Art and Art History

http://www.stolaf.edu/depts/art/

Chair, 2001-02: Jan Shoger, printmaking, drawing

Faculty, 2001-02: Wendell H. Arneson, painting, drawing, design; Don Bratland, graphic design; Steven Edwins, architectural drawing and design; Jill Ewald, director, St. Olaf Colllege Museum; Ron Gallas, ceramics, design; Mary Griep, drawing, design, painting; Patrick Kelley, digital; Margaret Ojala, photography, drawing; Matthew Rohn, art history, American Studies: European and American visual culture and contemporary theory post-1800; Dave Ryan, Video; John Saurer, sculpture, drawing; Jan Shoger, printmaking, drawing; Nancy Thompson, art history

The Art Department houses expertise in the visual arts at St. Olaf. An outstanding, professionally active faculty, an excellent art curriculum, and a fine exhibition program in Steensland Art Museum provide a wide range of offerings in studio art, art history, and art education.

The mission of the Art Department at St. Olaf College is to provide liberal arts students with opportunities to experience, create, view, and learn about visual images so they may better understand themselves and the role of art-making in a global society. The department's traditional commitment to art history, foundation design, and technical expertise combines with the challenge of teaching critical thinking, creative innovation, and exploring new ideas in visual media.

An independent, national publication, Ruggs' Guide to Undergraduate Education, recognizes the strength of the St. Olaf art program by naming it as one of the 30 most selective undergraduate art programs in the country. Art graduates have received national acclaim in many professional fields across the country - museum and gallery administration, advertising, architecture, computer graphics, graphic design, illustration, animation and film-making, studio art, and teaching.

REQUIREMENTS FOR THE MAJORS

Requirements for a Studio Major

Students majoring in Studio Art must earn a minimum of nine credits including Art 343. Students may elect courses equaling two history and seven studio or three history and six studio. (All foundations count toward the major and the department strongly recommends Art 252 and 253 as part of the art history taken). All majors must take four foundations, including one three-dimensional course (choose from 114, 116, 119, 121 or 122) and one drawing course (choose from 110, 111, 112 or 125) unless a major qualifies for and takes Art 120; then only one additional three-dimensional course from 114, 116, 119, or Interim 121 or 122 is required. Two courses must be selected from (221 or 222), (223 or 224), (226 or 227), 228, 230, 232, 234, 238, and 239. (Interim foundations count toward the foundations requirement.) Students with considerable experience in studio art are encouraged to seek placement in Art 120: Honors Foundation Drawing; they will be admitted only by portfolio and/or slide review during first-year orientation week. Time and place will be posted.

Requirements for an Art History Major

Students majoring in Art History must earn nine credits in the following: (1-2) 150, 151; (3-6) A minimum of four courses chosen from among Art 250-275 (a maximum of two courses in art history taken in off-campus programs may, upon approval of the department, be applied to the major); (7) Two half-credit courses in studio art; (8) At least one course treating art from a theoretical perspective, chosen from among: Art 270: Issues in Art Criticism, Philosophy 155: Art and Philosophy of Georgia O'Keeffe and Philosophy 243: Aesthetics. (It is recommended that a student take Art 150: Ancient Through Medieval Art and 151: Renaissance to the Present as early as possible); and (9) Art 395: Senior Studies in Art History.

Requirements for a Visual Arts Education Teaching Major

Students undertaking a Visual Arts Education Teaching major complete the graduation studio major, plus three additional courses in Art; the required Education Department courses; and participate in the junior review. A minimum of 12 total credits in art is required: three in art history and nine in studio. (See also the Art Licensure Adviser.)

DISTINCTION

Information about the criteria considered in conferring distinction is available in the Art and Art History Department.

SPECIAL PROGRAMS

Off-campus Study
Many students arrange for part of their work in London, Florence, Rome, New York City, Washington, D.C., Chicago, or Minneapolis. With departmental permission, a qualified junior or senior can enroll in specialized studio courses within the normal 14-course maximum for a major in the following independent art schools as part of their St. Olaf art major: Kansas City Art Institute, Minneapolis College of Art and Design, and the School of the Art Institute of Chicago. Internship opportunities are possible in specialized fields of study that involve students in the work-a-day professional art world. Both art history and studio students can take advantage of the Minneapolis Art Institute, the Walker Art Center, and other Minneapolis-St. Paul art institutions. Studio majors also can gain professional experience in the Twin Cites in the areas of graphic design, illustration, architecture, etc.

