Arts Major: Art History Option (B.A.)
https://cola.unh.edu/art-art-history/program/ba/arts-major-art-history-option
The art history curriculum provides a comprehensive, in-depth study of Western art from the ancient world to the present as well as some exposure to non-Western cultures and artistic traditions. All courses in the program teach basic skills of interpretation and critical analysis within the framework of broad cultural perspectives that connect the visual arts to larger historical developments. They also teach good writing and research skills. In addition, art history majors typically branch out into other fields, such as history, literature and foreign languages. By the time they graduate, most majors are well equipped to pursue such traditional careers in the field as museum and gallery work, teaching, publishing or librarianship. But because art historical education is so broad, it also prepares students for a variety of other, more flexible options, such as law, business or architecture.
Degree Requirements
All Major, Option and Elective Requirements as indicated.
*Major GPA requirements as indicated.
Major Requirements
Students must complete a minimum of 10 courses (40 credits) for the major requirements, plus a capstone course as outlined below.
Major courses must be completed with a minimum grade of C-. The required minimum overall GPA in major coursework is 2.0. Art history majors may use two major-required courses to satisfy two Discovery Program category requirements.
| Code | Title | Credits |
|---|---|---|
| Required Courses | ||
| ARTH 400 | Topics in Art History | 4 |
| or ARTH 440A | From Digging to Digital: Preserving and Displaying the Past | |
| or ARTH 444 | Mona Lisa to Much Ado About Nothing: An Introduction to Renaissance Culture | |
| or ARTH 444B | Art and Money | |
| or ARTH #444C | Seeing Gender: Feminist Art and Visual Culture | |
| or ARTH 474 | Introduction to Architectural History | |
| or ARTH 480 | Introduction to Art History | |
| or ARTH 485 | Introduction to Global Art History | |
| ARTS 532 | Introductory Drawing 1 | 4 |
| ARTH 799 | Seminar in Art History | 4 |
| Art History Courses | ||
Six (6) courses total from the areas below (only one 500-level course may be taken). | ||
| Pre-Renaissance - select one course from the following: | 4 | |
| Introduction to Mediterranean Archaeology | ||
| Greek Art and Architecture | ||
| Roman Art and Architecture | ||
| Early Medieval Art | ||
| Romanesque and Gothic Art | ||
| Renaissance/Baroque - select one course from the following: | 4 | |
| Baroque Art: Realism, Caricature, Shock | ||
| Northern Renaissance Art I | ||
| Iconoclasm and Collecting: The Art of Early Modern Northern Europe | ||
| Early Renaissance Art | ||
| The High Renaissance | ||
| Baroque Art in Northern Europe | ||
| Graphic Art of the Renaissance and Baroque Periods | ||
| Modern Art - select one course from the following: | 4 | |
| Art in an Age of Revolutions, c. 1715-1900 | ||
| 17th and 18th Century American Architecture | ||
| Nineteenth-Century Architecture: The Architecture of Empire | ||
| Twentieth-Century Architecture: Modern and Contemporary | ||
| Sex and Sensuality in 18th-Century Art | ||
| Histories of Late 19th & 20th Century European Modernism | ||
| Contemporary Art and Theory: 1945-2000 | ||
| American Art | ||
| Vision and Modernity: From Panorama to Early Film | ||
| Electives: Pre-Renaissance, Baroque or Modern Art | 12 | |
Select three additional courses from the following: | ||
| Introduction to Mediterranean Archaeology | ||
| Ancient Pompeii and the Bay of Naples | ||
| Baroque Art: Realism, Caricature, Shock | ||
| Art in an Age of Revolutions, c. 1715-1900 | ||
| 17th and 18th Century American Architecture | ||
| Nineteenth-Century Architecture: The Architecture of Empire | ||
| Twentieth-Century Architecture: Modern and Contemporary | ||
| Greek Art and Architecture | ||
| Roman Art and Architecture | ||
| Early Medieval Art | ||
| Romanesque and Gothic Art | ||
| Northern Renaissance Art I | ||
| Iconoclasm and Collecting: The Art of Early Modern Northern Europe | ||
| Early Renaissance Art | ||
| The High Renaissance | ||
| Baroque Art in Northern Europe | ||
| Graphic Art of the Renaissance and Baroque Periods | ||
| Sex and Sensuality in 18th-Century Art | ||
| Contemporary Art and Theory: 1945-2000 | ||
| American Art | ||
| Vision and Modernity: From Panorama to Early Film | ||
| Capstone | ||
| Understanding Art History: An In-Depth Overview | ||
| Total Credits | 36 | |
- 1
Art history students receive preferential placement in this course.
For students considering graduate school recommended languages are German, and, if possible, either French, Italian, or another language relevant to their areas of interest.
- We expect our art history majors to become conversant with some of the major conventions artists and architects have subscribed to over the millenia, and with how these have been bent or broken and why.
- We expect them to learn to write cogently and clearly, and to be able to analyze orally on the spot what they see in a work of art or architecture, often by comparison and contrast with works they know well.