History of Art

There are no prerequisites for entry into the department, and a major may be declared after completing one class in the major with a grade of C or above. The major in art history requires 11 courses, 10 of which must be above the 1000 level. Courses taken at any time during the student’s career can be counted, including those earned while studying abroad, in summer session or in architectural history. By graduation, a student must have achieved a minimum GPA of 2.000 in major courses. (A student who does not maintain an average of 2.000 or better in departmental courses will be put on probation and may be dropped from the program.) No course graded below C- may count for major credit.

 

Distribution Requirements
Students must satisfy 3 of the 5 world regions with a course at the 2000-level or above. Regions include Africa and the Mediterranean; the Americas; Asia and the Pacific; Europe; Multi-Regional (courses which substantially engage more than one region). Please note: a course may count for either a world region or a historical period, but not both.

 

Students must also satisfy 3 of the 5 historical periods with a course at the 2000-level or above. Historical periods include up to 400 CE; 400-1400; 1400-1800; 1800-present; Cross-Period (courses which substantially span more than one period). Please note: a course may count for either a world region or a historical period, but not both.

 

A minimum of two 4000-level seminars are required. ARTH 4591 and ARTH 4051 count for the seminar requirement. In addition to the seminar requirement, two courses must be at the 3000 or 5000 level. 3000-level courses may but need not satisfy up to one distribution requirement.

 

Students must also complete 3 electives within the department. One class at the 1000 level may count for elective credit. One course in Arts Administration (ARAD) and one course in Studio Art (ARTS) may count as electives. The University Museum Internship (ARTH 4951, ARTH 4952) may count as elective credit. Any requirements may be fulfilled by appropriate courses in Architectural History at the 2000 level or above. One Advanced Placement (AP) Art History course with a score of 4 or 5 may be applied toward the major. The course will transfer as either ARTH 1051 or 1052 and will count as elective credit.

The Department’s Distinguished Majors Program (DMP) is an opportunity for qualified undergraduates to undertake substantial, independent research projects while working closely with department faculty. Participants are prepared for advanced independent research and analysis by a required seminar in art historical theory, methods, and historiography. The program culminates in the submission of a DMP capstone project consisting of a significant piece of original research, such as a text with a length of about fifty pages, a digital humanities project, and exhibition project, etc. Students who successfully complete the program receive departmental honors, with a degree of Distinction, High Distinction, or Highest Distinction in art history.

 

Students should ordinarily declare their intention to apply for admission to the program by the end of the spring semester of their third year with formal application for admission to the program submitted to the director of the Distinguished Majors Program. To apply, students must have the approval of a faculty member who has agreed to direct their research. A GPA of at least 3.4 in the major and an overall GPA of at least 3.4 are required for admission.

 

In the fall of their third or fourth year, students enroll in ARTH 4051, DMP students in the program are required to enroll in six credits of Undergraduate Thesis coursework with their faculty advisor. ARTH 4998 is taken in the Fall semester and ARTH 4999 in the Spring semester. Once capstone projects are submitted, a committee of department faculty determines degrees of distinction. This evaluation depends above all on the level of accomplishment the project has attained, considered in tandem with the students’ overall performance in the major. In the case that a project fails to meet departmental standards, a determination of no distinction may be made. The committee passes on its recommendations to the Committee on Special Programs.