The Art History concentration seeks to develop students' critical and analytical skills and their ability to comprehend global visual arts within social, historical, cultural, and aesthetic frameworks. Students learn about the visual and material culture of societies from around the world and across time, reflecting the global turn in the discipline of art history today. Our program offers a diverse array of courses that range from the Italian Renaissance to contemporary African art, women in art, and native North American art. Art History majors can apply their skills in visual literacy, analytical research, and oral communication to a wide range of fields to shape their career path. Our students have entered careers in academia, museums, historical societies, and auction houses, just to name a few.
Learning Objectives
Students will:
- Identify major monuments and works of global art from within their historical contexts.
- Apply accurate vocabulary to address the larger social, political, philosophical, and religious issues that impacted the production of major monuments and works of art.
- Practice visual analysis, contextual analysis, comparison essays, and analyzing primary and secondary texts in art history.
- Apply skills in visual and contextual analysis and working with primary and secondary texts to inform argument-based art historical research, writing, and oral presentation.
- Develop visual literacy tools to interpret, negotiate, and make meaning from visual media.
Effective Fall 2023
A minimum grade of C (2.000) or better is required in all upper-division Art History coursework.
| Freshman | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| AUCC | Credits | ||
| ART 105 | Issues and Practices in Art | 1 | |
| ART 110 | Global Art History I | 3 | |
| ART 111 | Global Art History II | 3 | |
| ART 135 | Foundations - Form and Observation | 3 | |
| ART 160 | Foundations - Color and Composition | 3 | |
| CO 150 | College Composition (GT-CO2) | 1A | 3 |
| L*** 100 and L*** 101 (or equivalent)1 | 10 | ||
| Quantitative Reasoning | 1B | 3 | |
| Total Credits | 29 | ||
| Sophomore | |||
| ART 120 | Foundations--Time and Structure | 3 | |
| ART 170 | Foundations - Materials and Space | 3 | |
| ART 212 | Global Art History III | 3 | |
| Upper-Division Art History | 4A,4B | 3 | |
| Arts and Humanities | 3B | 3 | |
| Biological and Physical Sciences | 3A | 7 | |
| Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion | 1C | 3 | |
| Historical Perspectives | 3D | 3 | |
| Social and Behavioral Sciences | 3C | 3 | |
| Total Credits | 31 | ||
| Junior | |||
| PHIL 318 | Aesthetics-Visual Arts | 3 | |
| Select one course from the following not taken elsewhere: | 3 | ||
| Introduction to Figure Drawing | |||
| Photo Image Making I | |||
| Pottery I | |||
| Metalsmithing and Jewelry I | |||
| Fibers I | |||
| Introduction to Graphic Design | |||
| Introduction to Electronic Art | |||
| Painting I--Fundamentals and Representation | |||
| Introduction to Printmaking | |||
| Sculpture I | |||
| ART *** Upper-Division Art History | 12 | ||
| ART *** Upper-Division Art Electives | 4 | ||
| Second Field Course2 | 3 | ||
| Advanced Writing | 2 | 3 | |
| Arts and Humanities | 3B | 3 | |
| Total Credits | 31 | ||
| Senior | |||
| ART 419 | Historiography and Methodology of Art History | 4C | 3 |
| ART *** Upper-Division Art History | 6 | ||
| Second Field Courses2 | 6 | ||
| Second Field Upper-Division Courses2 | 12 | ||
| Elective3 | 2 | ||
| Total Credits | 29 | ||
| Program Total Credits: | 120 | ||
Upper-Division Art History Courses
| Code | Title | AUCC | Credits |
|---|---|---|---|
| ART 309 | Pre-Columbian Art of the Andes | 4A,4B | 3 |
| ART 310 | History of American Art to 1945 | 4A,4B | 3 |
| ART 311 | Art of West and Central Africa | 4A,4B | 3 |
| ART 312 | Pre-Columbian Art of Mesoamerica | 4A,4B | 3 |
| ART 313 | Art of East and Southern Africa | 4A,4B | 3 |
| ART 314 | Women in Art History | 4A,4B | 3 |
| ART 315 | United States Art 1945-1980 | 4A,4B | 3 |
| ART 316 | Art of the Pacific | 4A,4B | 3 |
| ART 317 | Native North American Art | 4A,4B | 3 |
| ART 320 | Global Encounters in Art | 4A,4B | 3 |
| ART 409 | Museum Collections--Storage to Exhibition | 4A,4B | 3 |
| ART 410 | Greek Art | 4A,4B | 3 |
| ART 411 | History of Medieval Art | 4A,4B | 3 |
| ART 412 | History of Renaissance Art | 4A,4B | 3 |
| ART 414 | History of Baroque and Rococo Art | 4A,4B | 3 |
| ART 415 | History of 19th Century European Art | 4A,4B | 3 |
| ART 416 | History of European Art, 1900 to 1945 | 4A,4B | 3 |
| ART 417 | Roman Art | 4A,4B | 3 |
| ART 418 | Contemporary Artists and Art Critics | 4A,4B | 3 |
| ART 492A | Seminar: Art History | 4A,4B | 3 |
| ART 496H | Group Study: Art History | 4A,4B | 3 |
- 1
A total of 10 credits in foreign language courses may be counted toward the core language requirement. Students who test out of the core language requirement should see their advisor to select electives.
