Art History Courses
Art History (ARTH) courses explore artistic traditions based in various historical and cultural contexts. Our courses examine painting, sculpture, architecture, and work in other media from cultures across the globe from prehistory through the present day. Artistic developments are placed in their religious, political, and intellectual contexts.
If you want to understand a culture, you should study its material production. We think that art history coursework complements many different disciplines, including American Studies, Anthropology, Classical Studies, Environmental Science, Film and Media Studies, Global Studies, Religious Studies, and History. Our courses are foundational in the interdisciplinary Medieval & Renaissance Studies major.
Open to All
Most of our courses do not have prerequisites, and are open to any interested student. Many of our courses fulfill two of the knowledge domain requirements, in the Arts, Letters, and Values domain and in the Cultures, Societies, and Individuals domain.
All Majors
Art History majors are required to take:
- ARTH 331 - The Curatorial Project
- ARTH 333 - Art History Methods
- ARTH 493 - Senior Research Colloquium ("Capstone Seminar")
- ART 211 - Drawing and Color or ART 212 - Three-dimensional Design: Form and Space
Where to Start
You should complete the studio class (ART 211 or 212) before the end of your sophomore year. You should take The Curatorial Project (ARTH 331) in the semester after you declare your major (typically, the fall of your junior year). Enroll in the Capstone Seminar in your senior year.
The Undergraduate Catalog lists all our courses, and tells which semester a course will be offered (Fall or Spring). Not every course is taught each year, and the subjects covered in topics courses vary by semester. To see which ones are coming up next semester, or to see what topics will be taught in a topics course, check out the Dynamic Schedule or Open Course List.
