Art History BA

The Art History program is committed to exploring the visual arts as tools for decoding culture among today’s broad and immersive visual world. Art History faculty members use a diverse range of approaches to help students access a deeper understanding of the visual arts and visual culture (painting, sculpture, performance art, graphic arts, architecture, photography, decorative arts, print media, film, and television). Courses are offered from ancient to contemporary art history and explore topics ranging from the role of myth and narrative in ancient art to the role of art and media in contemporary society. Course instruction centers on critical thinking about the visual and draws on the social, critical race, feminist, post-colonial, and queer histories of art and visual studies. An art history major is ideal for students who wish to pursue a career in the arts, but it is equally valuable for those seeking to develop visual, analytical and communication skills.