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). The following courses are required:
| Code | Title | Credits |
|---|---|---|
| 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 474 | Introduction to Architectural History | |
| or ARTH 444B | Art and Money | |
| ARTS 532 | Introductory Drawing | 4 |
| ARTH 795 | Understanding Art History: An In-Depth Overview (Capstone) | 4 |
| ARTH 799 | Seminar in Art History | 4 |
| Art History Courses: Select six, 600/700-level courses from the areas below (one 500-level may be used): | ||
| Pre-Renaissance Courses (Select one) | 4 | |
| Greek Art and Architecture | ||
| Roman Art and Architecture | ||
| Early Medieval Art | ||
| Romanesque and Gothic Art | ||
| Renaissance/Baroque Courses (Select one) | 4 | |
| Introduction to Mediterranean Archaeology | ||
| 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 Courses (Select one) | 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 (select three additional courses) | 12 | |
| Introduction to Mediterranean Archaeology | ||
| 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 | ||
| Total Credits | 40 | |
These courses must be completed with a minimum grade of C-. Art history students receive preferential placement in ARTS 532 Introductory Drawing. Students contemplating graduate school should learn German, and, if possible, either French, Italian, or another language relevant to their areas of interest.
The Discovery Program capstone requirement may be fulfilled by completing ARTH 795 Understanding Art History: An In-Depth Overview.
The required minimum overall GPA in major coursework is 2.0.
Candidates for a degree must satisfy all of the University Discovery Program requirements in addition to satisfying the requirements of each individual major program. Bachelor of arts candidates must also satisfy the foreign language proficiency requirement.
Art history majors may use two major-required courses to satisfy two Discovery category requirements.
- 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.