Interdisciplinary Studies
The Art and Art History Department is committed to a dialogue among the fine arts and participates in the Interdisciplinary Fine Arts major. One of the distinctive features of this major is the integration of the disciplines of art, dance, music and theater. See Interdisciplinary Fine Arts lists for more details.

RECOMMENDATIONS FOR GRADUATE SCHOOL OR PROFESSIONAL STUDY

Studio Art
Students interested in studio-related careers or study are strongly encouraged to complete extensive Level III coursework in the media/discipline of their choice and to develop a strong portfolio. Also recommended is participation in special programs incorporating advanced work, such as internships or one-semester study at cooperating art schools. A unique fifth-year program of apprenticeship offered by the Art Department provides studio space to a limited number of exceptional art student applicants who wish to spend the year after graduation concentrating on building a strong portfolio in preparation for graduate studies.

Art History
The prospective graduate student, following the completion of one or two surveys, should take at least one course in each of the following areas: Medieval, Renaissance, Modern, and a Non-Western area of art; a second course in an area of interest; Art 270 and Art 275; and should at least start studying German. Those interested in the museum professions should also seek an internship. Art 395: Senior Studies is taught as a seminar with student presentations and discussions patterned on typical graduate school offerings. The department reserves the right to retain student work for its file.

COURSES

FOUNDATION COURSES

Most advanced courses require the completion of one or more Foundation Courses.

110 Foundation Perceptual and Conceptual Drawing

This course introduces fundamental technical and perceptual skills of drawing, including the basic elements of mark, line, value, texture, form, space, and their dynamics in composition. By translating observed subjects onto two-dimensional surfaces, students explore drawing as a means to self-expression, as a springboard to understanding how ideas are given visible form, and as a cornerstone of artistic practice. Lab fee. GE: ALS-A. Offered periodically.

111 Foundation Perceptual Drawing (0.5)

This course provides a strong visual foundation in fundamental drawing skills. Students explore elements of line, space, texture, and value, as well as their dynamics in composition. Projects emphasize translating observed three-dimensional subjects onto two-dimensional surfaces. In addition, students are introduced to the aesthetics of drawing and drawing as a means of self-expression through the study of old and contemporary masters. Lab fee. GE: ALS-A. Offered each semester.

112 Foundation Conceptual Drawing (0.5)

Emphasizing concepts and ideas and using drawing as a means of expression, this studio course for majors and non-majors delves into the dynamics of composition and design principles through the use of a variety of techniques and media. It couples drawing assignments with viewing and discussing contemporary and old masterpieces to broaden appreciation and understanding of drawing as a method of visual communication. Lab fee. GE: ALS-A. Offered each semester.

113 Foundation Color Design (0.5)

Within an art historical context, this course explores an appreciation of color and the interaction of color as it affects one's daily life. Problems are developed to foster investigation and experimentation into the formal properties of color theory and expand creativity in the painter's approach to composition and expressive content. Materials fee. GE: ALS-A. Offered each semester.

114 Foundation Sculpture (0.5)

This beginning studio course in sculpture introduces the basic aesthetic, conceptual and technical fundamentals of three-dimensional art-making and design. Students learn how to operate tools safely and efficiently, how to construct things with wood and other materials, and how to describe and discuss sculpture and other objects and spaces. The course uses hands-on instruction, readings, slide talks, field trips and discussion. Lab fee. GE: ALS-A. Offered each semester.

115 Foundation Photography (0.5)

This course introduces students to black and white photography and to fundamental elements in visual art, as well as to the aesthetics and history of photography and the role of photography in modern culture. Students learn camera operation, black and white film processing, printing, and print presentation. Students must provide their own 35 mm camera. With the exception of art majors, credit not allowed also for Physics 120. Lab fee. GE: ALS-A. Offered annually.

116 Foundation Ceramics - Handbuilding (0.5)

In this introductory course that employs handbuilding techniques, the primary emphasis of the class will be the student's imaginative approach in solving visual problems. Students will be introduced to historical/contemporary approaches to clay. Included in the course will be clay mixing, kiln loading, various firing procedures, and glaze and surface embellishment. Lab fee. GE: ALS-A. Offered annually.

