Art History

2023 - 2024 Catalog

Art History major leading to BA degree

A major in art history leading to a Bachelor of Arts degree requires completion of at least 36 credits, as follows:

  1. Introduction: At least nine credits in ARTH chosen from 101, 102, 140, 141 or 170
  2. Studio art: a 3- or 4- credit course in ARTS
  3. At least 18 credits in ARTH to include:
    a. at least 12 credits chosen from ARTH 125, 141 (if not used to satisfy introductory requirement), 146, 180, 195, ARTH courses at the 200 level, and, when appropriate and approved in advance, MRST 110
    b. at least six credits from 300-level courses and, when appropriate and approved in advance, LACS 396
  4. One additional course chosen from ARTH courses at the 300-level or ARTH 473, 483, or 493
  5. Capstone: ARTH 395
  1. Introduction

    2. At least nine credits in ARTH chosen from 

    • ARTH 101 - Survey of Western Art: Ancient to Medieval
      FDRHA Fine Arts Distribution
      Credits3

      Chronological survey of Western art from the Paleolithic Age through the Middle Ages in Italy and Northern Europe. Examination of cultural and stylistic influences in the art and architecture of ancient Mesopotamia, Egypt, Greece, and Rome. Consideration of distinct interests of Early Christian, Byzantine, and Medieval Europe. Focus on major monuments and influential images produced up to circa 1400.

    • ARTH 102 - Survey of Western Art: Renaissance to the Present
      FDRHA Fine Arts Distribution
      Credits3

      Chronological survey of Western art from the Renaissance through the present. Topics include the Renaissance, from its cultural and stylistic origins through the Mannerist movement; the Baroque and Rococo; the Neoclassical reaction; Romanticism and Naturalism; the Barbizon School and Realism; Impressionism and its aftermath; Fauvism, Cubism, Dada, Surrealism, Abstract Expressionism, Pop, Minimalism, and the Postmodern reaction to Modernism.

    • ARTH 140 - Asian Art
      FDRHA Fine Arts Distribution
      Credits3

      A survey of artistic traditions from South (including the Himalayan region), East, and Southeast Asia from roughly the 1st to the 18th centuries CE. The course focuses on a wide range of media - including architecture, sculpture, painting, textiles, and book arts - that serve a spectrum of religious and secular functions. The broad temporal, geographic, and topical scope of this course is meant to provide students with a basic understanding of not only the greatest artistic achievements and movements in Asia, but also the historical and political contexts that gave rise to these extraordinary pieces of art.

    • ARTH 170 - Arts of Mesoamerica and the Andes
      FDRHA Fine Arts Distribution
      Credits3

      Survey of the art and architecture of Mesoamerica and the Andes before the arrival of the Europeans, with a focus on indigenous civilizations including the Olmec, Maya, Aztec, and Inca. Art is contextualized in terms of religious, social, political, and economic developments in each region under discussion. The class includes a trip to the Virginia Museum of fine Arts in Richmond or the National Gallery in Washington, D.C.

  2. Studio art:

    3. A 3- or 4- credit course in ARTS

  3. at least 18 credits in ARTH to include:

    4.  a. at least 12 credits chosen from ARTH 125, 146, 180, 195, ARTH courses at the 200 level, and, when appropriate and approved in advance, MRST 110
     b. at least six credits from 300-level courses and, when appropriate and approved in advance, LACS 396

  4. One additional course:
    • ARTH 473 - Senior Thesis
      Credits3
      Prerequisitesenior class standing
      CorequisiteARTH 395 - Senior Seminar: Approaches to Art History

      An art history thesis. A thesis abstract with a written statement of the objective must be presented in the spring of the junior year. The Art History faculty will evaluate all thesis proposals within three weeks to determine the student's preparedness and the project's validity, designating each as a 'Pass,' 'Provisional Pass' (requiring resubmission of proposal), or 'Re-direction' (to a 300-level seminar or independent study). Student writing a thesis will be recognized at the baccalaureate department awards ceremony.

    • ARTH 483 - Senior Thesis
      Credits3

      Continuation of ARTH 473. Students continue to research, write, and revise the senior thesis project. All students will present their work to faculty, students, and other members of the community in March. Honors will be determined based on the quality of writing and inquiry in March of the senior year. Students writing a thesis will be recognized at the baccalaureate department awards ceremony.

    • ARTH 493 - Honors Thesis
      Credits3
      Prerequisiteinstructor consent
      CorequisiteARTH 395 - Senior Seminar: Approaches to Art History

      An art history thesis. The culmination is an oral defense of the thesis project. Students achieving honors will be recognized at the baccalaureate department awards ceremony and in the university graduation program.

    • or one additional course chosen from ARTH at the 300-level

  5. Capstone:
    • ARTH 395 - Senior Seminar: Approaches to Art History
      Credits3

      This capstone seminar studies the origins, applications, strengths, and weaknesses of various methodological approaches that art historians use to study art. Topics include Formalism; Iconography and Iconology; Social History and Marxism; Feminism; Psychoanalysis; Semiotics; Structuralism and Post-Structuralism; Deconstruction; Reception Theory; Post-Colonialism; and Critical Race/Ethnicity Theories.