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Description
The discipline of art history is object-based cultural history. It is founded on the premise that artifacts embody and reflect the beliefs and values of the persons who made, commissioned, and used them. Unlike text-based historical disciplines, the history of art documents and interprets changes in human society by taking works of art and other objects of material culture as its primary sources. The history of art further requires the critical analysis and interpretation of written texts to help document and illuminate the contexts—social, economic, political, religious—in which artifacts are produced and used. Art history, therefore, is inherently interdisciplinary.

Courses
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Major

Art History Program

The discipline of art history is object-based cultural history. It is founded on the premise that artifacts embody and reflect the beliefs and values of the persons who made, commissioned, and used them. Unlike text-based historical disciplines, the history of art documents and interprets changes in human society by taking works of art and other objects of material culture as its primary sources. The history of art further requires the critical analysis and interpretation of written texts to help document and illuminate the contexts--social, economic, political, religious--in which artifacts are produced and used. Art history, therefore, is inherently interdisciplinary.

Major Requirements : The art history major has two distinct programs of concentration: (1) the histories of European, American, and African art, and (2) the histories of different traditions in Asian art. All majors are required to take one 100-level course as an introduction to the discipline and nine semester-length courses numbered 200 or above, including a minimum of two seminars (i.e., courses numbered 300-399). Majors must take at least five of their nine upper-level courses in the history of art at Wesleyan. One or two of the required nine upper-level courses may be relevant courses taught at Wesleyan outside the art history program in such departments as history, religion, classics, or anthropology. Majors who wish to transfer course credits from other universities or who wish to have other Wesleyan courses count toward their major in art history must have prior written approval of their faculty advisor for inclusion in their major program. All art history majors are encouraged to take at least one course in archaeology as part of the major.

Concentration in the history of European, American, or African art: The nine upper-level courses required of the major must include at least one course in each of the following historical periods: classical, medieval, Renaissance, and modern. In addition, majors must take at least one course in the areas of Asian or African art; this course may be a 100-level course.

Concentration in the history of Asian art: Students must take at least five Asian art history courses, at least one of which should be a departmental seminar treating Asian art, and two courses in the European, American, or African traditions. With the permission of the faculty advisor, Great Traditions of Asian Art (ARHA180) may be counted as one of the five required Asian courses. Students who concentrate in the history of Asian art are strongly urged to take at least one course outside the department dealing with the history or culture of premodern Asia.

Language requirement: Proficiency is required in at least one foreign language for completion of the major in the history of art. Proficiency is normally defined as successful completion of the Wesleyan intermediate-level course in the language. German, French, and Italian are normally considered the most valuable for study in the history of art.  Generally speaking, Spanish is not recommended as a means of satisfying the language requirement, since Iberian and Latin American art are not represented in the curriculum. Students concentrating in the history of Asian art may use a relevant Asian language to satisfy the language requirement. Majors considering graduate study in art history should plan to acquire a reading knowledge of German and French before entering graduate school. Students planning to pursue graduate study in Asian art should begin the study of an Asian language as soon as possible.

Honors: The Honors Program in art history is designed to meet the needs of students who wish to pursue a long-term scholarly research project in an area of particular interest. The research project can take the form of either a yearlong senior thesis or a one-semester senior essay (see below), but in either case, candidates for honors are also required to earn a minimum GPA of B+ for their major course work and to be compliant with the University's General Education Expectations (through Stage II). Students wishing to consider an honors project must discuss their research interests with a member of the art history faculty and secure the professor's agreement to serve as tutor for the project by the last day of classes of the student's junior year. After consulting with the tutor, the student is expected to carry out preliminary research during the course of the summer and is required to submit a detailed proposal and preliminary bibliography for the project by the first day of classes of the fall term of the senior year. No one who fails to meet these minimal requirements will be allowed to pursue honors. The two options for honors projects are:

1. A senior thesis: A two-term project involving substantial research and writing on a topic agreed upon by the student in consultation with a faculty member who will serve as tutor for the thesis. The senior thesis courses in the major are ARHA409 (fall) and ARHA410 (spring).

2. A senior essay: A single-semester essay project may be undertaken for honors in lieu of a yearlong thesis project, but it must be based on a research paper on the same topic, written by the candidate in the context of earlier course work. This will ensure that preliminary research has been completed before the essay tutorial has begun. The essay must represent a considerable expansion and refinement of the earlier work, involving additional research and new argumentation, and not just revision of the earlier paper. Essay projects may only be undertaken in the fall semester and must be completed by the last day of the reading period of the fall semester to be considered for honors. The senior essay course in the major is ARHA401 (fall).

Both senior theses and senior essays must conform to the University's general requirements and deadlines for honors in the senior year, as administered through the Honors Coordinator. Each year's honors candidates will present 20-minute public talks based on their theses or essays. These talks will normally be held in April of the senior year and will be developed in consultation with the students' faculty tutors. For more information and an application form, see the document "Honors in Art History: Regulations and Procedures," available in the department office.

Courses taken outside of Wesleyan: Students who are unusually well prepared seek reputable foreign study as an adjunct to the major. All study abroad must be preapproved by the Office of International Studies and by the student's major advisor.  Study at other educational institutions in the United States must also be preapproved by the student's major advisor. In the case of non-Wesleyan-affiliated programs, transfer of major credit will be awarded only if the student submits an example of a substantial written assignment for each course for which s/he desires credit. This should be submitted to the faculty member who teaches in the most closely related field.  In the case of study-abroad programs focusing on cultural areas beyond the major advisor's expertise, the student will be expected to consult with an appropriate member of the art history faculty.

Requirements for acceptance to the major: Students interested in the art history major should consult with the faculty person they would like to have serve as their advisor or with the director of the art history program if their prospective advisor is on sabbatical or leave. Students must complete an application (available from the faculty or the administrative assistant in the program) for major status in the art history program and present it with a recent transcript to the prospective advisor or to the director of the program. By the end of the sophomore year, a prospective major should plan to have taken one 100-level introductory course and at least two other courses in art history. For admission to the major, the student must have a B average in courses taken in the history of art and a B average overall.

Advanced Placement credit: A student who has completed an Advanced Placement art history course or its equivalent while in secondary school and has achieved a grade of 5 in the Art History AP examination will be granted one AP course credit, but only after completing an intermediate-level course in art history at Wesleyan and receiving a grade of B+ or higher. Credit is not awarded for a score of less than 5. (The awarding of AP credit does not exempt a student from the introductory art history course requirement).