Why do people make art? Where do you find art? What can art tell us about our world? Why does some art cost millions of dollars? Art History majors grapple with these questions by studying art across history and across cultures. Art History explores the world through images and objects. Our courses emphasize visual learning. They cover creative traditions in painting, sculpture, graphic arts, decorative arts, ritual objects, architecture, photography, design, performance, experimental media, and eco-art. Students are trained to examine, assess, research, and write about art objects. Graduates are prepared for a variety of careers, including teaching, museum work, or graduate school.
Art History students visit local and regional galleries and museums and are encouraged to study abroad. Majors learn about careers in the field by studying how exhibitions are made, how collections are cared for, and how education of the public supports these efforts. Students can get practical experience through internships at a number of prestigious organizations such as The Wadsworth Atheneum Museum of Art, the Connecticut Historical Society, the Connecticut Commission for Culture and Tourism, The New Britain Musuem of American Art, Real Art Ways, The Joseloff Gallery, and many others.
Students who enter the university with Advanced Placement credits in Art History should elect at least one course at the 200 level before proceeding to 300-level work, and this course should not significantly duplicate material for which AP credit was awarded. A maximum of 3 credits in AP Art History may be applied to the major or minor.
Required credits: 36
The requirements for the art history major are as follows:
• 12 credits at the 200 level: ART 210, ART 211, ART 215, and ART 216
• 15 credits at the 300 level, to be distributed among the following four content areas:
| 3 Credits Ancient or Medieval | |
| 3 Credits Renaissance, or Baroque and Enlightenment | |
| 3 Credits Modern or Contemporary | |
| 3 Credits Non-Western (African, Asian, Mesoamerican, Islamic, Native American, or other) | |
•3 Credits Writing intensive: ART 375W
•3 Credits Capstone: ART 367 or ART 492
•3 Credits Art history elective (ART 493 recommended)
• With the permission of the department, 3 credits from 300-level courses in a related discipline may be applied toward the 15-credit distribution requirement in the major.
• Since a working knowledge of at least one foreign language is a requirement for entrance to graduate training and an essential tool in this field, courses in German, Italian, or French are strongly recommended.
• HLM 100, CIN 150, or DRA 160 are advised as breadth supplements to the major.
• All courses required for the major must be taken for a letter grade.
The requirements for the art history minor are as follows:
• 6-9 credits at the 200 level, including ART 215 or ART 216
• 9-12 credits at the 300 or 400 level, to be distributed among three of the following four content areas: • All courses required for the minor must be taken for a letter grade unless written permission is obtained from the chair of the department. Students must maintain a minimum grade point average of 2.0 in art history courses to complete the minor successfully.
Art
History Certificate Program (Non-matriculated students) The Art History program in the College of Arts and Sciences offers certification for people who are interested in college-level work in the field. A wide selection of courses allows the participant to fill in gaps in earlier education and experience. For those who pursued an entirely different field of study in college, this is a suitable way to begin the study of the history of art. For anyone who already has a bachelor’s degree in another discipline, the certificate strengthens an application to a master’s degree program in art history. Required prerequisite:
College-level work, preferably a bachelor’s degree The requirements for the certificate are 21 credits of art history:
3 Credits Ancient or Medieval
3 Credits Renaissance, or Baroque and Enlightenment
3 Credits Modern or Contemporary
3 Credits Non-Western (African, Asian, Mesoamerican, Islamic, Native American, or other)
Credits required: 21
•
6–9 credits at the 200-level, including ART 215 or ART 216
•
9–15 credits at the 300 or 400 level, distributed among three of the following four content areas:
3 Credits Ancient or Medieval
3 Credits Renaissance, or Baroque and Enlightenment
3 Credits Modern or Contemporary
3 Credits Non-Western (African, Asian, Mesoamerican, Islamic, Native American, or other)