119 Foundation Ceramics - Wheel Throwing (0.5)

This introductory course employs wheel throwing techniques in clay. Students will be introduced to historical and contemporary approaches to clay. Course includes clay mixing, kiln loading, various firing procedures, and glaze and surface embellishment. Lab fee. GE: ALS-A. Offered each semester.

120 Honors Foundation Drawing

In this accelerated course in design, drawing, and color, students explore the art elements and their dynamics in composition and experiment with a wide range of media and techniques. Students sharpen their skills in rendering and develop ways to use drawing to convey personal meaning and ideas. Students also study and discuss the technique, content, and the context of works by contemporary artists and old masters. This course meets the requirements of 3/4 of the requirements of the foundation program; one additional foundation course must be taken in three-dimensional studies. Admission to this course is by portfolio review only. Lab fee. GE: ALS-A. Offered Fall Semester only.

121 Foundation Ceramics

High- and low-temperature stoneware clay are used to create three-dimensional forms by handbuilt techniques. The course investigates sculptural and functional forms, glazing, and firing procedures, with an emphasis on sensitivity to clay medium, color, 3-D design, and historical/contemporary approaches to clay. Offered during Interim. Lab fee. GE: ALS-A.

122 Foundation Sculpture

Although similar to Art 114, this course covers more ground at a more rigorous pace. This beginning studio course in sculpture introduces the aesthetic, conceptual and technical fundamentals of three-dimensional art-making and design. Students learn how to operate tools safely and efficiently, how to construct things with wood and other materials, and how to describe and discuss sculpture and other objects and spaces. The course uses hands-on instruction, readings, slide talks, field trips, and discussion. Offered during Interim. Lab fee. GE: ALS-A.

124 Foundation Photography

This introduction to photography provides majors and non-majors with a strong foundation in the fundamentals of visual art and black and white photography as a medium for artistic expression. Students learn camera operation, black and white film processing, printing, and print presentation, and are introduced to the aesthetics and history of photography. Students must provide their own 35 mm camera with manual settings. Offered annually. Lab fee. GE: ALS-A.

125 Foundation Perceptual Drawing

This course provides a strong visual foundation in fundamental drawing skills. Students explore elements of line, space, texture, and value, as well as their dynamics in composition. Projects emphasize translating observed three-dimensional subjects onto two-dimensional surfaces. In addition, students are introduced to the aesthetics of drawing and drawing as a means of self-expression through the study of old and contemporary masters. Offered during Interim. Lab fee. GE: ALS-A.

LEVEL II STUDIO COURSES

221 Oil/Acrylic Painting

This course develops and stimulates research into the emotional/expressive properties of art-making in the painting media. By investigating thematic compositional and technical problems, students develop a personalized approach to ideas and content. Students learn the importance of process, need for flexibility, how to seek alternatives, and how to recognize that a painting has a life of its own. Prerequisite: 111, 112, 113 or equivalent. Materials fee. Offered annually.

222 Watercolor Painting

This course explores the fundamental principles of design, color, and composition through the watercolor medium. Through advanced techniques, strong drawing, and exploration of personal ideas, students develop a personal, expressive, visual language. Students are encouraged to move past trite and predictable solutions to seek alternatives, take initiative, and celebrate creative risk-taking. Prerequisite: Art 111, 112, 113, or equivalent. Materials fee. Offered annually.

223 Sculpture/Metal Casting

This sculpture course introduces lost wax bronze casting, an art and industrial process that changed the course of human civilization. Students learn to cast, finish, and present cast metal work, building upon concepts from the foundation course and exploring the next level of sculpture topics, issues, and concerns. The course makes use of hands-on instruction, readings, slide talks, and discussion. Lab fee. Prerequisites: Art 114 (mandatory); Art 111, 112, 113, 116 (recommended). Offered annually, Fall Semester only.

224 Sculpture/Direct Metal

This sculpture course introduces students to metal forming, shaping, fastening, and brazing and welding, building upon concepts from the foundation course and presenting the next level of sculpture topics, issues and concerns. Both majors and non-majors discover an art and industrial process that has great artistic and practical application. The course makes use of hands-on instruction, readings, slide talks, and discussion. Lab fee. Prerequisites: Art 114 (mandatory); Art 111, 112, 113, 116 (recommended). Offered annually, Spring Semester only.

