Art History, BA

Romita Ray, Chair
Suite 308 Bowne Hall

Matilde Mateo, Undergraduate Director

Suite 308 Bowne Hall
315-443-5035

Faculty

Molly Bourne (Florence), Sally Cornelison, Wayne Franits, Richard Ingersoll, Samuel Johnson, Matilde Mateo, Alick McLean, Jonathan Nelson (Florence), Sean Nelson (Florence), Glenn Peers, Romita Ray, Sascha Scott

The Department of Art and Music Histories offers courses in most major periods of the history of arts and architecture from ancient to postmodern times. The research and teaching specialties of the art history faculty include Greek art, medieval art and architecture, Italian Renaissance art, 17th-century Dutch painting, 19th- and 20th-century European art, American and Native American art, South Asian art and architecture, Medievalism, and History of Photography.

Studies in the history of architecture are offered in association with the faculty of the School of Architecture (see program description under “History of Architecture ” in this section of the catalog). Cooperative programs with the College of Visual and Performing Arts, the S.I. Newhouse School of Public Communications, and other divisions of the University allow students to take courses in studio art, and public communications.

Students who major in one of the department’s disciplines are strongly encouraged to take a foreign language and to study abroad.

Student Learning Outcomes

1. Identify and analyze key works of art from both western and non-western societies from different eras

2. Recognize and explain the relationship of artists and their art to larger historical events and intellectual trends

3. Analyze and apply central issues and scholarly methodologies in our fields

4. Express ideas clearly through oral presentations

5. Formulate a thesis topic, synthesize and appraise scholarly information that pertains to that topic, and express ideas clearly through writing

6. Present themselves professionally

Major Requirements

The major in art history requires 30 credits in art history courses numbered above 299. Students in this specialized major may also include 6 credits of art studio work at any level in the required 30 credits. Students may petition to have up to 9 credits of appropriate courses in art history taken outside the department (non-HOA courses) count toward the art history major.

Additional requirements for the art history major

Distribution Requirement

Course offerings in art history are divided into five broad categories: ancient/medieval; Northern/Italian Renaissance; Baroque/18th-century European; modern/American; and non-Western. Art-history majors are required to take at least one course in each of these five categories.

500-level Course Requirement

Art history majors are required to take at least one course at the 500 level or above. 500-level or above courses are customarily open to advanced undergraduate majors as well as to graduate students in the M.A. program in art history. Such courses offer more detailed study of particular fields within art history than those numbered at the 300 and 400 levels.

Senior Seminar Requirement

During the fall semester of their senior year, art history majors are required to successfully complete a senior seminar. This seminar explores the practical aspects of the discipline, paying particular attention to potential careers and professional research and writing.

Distinction in Art History

Art history majors who have earned a GPA of at least 3.4 by the end of their junior year and a cumulative departmental GPA of at least 3.7, are eligible for distinction. An announcement about the distinction in art history will be made during the first week of Senior Seminar (HOA 498), so that all students are aware of it. Students can either approach a faculty member if they qualify for distinction, or individual faculty members can invite students to earn a degree with distinction. Candidates for distinction must take the Senior Seminar. In addition, they must submit either a Capstone Project (Honor’s Thesis), or a 15-20 page-long art history research paper from an upper division HOA class (not including bibliography and end/footnotes) that has earned at least an A-. Alternatively, students can develop a shorter writing sample into a longer research paper worthy of being submitted for distinction, through a 1-credit Independent Studies supervised by a faculty member in the department (the Independent Studies project must earn at least an A- to be considered for distinction).