Art History Programs and Courses: Undergraduate Study

Undergraduate major in art history: The department offers a comprehensive curriculum from ancient art to contemporary. Courses in the history of photography, architecture, folk and Asian art, and historiography are regularly offered. Majors take 30 credit hours consisting of 6 credits each in ancient-medieval, Renaissance-Baroque, and modern European-American art history; 6 credits of art history seminars; and an additional 6 credits of 100-level courses in art history or, with the approval of the advisor, in related departments. The seminars are small group experiences that stress in-depth study of a particular topic under the close supervision of a faculty member. Art history majors are required to learn a foreign language, either French, German, Italian or Spanish, and are encouraged to study in related disciplines, such as history, religion and literature. A range of classes is offered, from large lectures to small lectures with class participation, and undergraduate seminars that encourage creative thought and expression, and sharpen research skills. Available to students are the museum and gallery resources of Washington, as well as its unparalleled research collections. Students also benefit from the lively speakers program offered by the department and the university.

Special Honors: For graduation with Special Honors, students must have attained, by the end of the junior year, a grade-point average of at least 3.5 in the major and 3.0 overall. No later than the beginning of the senior year, students should consult their advisor regarding eligibility and selection of an area of study and a director of the research project.

Minor in art history: Required: AH 31, 32 and four additional 100-level art history courses for a total of 18 credits.

Combined Fine Arts and Art History Major:
Required: A total of 30 hours in art history and 30 hours in fine arts.
a. Art History: AH 31-32 and one course in each of the following areas: ancient-medieval, Renaissance-Baroque, and modern European-American; one seminar; four additional 100-level art history electives.
b. Fine Arts: 30 hours of Fine Arts courses in a combination of areas.

Courses:

Introductory Courses

Survey of Western Art I (AH 31)
Survey of Western Art II (AH 32)
Introduction to the Arts in America (AH 71)

The Ancient and Medieval Worlds

Ancient Art of the Bronze Age and Greece (AH 101)
Ancient Art of the Roman Empire (AH 102)
Art and Archaeology of Egypt and the Near East (AH 103)
Art and Archaeology of the Aegean Bronze Age (AH 104)
Art and Archaeology of Israel and Neighboring Lands (AH 106)         
Seminar in Ancient Art and Architecture (AH 109)
Early Christian and Byzantine Art and Architecture (AH 111)
Romanesque and Gothic Art and Architecture (AH 112)                         
Seminar in Medieval Art and Architecture (AH 119)

The Renaissance and Baroque

Italian Art of the Thirteenth through Fifteenth Centuries (AH 120)
Italian Art and Architecture of the Sixteenth Century (AH 121)
Early Northern Renaissance Art and Architecture (AH 122)
Northern Renaissance Art and Architecture (AH 123)
Seminar in Renaissance Art and Architecture (AH 129)
Italian Art and Architecture of the Seventeenth Century (AH 131)
Northern European Art and Architecture of the Seventeenth Century (AH 132)
Spanish and Portuguese Art through the Sixteenth Century (AH 134)
Spanish and Portuguese Art of the Seventeenth and Eighteenth Centuries (AH 135)
Seminar in Baroque Art and Architecture (AH 139)

The Modern World: Europe and America

European Art of the Eighteenth Century (AH 140)
European Art of the Early Nineteenth Century (AH 141)
European Art of the Late Nineteenth Century (AH 142)
European Art of the Twentieth Century (AH 143)
History of Decorative Arts: European Heritage (AH 145)
Modern Architecture in Europe and America (AH 146)
Seminar in Modern European Art and Architecture (AH 149)
American Art in the Age of Revolution (AH 151)
American Art in the Era of National Expansion (AH 152)
American Art of the Twentieth Century (AH 153)
American Architecture: 1600-1860 (AH 154)                                               
American Architecture: 1860-present (AH 155)
Folk Arts in America (AH 156)
The American Cinema (AH 157) 
Seminar in American Art and Architecture (AH 159)
Latin American Art and Architecture (AH 160)
History of Decorative Arts: American Heritage (AH 161)
History of Photography (AH 162)
Modernist and Postmodernist Art and Theory (AH 165)

Asian Art

East Asian Art (AH 190)
South Asian Art (AH 191)
The Art of Southeast Asia (AH 192)

Art History Programs and Courses: Graduate Study

Graduate MA Tracks

Prerequisite: a bachelor's degree in an appropriate field, such as art history, history, literature, or religion. For the MA Degree in the field of art history, 36 hours of course work at the 200 level is required. During the first year of study (18 credits), students are encouraged to take up to 9 credits in proseminar courses and are required to complete the art historiography seminar (AH 258) during the first semester. As many as 6 credits of graduate course work may by completed outside the department with approval of the graduate advisor. Students submit two qualifying papers, the first after the completion of 18 credits and the second after 36. A reading knowledge examination in French, German, Italian, or Spanish must be passed upon completion of the first 9 credits of course work.

Master of Arts in the field of art history with a concentration in musuem training: 36 credits hours of course work at the 200 level (as described above) including 6 credits of internship credit. Satisfactory completion of 18 credits of graduate art history courses is required before internships may begin.

For some students the MA is a terminal degree, leading to jobs in galleries, museums or private concerns. For others, it is preparation to enter a PhD program elsewhere. In either case, students receive a rigorous training in research and writing. All enjoy the benefits of the research collections of Washington, as well as the many opportunities to experience and study works of art first-hand at the many museums and galleries in the city.

Courses:

Proseminar in Ancient Art of the Bronze Age and Greece (AH 201)
Proseminar in Ancient Art of the Roman Empire (AH 202) 
Seminar in Ancient Art (AH 205)
Proseminar in Early Christian and Byzantine Art and Architecture (AH 211)
Proseminar in Romanesque and Gothic Art and Architecture (AH 212)
Seminar in Medieval Art (AH 215)
Proseminar in Italian Art of the Thirteenth through Fifteenth Centuries (AH 220)
Proseminar in Italian Art of the Sixteenth Century (AH 221)
Proseminar in Northern Renaissance (AH 222)
Proseminar in Northern Renaissance (AH223)
Seminar in Renaissance Art (AH 225)
Proseminar in Italian Art and Architecture of the Seventeenth Century (AH 231)
Proseminar in Northern European Art and Architecture of the Seventeenth Century (AH 232)
Proseminar in Spanish Art through the Sixteenth Century (AH 234)
Seminar in Baroque Art (AH 235)
Proseminar in Euopean Art of the Eighteenth Century (AH 240)
Seminar in European Art of the Nineteenth Century (AH 245)
Proseminar in Modern Architecture in Europe and America (AH 246)
Proseminar in American Art in the Age of Revolution (AH 251)
Proseminar in American Art in the Era of National Expansion (AH 252)
Seminar in American Art of the Nineteenth Century (AH 254)
Seminar: Studies in American Art and History (AH 255)
Seminar in American Art of the Twentieth Century (AH 256)
Seminar in Photography (AH 257) 
Seminar in Historiography (AH 258)
Museum Preventive Conservation (AH 286)
Museum Preventive Conservation II (AH 287)                                               
Independent Research in Art History (AH 298)
Museum Internship (AH 299)

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last updated 06 Jan 2006