In the College of Arts and Sciences .
Course Offerings
The Department of the History of Art provides a broad range of introductory and advanced courses in art of Europe and the Americas, East and Southeast Asia, Africa, Native American art and Indigenous Studies from antiquity to the present.
Website: www.arts.cornell.edu/histart/
Faculty
S. Samuels, chair; A. Alexandridis, J. E. Bernstock, M. I. Dadi, M. Fernández, C. Finley, S. Hassan, C. Lazzaro, K. McGowan, L. L. Meixner, A. Pan, J. Rickard, C. Robinson
The Major
Department majors acquire a broad understanding of the history of art in several chronological and geographical areas: ancient, medieval, Renaissance, modern (Europe and the Americas), Southeast Asia, China, Japan, Latin America, and Africa. Additionally, majors practice a range of art historical methods and interpretive strategies, including connoisseurship, dendrochronology, feminism, iconography, semiotics, critical theory, and social history. Majors are encouraged to locate the history of art within allied humanities fields and the applied arts by taking courses in history, literature, history of architecture, and fine arts. The study of foreign languages is strongly encouraged.
Requirements for the Major
Prospective majors should consult the director of undergraduate studies. Students wishing to declare a major in the history of art should have completed any two courses above the 1000- level at Cornell in the department by the end of their sophomore year and have received a grade of B or above in both. Courses must be taken for a letter grade and must be at least a B– to count toward the major. These courses count toward the total 44 credits. The major in the history of art requires 44 credits, 30 at the 3000-level or above. The core requirements are: proseminar; another seminar at the 4000-level or above; two courses on art from the following time periods: Ancient Europe, Medieval/Islamic, or Renaissance/Baroque (one course per time period); two courses on art from the three following geographical areas: Africa, Asia, or Latin America (one course per region); and two courses on modern/contemporary art in Europe and North America, including art from outside the Anglo-American tradition. In addition to the 44 credits, majors are required to take two courses, approved by their advisors, in areas related to the history of art.
Honors
To become a candidate for the degree of bachelor of arts with honors in the history of art, a student must have a cumulative average of A– for all courses taken in the department and B+ in all arts and sciences courses. Application to write an honors thesis should be made to the director of undergraduate studies during the second semester of the junior year. Students are advised to enroll in ARTH 4997 - Honors Research at this time. The application must include a summary of the proposed project, an endorsement by a faculty sponsor, and a copy of the student’s transcript. In the senior year the honors candidate will include ARTH 4998 and ARTH 4999 in his or her course load. These courses address the research and writing of the senior thesis under the direction of the student’s project advisor.
Course Numbering System
1000-level courses are first-year writing seminars.
2000-level courses are introductions to the major subdivisions of Western art and art outside the West.
3000-level courses are intermediary courses addressing more specialized topics or epochs.
4000-level courses are seminars primarily for advanced undergraduates and graduate students.
6000-level courses are seminars primarily for graduate students.
First-Year Writing Seminars
Consult the John S. Knight Institute website for times, instructors, and descriptions. These courses may not be used to satisfy the distribution requirement or the major.