About the Major

 

Art History

The discipline of art history is object-based cultural history.  It is founded on the premise that artifacts embody, reflect, and shape the beliefs and values of the persons who made, commissioned, and used them.  Unlike exclusively text-based historical disciplines, Art History documents and interprets changes in human society by taking works of art and other objects of material culture as its primary sources. But since these objects can only be fully understood within the social, economic, political, and religious contexts in which they were produced and used, Art History further requires the critical analysis and interpretation of other historical sources to illuminate these contexts.  These other sources can include written texts, archival documents, archaeology, and oral history, as well as other art forms such as music and dance.  Art History, therefore, is inherently interdisciplinary.

Major requirements. To complete the major in Art History, you must: 

  • Take 1 introductory course (numbered 100-199) and 9 courses numbered 200 or above.  The nine upper-level courses must include at least two seminars (numbered 300-399). (N.B. Tutorials for honors theses and essays—403, 404, 409, and 410—do not count toward the nine required courses.)   
  • Satisfy the requirements for your area of concentration. The art history major offers two distinct areas of  concentration: 
    • Concentration in the history of European, American, or African art.  For this concentration, the nine upper-level courses must include at least one course in each of the four historical periods –classical, medieval, Renaissance/Baroque, and modern – and at least one course in the areas of either African or Asian art. 
    • Concentration in the history of Asian art.   For this concentration, the nine upper-level courses must include five Asian art history courses – one of which must be a seminar – and at least one course in the European, American, or African traditions.
  • Satisfy the language requirement. Demonstrated proficiency is required in at least one foreign language for completion of the major.  Proficiency is defined as a minimum of two full years of study at the college level, or the equivalent, as measured by a placement test administered by the language department in question.  German, French, and Italian are normally considered the most valuable for study in the discipline.  Students concentrating in the history of Asian art may use a relevant Asian language to satisfy the language requirement.

Requirements for acceptance to the major. 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 at least a B average in courses taken in art history and a B average overall.

Additional recommendations. All art history majors are strongly urged to take at least one course in archaeology as part of the major.  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 pre-modern Asia.

Other regulations.

Wesleyan courses taken outside the department.   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.  These courses must be pre-approved by your major advisor. 

Courses taken outside Wesleyan.   A of minimum of 5 courses within the major must be taken at Wesleyan.  All study abroad must be pre-approved by the Office of International Studies (to receive Wesleyan credit) and by the student’s major advisor (to receive credit toward the major requirements). Study at other educational institutions in the United States must also be preapproved by the student’s major advisor.  In both cases, transfer of major credit will be awarded only if the student submits a course description and /or syllabus in advance of taking the course.  

AP 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. AP credit may not be counted towards the completion of major requirements.

Education in the Field.  Students interested in pursuing museum internships may apply for education-in-the-field credit. To be approved, the internship must involve work that is the equivalent in intellectual content and rigor to a Wesleyan art history course, as demonstrated in substantive research and writing. Students are expected to provide a description of the project(s) they will be working on and the name of their supervisor who will coordinate the project with an on-campus advisor. Students also must provide examples of the work they did when they return to campus before credit is given. Note, too, that the University charges additional tuition for education-in-the field credits taken in the summer or while on an authorized leave of absence during the academic year.

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). The senior thesis/essay does not replace the two required seminar courses.  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:

  • 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 for honors in the major are ARHA409 (fall) and ARHA410 (spring).
  • A senior essay: The senior essay option will be discontinued starting with the class of 2014.  For classes up until 2013, 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 a 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 for honors in the major is ARHA403 (fall).  (Note that ARHA 403, 409, and 410 can not be counted toward the nine courses required for the major.)

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.