry, economics, history, literature, political science, philosophy, and theology.
Students will be able to apply and critique different methods of interpretation, recognizing the position of each approach within the history of the discipline.
Students will be able to develop their own research questions, carry out research to answer their questions, and explain why their research matters to both specialist and non-specialist audiences.
Art History Assessment
All art history majors are required to take ARTH 4401: Seminar in Art Historical Research in their senior year and pass an assessment of their written work for the class.
The assessment is rated on a scale of 1-5 according to the following rubric, with 1 being the lowest and 5 the highest.
- Has the student compiled an appropriate bibliography?
- Has the student demonstrated an appropriate mastery of sources, and an ability to document them effectively?
- Has the student employed discipline specific terminology?
- Has the student addressed issues of formal analysis, and how these issues pertain to the meaning of the objects under discussion?
- Has the student demonstrated ability to engage multiple approaches?
- Has the student constructed a persuasive argument?
- Has the student conducted original research?
Advanced Placement Credits
Students having earned a score of five on the AP exam may have the option of waiving the ARTH1101 and ARTH1102 requirement, although the same overall number of courses (11) for the major remains unchanged. Students having earned a score of four on the AP exam may waive either ARTH1101 or ARTH1102, but not both.