225 Architectural Drawing and Design I

Through a sequence of projects, architectural design students learn about drawing (hand drafting and computer-aided drawing and design) and architectural design processes which require the integration of social, artistic, technical, and environmental issues. Prerequisites: Art 111, 112, or equivalent. Lab fee.

226 Printmaking: Relief and Lithography

Emphasizing individual concepts, personal expression, and strong composition, this course explores relief and lithography. Using large-scale, multicolor moveable block, collograph, wood or lino block techniques, and lithography stones or aluminum plates in both black and white and color, students produce multiple images on one of the department's three presses. Students become familiar with the heritage of old masters as well as contemporary artists in printmaking. Prerequisites: Art 111, 112, and 113. Lab fee. Offered annually.

227 Printmaking: Intaglio and Monoprints

This course provides a strong foundation in the array of copper plate processes of etching, aquatint, lift ground, soft ground, and viscosity color printmaking processes as well as in painterly monoprinting techniques. Students will address personal sources of ideas, experimentation, drawing skills, and compositional concerns and will draw upon examples of master printmakers to discuss how images reflect culture. Critical thinking skills are necessary in discussion and critiques. Prerequisites: Art 111, 112 and 113. Lab fee. Offered annually.

228 Computer-Generated Imagery

This course provides an introduction to the computer as a tool for creating visual art. During the semester, students explore digital painting, drawing, scanning, image manipulation, and digitized sound and video. Class projects include digital artist books, posters, and multimedia presentations. Relationships between traditional and electronic art forms are explored. Prerequisite: Foundation 111 or 112 and 113, or permission of the instructor. Lab fee. Offered annually.

230 Motion Graphics

This course explores the computer as a tool for creating visual images with movement and sound. Emphasizing concept development and creative expression, students will investigate time-based software, including animation and video capture programs. The course introduces students to the work of traditional and computer animators. Prerequisites: Foundations Art 111, 112, or 115, or permission of the instructor. Lab fee. Offered annually.

232 Figure Drawing

Drawing the human form from life has been a mainstay in the training of artists since the Renaissance because of its unparalleled discipline in the training of the eye. Along with becoming better observers, students reach a personal understanding of the figure and an appreciation of its art historical uses. Various media and techniques are explored as a means to understand the expressive possibilities of the figure. Prerequisite: Art 111 and 112, 113, or equivalent. Offered annually.

233 Advanced Drawing

This course, designed for students who want to heighten their drawing skills, emphasizes using expressive qualities of drawing by investigating various media, techniques, and content. Assignments are both traditional and nontraditional within historical perspectives. Experimentation is encouraged. Developing a personal visual language is stressed, culminating in the production of a series of drawings that relate thematically. Critical thinking and discussion skills are important. Prerequisites: Art 111, 112, 113. Lab fee. Offered annually.

234 Ceramics

This intermediate level course assumes the student has a substantial understanding of ceramic processes, plus a good awareness of his or her own interests in the realm of ceramic expression. The instructor helps students focus their efforts by proposing specific areas of investigation. Prerequisites: Art 116 or 119. Previous studio experience in ceramics is accepted when approved by the instructor. Lab fee. Offered annually.

236 Graphic Design

Students investigate visual form and patterns as a means of graphic communication. Topics include layout, typography, color separations, preparation of mechanicals, and introduction to the techniques and language of the graphic production world. Prerequisites: Art 111, 112, 113, or equivalent and permission of instructor. Lab fee. Offered annually.

238 Photography

In this intermediate photography course, students explore a variety of techniques and topics. Techniques include historic processes such as cyanotype and salted paper printing, digital photography, Polaroid materials, and traditional black and white photography. Experimental approaches and nontraditional forms for presentation are investigated. Photography is investigated from a broad historical, aesthetic, and social perspective. This course includes field trips, readings, discussion, and slide presentations. Prerequisites: Art 115 or Art 124, or equivalent; Art 111 and 112 recommended. Lab fee. Offered annually.

239 Video Art Production

This course explores video as a creative medium. Students learn basic video production and editing techniques, producing a number of individual and group projects. During the semester we will examine a wide variety of videos and films, exploring experimental, documentary, and narrative approaches. The class will also consider the history of video art and its relationship to other time-based and static art forms. Prerequisites: Art 112, 113, or permission of the instructor. Lab fee. Offered annually. GE: ALS-A.

