Art, Art History, and Visual Studies
Students planning to major in art history are strongly encouraged to complete a range of courses in complementary disciplines, including studio art, literature, history, philosophy, and religion. Majors are also advised to study abroad.
Requirements for the Major in Art History
The major requires successful completion of the following:
| Code | Title | Semester Hours |
|---|---|---|
| Course Requirements 1 | ||
| ARTH 103 | Survey of Western Art I 2 | 4 |
| ARTH 104 | Survey of Western Art II 2 | 4 |
| ARTH 105 | The Arts of Asia | 4 |
| ARTH 317 | Approaches to Art History | 4 |
| Select one of the following (Area I): 3 | 4 | |
| Greek and Roman Art and Architecture | ||
| Medieval Art and Architecture | ||
| Imagining the City in the Age of Dante | ||
| Italian Renaissance Art and Architecture | ||
| Northern Renaissance Art | ||
| Select one of the following (Area II): 3 | 4 | |
| History of Photography | ||
| French Art | ||
| Nineteenth-Century Art | ||
| British Art | ||
| American Art | ||
| Spanish Painting | ||
| Select one of the following (Area III): 3 | 4 | |
| American Animation, 1910-1960 | ||
| Modern Art in Europe and the Americas | ||
| Contemporary Art and the Global Marketplace | ||
| Pop Art: Identity and Politics in the Visual Culture of the 1960s | ||
| Modern and Postmodern Architecture | ||
| Art in Germany: 1919-1933 | ||
| History of Film: Invention to Mid-Century | ||
| Select on of the following (Area IV): 3 | 4 | |
| Sacred Arts of Japan | ||
| Art and Disaster in Modern and Contemporary Japan | ||
| Gender in Japanese Art | ||
| Sacred Arts of China | ||
| Contemporary Chinese Art | ||
| Select two additional courses in art history (ARTH) 3, 4 | 8 | |
| Total Semester Hours | 40 | |
| Code | Title | Semester Hours |
|---|---|---|
| Additional Requirements | ||
| A comprehensive examination | ||
| 1 | Students interested in advanced placement into upper-division art history courses should consult the department. |
| 2 | Majors should complete the two art history surveys by the conclusion of the first semester of the junior year. |
| 3 | Students will also choose one of the four chronological areas as their area of special interest and take at least one additional art history course in that area. The four chronological-area courses must be completed at Sewanee. |
| 4 | Subject to approval by the art history faculty, the department may accept up to two courses (eight hours) in art history from other institutions. Exceptions to this limit are decided by the chair. |
Honors
To receive departmental honors, a student must have a departmental GPA of 3.50 at the end of the final semester, pass the comprehensive examination with distinction, that is, with an overall score of 88, and earn a grade of B+ or higher on an honors research paper. Eligibility for departmental honors depends on completion of Approaches to Art History (ARTH 317) with a grade of B+ or higher and a departmental GPA of 3.50 at the end of the first semester of the senior year. Eligible majors may then, at the discretion of the chair, elect a course of independent study (ARTH 440) and write an honors research paper under the direction of a member of the art history faculty.