Art History

Coordinator: Associate Professor Gatti 

Professor: Ringelberg

The major and minor in Art History provide a broad and in-depth study of images and objects from prehistory to the present in a global context. Courses are designed to prepare students for graduate programs in art history, visual culture, cultural studies, museum studies, area studies, classical studies, and critical theory, as well as medical school, law school, and a constantly shifting employment market. An art historian’s primary resources include visual objects themselves, so specialized training in formal analysis is vital to our studies; however, close reading and analysis of written texts and practice writing in a variety of contexts also play a central role in our work. Upper-level courses cover specialized areas of study, including those defined by geographical region, time period, stylistic category, conceptual theme, and/or ideologies. Art History courses are beneficial to anyone wishing to develop advanced critical viewing, thinking and writing skills in a discipline that melds the arts with the humanities in a historical context.