246 Manhattan Interim in New York City

This course provides intensive exposure to career opportunities in the field of art including advertising, graphics, illustration, film, television, computer graphics, architecture, textile design, and fine art (painting, sculpture, etc.). Working five to seven hours a day, students interview over 25 artists/designers during the month, visit more than 100 galleries and museums, and write extensively about artists and artwork. Offered Interim only.

248 Art Internship

298 Independent Study: Studio Art

Prerequisites: Foundations and two upper division courses in area of study.

LEVEL III: ADVANCED STUDIO COURSES

340 Topics Seminar in Studio Art

This course enables the advanced studio art student to pursue further work in any chosen two or three dimensional medium or combination of media including performance, installation and collaborative ways of working. This course will be organized around an interdisciplinary theme set each year by the instructor. Within a seminar format students will read, discuss and write on the selected topic in conjunction with topic driven individual studio work and critiques. Prerequisites: Foundations plus a minimum of two level II studio courses and two faculty recommendations or permission of instructor. Offered annually.

341 Independent Research: Studio Art

Prerequisites: Art 111, or 112, or 113, and three courses in the area of study.

343 Senior Studies in Studio Art

This capstone course in the studio arts program consists of advanced studio work, a visiting artist series, weekly critiques, and discussions with faculty and peers. Each student's independent work with a faculty adviser culminates in a senior exhibition at Steensland Museum. Weekly sessions also cover such topics as preparing a resume, taking slides of one's work, framing, and producing exhibition announcements and posters.

348 Internship

ART HISTORY COURSES

150 Ancient through Medieval Art

This introduction to the materials and concepts of art history is aimed at first-year students, sophomores and beginning majors. It provides a chronological survey of the painting, sculpture, architecture, and decorative arts of the West. Students learn visual analysis and key art historical terminology along with the extraordinary cultural contexts and heritages informing this art. GE: ALS-A, HWC. Offered annually.

151 Renaissance to the Present

This introduction to art history surveys a European and American artistic tradition from the Renaissance to today. A chronological study of painting, sculpture, architecture, photography and other media teaches students about visual analysis, artistic excellence, and the cultural and artistic heritages that have produced some of the finer art created from the Renaissance to the present. GE: ALS-A, HWC. Offered annually. (Michelli, Rohn)

250 U.S. Visions and Identities

This course explores the nature of American history and art from the perspective of diverse cultural heritages. We examine how art, advertisements, and other material can be used as tools for forming individual and social identities. GE: ALS-A, MCS-D. Offered Interim, 1997-98, and periodically. Open to first-year students.

251 Art 1776-1880, Origins of Modernism

Painting, sculpture, and architecture are studied through an introductory exploration of the art and 19th-century European and American cultural and historical forces relating to it. The course examines Neo-Classical art as it expresses Enlightenment thinking, the tumultuous Romantic and Realist imagery and times, and ends with Impressionism. GE: ALS-A, HWC. Offered in Interim and periodically.

252 Art 1880-1950 ("The Shock of the New")

This course introduces modern culture and thought through a chronological study of painting, sculpture, architecture, and related arts. Students learn about the strikingly new modes of art created in Europe and the United States after 1880, examining work by Edvard Munch, Frank Lloyd Wright, Pablo Picasso, the Dadaists, Abstract Expressionists, and many others. GE: ALS-A, HWC. Offered annually.

253 Art Since 1950

This course is an introduction to postmodern art and thought through a survey of painting, sculpture, architecture, and new-media arts produced mostly in the United States since the Cold War era. Students learn about celebrated art and artists, major values informing their work, and ways of analyzing and making sense of newer art. GE: ALS-A, HWC. Offered annually.

254 Italian Renaissance

Art Bridging medieval and modern worlds, Renaissance Italy was self-consciously modern, fostering the only democracies of its time. Its art set European standards for over 500 years. We will trace connections between its intensification of the medieval search for classicism, beauty and realism, and modern issues of fame, innovation, style, and self-expression. GE: ALS-A, HWC. Offered annually.

255 Italian Art in Context (abroad)

There is no substitute for direct, personal experience. In Italy, students study Renaissance and Medieval paintings, sculptures, and buildings in context. Students examine the works that went before the Renaissance and the ones which came afterwards to work out for themselves what made Italian art special and what value it has for us today. GE: ALS-A. Offered in Interim in alternate years.

