Art History Minor

Art history is the study of the visual world, both past and present. Starting from the premise that images, objects, and the built environment speak more directly and deeply about a culture than its written records, our courses prepare students to "read" and respond to the increasingly visual world in which we live. Through the close, careful study of artworks from different times and places, students acquire a unique understanding of the world and their place within it.

Intrinsically interdisciplinary, Art History's curriculum covers not only the fine arts but also visual and material culture more broadly defined: from paintings and sculpture, to architecture and urban design; from films and photographs, to ceramics and textiles; from scientific illustration and political posters, to performance art and street graffiti. Through engaging closely with these and other forms of visual expression, students develop crucial, transferable skills: visual analysis and interpretation, original research and careful argumentation, image-based thinking and communication, and clear and persuasive writing in a variety of modes.

Art history prepares students for a variety of professional tracks: visual arts (e.g., art criticism, art appraisal and sales, art therapy, fashion, interior design, museums, and conservation), the humanities (e.g., grant writing, historic preservation, and philanthropy), media and marketing (e.g., advertising, film, journalism, radio, and television), K-12 and post-secondary education (e.g., teaching and administration), information science and collections management (e.g., libraries and archives in public, non-profit, and corporate contexts), and medicine and law. Thanks to their powerful skill set, students of art history also go on to enjoy higher job satisfaction and lower unemployment rates over the course of their working lives than peers in vocational tracks.