Art history is an interdisciplinary field, drawing upon philosophy, history, literature, religion, and mythology to examine works of art and their contexts.
The Bachelor of Arts in Art History provides a foundation in the history of art and architecture in its cultural and theoretical context. Aesthetic and historical issues have become increasingly central to the creation, display, and reception of art. School of Art and Design courses in Art History introduce tools for the making and analysis of art, including the history of works of art, the language of art, and the cultural context for works of art. In the final semester, the student will complete a senior research project on a topic selected by the student with the approval of the art history faculty.
Each semester, art history field trips travel to study works in regional museums. The Art Museum of West Virginia University provides first-hand experience with works of significant aesthetic and cultural value, and introduces students to curatorial and museum practice. Guest artist and art historian lectures and exhibitions in the Mesaros Galleries are scheduled each semester.
Majors are encouraged to study abroad through several field study and study abroad programs. Art History courses are offered abroad in the Disegno Italia program, San Gemini Preservation Studies in Italy, and 19th Century Painting and Photography in France.
Art history majors are required to complete four semesters of a language other than English or pass a written translation competency exam.
Art History
The Bachelor of Arts (B.A.) degree is based on a breadth of general, liberal arts studies (humanities, natural and physical sciences, and social sciences) with a specialized focus in one area of the Arts.
- The ability to think, speak, and write clearly and effectively, and to communicate with precision, cogency and rhetorical force.
- An informed acquaintance with the mathematical and experimental methods of the physical and biological sciences, and with the main forms of analysis of the historical and quantitative techniques needed for investigating the workings and developments of modern society.
- An ability to address culture and history from a variety of perspectives.
- Understanding of, and experience in thinking about, moral and ethical problems.
- The ability to respect, understand and evaluate work in a variety of disciplines.
- The capacity to explain and defend views effectively and rationally.
Additional specific goals related to the art history degree:
- A general knowledge of the monuments and principal artists of all major art periods of the past, including a broad understanding of the art of the contemporary and modern periods and acquaintance with the art history of non-Western cultures.
- A general knowledge of the theory, modes of analysis, and criticism relevant to the discipline of art history.
- A general knowledge of world history.
- Knowledge of the tools and techniques of scholarship.
- Functional knowledge of the creative process.
- Adequate mastery of at least one foreign language to support research through the reading of primary source materials.
