History of Visual Arts Minor

Requirements of the Minor

The minor in the History of Visual Arts is comprised of fifteen credits or five courses in visual Art History taken within the Liberal Arts Division beyond the required two semester Survey of Western Art.  (These five courses do not include the Discipline History courses required by the Departments of their Studio Majors.)  Students in the minor will select five courses from the following time periods or subject matters:

1. Ancient or Medieval Art
2. Renaissance or Baroque Art
3. 19th Century, 20th Century or Contemporary Art
4. Non-western Art
5. one further  course in one of the above areas that has captured the student’s interest.  In this final course a written and oral presentation resulting from research and serious consideration of a topic approved by his or her minor advisor is required.

This final course, following consultation, may take the form of a guided independent study arranged by the student’s advisor in a gallery or museum setting.  In such a case, the written and oral presentations will take the form of documentation and evaluation of the student’s experience as well as the regularly scheduled work assigned by the advisor.

Before entry into the History of Visual Arts minor, students will be asked to present a statement of intent, which will define their areas of interest in the field and a projected focus of their final paper/project.  In order to complete the work for the minor, students will use nine of their free elective credits and six of their Liberal Arts elective credits.  Normally, they will complete the minor, the studio major, and the Liberal Arts curriculum in four years.  They may withdraw from the program without penalty at any time, using the credits they have taken in the minor as Liberal Arts elective credits or as free elective credits.