- 2
Complete a minimum of 21 credits of a minor or second major, or 21 credits from the same non-ART subject code. A minimum of 12 credits from the 21 must be upper-division (300- to 400-level).
- 3
Select enough elective credits to bring the program total to a minimum of 120 credits, of which at least 42 must be upper-division (300- to 400- level).
Distinctive Requirements for Degree Program: A minimum grade of C (2.000) or better is required in all upper-division Art History coursework.
| Freshman | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Semester 1 | Critical | Recommended | AUCC | Credits | |
| ART 105 | Issues and Practices in Art | X | 1 | ||
| ART 110 | Global Art History I | X | 3 | ||
| ART 135 | Foundations - Form and Observation | X | 3 | ||
| CO 150 | College Composition (GT-CO2) | X | 1A | 3 | |
| L*** 100 (or equivalent) | X | 5 | |||
| Total Credits | 15 | ||||
| Semester 2 | Critical | Recommended | AUCC | Credits | |
| ART 111 | Global Art History II | X | 3 | ||
| ART 160 | Foundations - Color and Composition | X | 3 | ||
| L*** 101 (or equivalent) | 5 | ||||
| Quantitative Reasoning | 1B | 3 | |||
| CO 150 and AUCC 1B (Quantitative Reasoning) must be completed by the end of Semester 2. | X | ||||
| Total Credits | 14 | ||||
| Sophomore | |||||
| Semester 3 | Critical | Recommended | AUCC | Credits | |
| ART 170 | Foundations - Materials and Space | X | 3 | ||
| ART 212 | Global Art History III | X | 3 | ||
| Arts and Humanities | X | 3B | 3 | ||
| Biological and Physical Sciences | X | 3A | 4 | ||
| Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion | X | 1C | 3 | ||
| Total Credits | 16 | ||||
| Semester 4 | Critical | Recommended | AUCC | Credits | |
| ART 120 | Foundations--Time and Structure | 3 | |||
| ART*** Upper-Division Art History (See list of approved courses on Major Requirements Tab) | X | 4A,4B | 3 | ||
| Biological and Physical Sciences | X | 3A | 3 | ||
| Historical Perspectives | X | 3D | 3 | ||
| Social and Behavioral Sciences | X | 3C | 3 | ||
| Total Credits | 15 | ||||
| Junior | |||||
| Semester 5 | Critical | Recommended | AUCC | Credits | |
| PHIL 318 | Aesthetics-Visual Arts | X | 3 | ||
| Select one course from the following: | 3 | ||||
| Introduction to Figure Drawing | |||||
| Photo Image Making I | |||||
| Pottery I | |||||
| Metalsmithing and Jewelry I | |||||
| Fibers I | |||||
| Introduction to Graphic Design | |||||
| Introduction to Electronic Art | |||||
| Painting I--Fundamentals and Representation | |||||
| Introduction to Printmaking | |||||
| Sculpture I | |||||
| ART*** Upper-Division Art History (See list of approved courses on Major Requirements Tab) | X | 6 | |||
| Advanced Writing | X | 2 | 3 | ||
| Total Credits | 15 | ||||
| Semester 6 | Critical | Recommended | AUCC | Credits | |
| ART*** Upper-Division Art History (See list of approved courses on Major Requirements Tab) | X | 6 | |||
| ART*** Upper-Division Art Electives | X | 4 | |||
| Second Field Course | 3 | ||||
| Arts and Humanities | X | 3B | 3 | ||
| Total Credits | 16 | ||||
| Senior | |||||
| Semester 7 | Critical | Recommended | AUCC | Credits | |
| ART 419 | Historiography and Methodology of Art History | X | 4C | 3 | |
| ART*** Upper-Division Art History (See list of approved courses on Major Requirements Tab) | X | 3 | |||
| Second Field Course | X | 3 | |||
| Second Field Upper-Division Courses | X | 6 | |||
| Total Credits | 15 | ||||
| Semester 8 | Critical | Recommended | AUCC | Credits | |
| ART*** Upper-Division Art History (See list of approved courses on Major Requirements Tab) | X | 3 | |||
| Second Field Course | X | 3 | |||
| Second Field Upper-Division Courses | X | 6 | |||
| Elective | X | 2 | |||
| The benchmark courses for the 8th semester are the remaining courses in the entire program of study. | X | ||||
| Total Credits | 14 | ||||
| Program Total Credits: | 120 | ||||