Our goal is to develop students’ critical skills and ability to comprehend global visual arts within a social, historical and aesthetic framework. Class format involves lecture and discussion with courses ranging from 90 student lecture survey classes to advanced seminar or group study classes of 10-20. Because of the comparative nature of Art History, majors are required to complete courses in a second field, a foreign language and aesthetic philosophy. A capstone seminar challenges students’ ability to integrate the social, historical and aesthetic significance of visual art in a comprehensive research paper. Wireless lecture and seminar classes are supplied with podium access to video, DVD, slide, and document projection, including LUNA Insight digital formats. Visual and library resources are available in the department’s Stanley G. Wold Resource Center and through the Morgan Library. Art History majors have two active student organizations within the Department of Art, the Student Organization of Visual Arts (SOVA) and the Collegiate Organization for Critics and Art Historians (COCAH).

Why it’s a good choice: The critical thinking and communication skills that History majors learn, along with our students’ ability to analyze how societies change over time, constitute a good preparation for careers in business.