Art History Minor
Program description
Art history involves the interdisciplinary study of the numerous ways in which the visual arts reflect, react to, and shape the world's cultures. Given art history's dynamic intersections with such fields as anthropology, history, philosophy, psychology, studio art, literature, and languages, it is not only a quintessential liberal arts major, but it allows many of our students to successfully double-major. By teaching visual literacy, the art history curriculum prepares all students to critically analyze works of art, architecture, and other forms of material culture, allowing them to become more knowledgeable interpreters of the visual world in which we live. In-depth research projects allow majors and minors to not only synthesize existing scholarship, but also to formulate and articulate their own ideas. Research, teaching, and administrative assistantships, in addition to museum or gallery internships, allow art history students to further engage with the field and gain invaluable practical experience.
Objectives, Recommendations, and Program Student Learning Outcomes:
The purposes of the art history curriculum are:
1) To develop students' understanding of a variety of historical traditions and methods of interpretation in the visual arts.
2) To develop and improve students' ability to analyze and interpret works of art through oral and written means.
3) To help students discover the rich and complex relationship of art to other aspects of culture.
4) To encourage students to have direct contact with art by means of studio art courses, class field trips and assignments, gallery internships, and study abroad experiences.
The discipline also recommends four semesters of college-level courses in a foreign language.
Through the various program objectives listed above, students will be introduced to, review, and have the opportunity to master at different levels the following UMM student learning outcomes:
Knowledge of human cultures including core studies in the liberal arts, in-depth study of a particular field, and engagement with big questions.
Relevant intellectual and practical skills including critical thinking & problem-solving; creative thinking and artistic expression; visual literacy; and written, multi-media, and oral communication.
An understanding of the roles of individuals in society including intercultural knowledge and competence, as well as aesthetic/artistic engagement.
Capacity for integrative learning, including synthesis and advanced accomplishment across general and specialized studies and through co- and extra-curricular activities; application of knowledge, skills, and responsibilities to new settings and progressively more complex problems; and skills for sustained learning and personal development.
Objectives, Recommendations, and Program Student Learning Outcomes:
The purposes of the art history curriculum are:
1) To develop students' understanding of a variety of historical traditions and methods of interpretation in the visual arts.
2) To develop and improve students' ability to analyze and interpret works of art through oral and written means.
3) To help students discover the rich and complex relationship of art to other aspects of culture.
4) To encourage students to have direct contact with art by means of studio art courses, class field trips and assignments, gallery internships, and study abroad experiences.
The discipline also recommends four semesters of college-level courses in a foreign language.
Through the various program objectives listed above, students will be introduced to, review, and have the opportunity to master at different levels the following UMM student learning outcomes:
Knowledge of human cultures including core studies in the liberal arts, in-depth study of a particular field, and engagement with big questions.
Relevant intellectual and practical skills including critical thinking & problem-solving; creative thinking and artistic expression; visual literacy; and written, multi-media, and oral communication.
An understanding of the roles of individuals in society including intercultural knowledge and competence, as well as aesthetic/artistic engagement.
Capacity for integrative learning, including synthesis and advanced accomplishment across general and specialized studies and through co- and extra-curricular activities; application of knowledge, skills, and responsibilities to new settings and progressively more complex problems; and skills for sustained learning and personal development.
Program last updated
Spring 2024