256 History of Photography

This course is an introduction to the history and culture of photography and to visual analysis. We examine the history of the medium from the ancient discoveries that led to the invention of photography, to its role in art, science and the marketplace in the present day. This course explores the power of the photograph in shaping our social history and individual identities. Counts towards Art and Art History majors. GE: ALS-A. Offered periodically.

258 Baroque and Rococo Art

Vaunting ambition and appalling doubt permeate Baroque and Rococo art. As Empire and Catholicism fragment, so do artistic traditions, setting unprecedented anti-Classical and socially critical works in contrast with the intensifying Classical mode. Art becomes inspirational, mysterious, and confrontational to meet new needs of religious individuation, exploring the dark side, and stimulating political change. GE: ALS-A, HWC. Offered annually.

259 East Asian Art: China and Japan

The study of Shang bronzes to Ming porcelains embraces universal symbols, imperial rituals, and sacred images, which are found on art objects that reveal 5,000 years of Chinese culture, including Taoist, Confucian, and Buddhist influences. Evidence of these traditions appears in Japanese culture, which develops its own unique styles in architecture, sculpture, ceramics, garden design, brush painting, and calligraphy. GE: ALS-A, MCS-G. Offered annually.

261 History of World Architecture

This course examines architectural monuments and their symbolic forms combined with evidence of earthly and divine concepts. From cave dwellings to geodesic domes, from Eastern to Western systems, students review sacred and profane structures from a variety of cultures. Each student investigates a living reality of space, function, and form found in human-built environments. GE: ALS-A. Offered annually.

263 Medieval Art

This course explores the architecture, sculpture, painting and stained glass of western Europe and Byzantium from the 4th through the 14th centuries. We will consider works of art within the diverse cultural, political and religious worlds that make up this thousand-year period we now call the Middle Ages. GE: ALS-A, HWC, WRI. Offered alternate years. 265 The Arts of India and Southeast Asia This course examines visual forms that reveal Hindu, Buddhist, Jain, and Islamic religious concepts in painting, sculpture, and architecture of sacred precincts and royal palaces of India. Included are monuments that incorporate the axis mundi, as well as religious images carried by monks into Tibetan, Thai, Cambodian, and Indonesian cultures. Students probe into the meaning behind artistic expressions. GE: ALS-A, MCS-G. Offered annually.

266 Arts of Scandinavia

This course is an introductory exploration of Scandinavian visual arts and the cultural and historical forces related to them. The span of time, specific cultures covered, and art forms studied will vary depending upon the instructor. GE: ALS-A. Offered in Interim and periodically (open to first-year students).

267 Italian Architecture, Renaissance to Rococo

Architecture addresses space: what it can mean, how it is shaped, how it dissolves walls and ceilings, or makes them bulge. It is about people's relationship with the Divine, how they live or wish to live, the sense they make of life. We will trace this through classicizing Italian churches, palaces, towns, and country houses. GE: ALS-A. Offered alternate years.

268 Art of France and Spain (abroad)

Painting, sculpture, and architecture from pre-history to the present day are studied first-hand in and around Paris, Toulouse, Barcelona, Madrid, Granada, Seville, Toledo. Students analyze great works from prehistoric cave drawings to Roman aqueducts, Islamic palaces and mosques, medieval castles, Gothic cathedrals, Gaudi fancifuls. Museums are visited to see masterpieces by such artists as Van Gogh, Matisse, Velazquez, Goya, Picasso, Miro. GE: ALS-A. Offered Interim only.

269 African Art History

African art is intimately bound to religion, magic, ritual and artistic expressions which play a functional part in everyday tribal life. Students review masks, idols, costumes, domestic decorations, fetishes, ceremonial objects and supernatural forms used in daily and seasonal rituals. Students analyze African art forms chosen from more than 60 tribal styles as simulacra of complex cultural origins, thus learning to appreciate their aesthetic qualities and engage in their evocative power. GE: MCS-G, ALS-A. Offered periodically.

270 Issues in Art Criticism

This course is for experienced studio and art history students and those interested in contemporary theory. Students directly encounter art and new theory, explore art criticism (in part through practicing it), and learn about ethics to help think about value judgments. Recommended for students contemplating art history or studio graduate work. GE: EIN. Offered alternate years.

275 Topics in Art History

This seminar-style course focuses on a specific art historical topic, and students learn how to pursue art historical practice beyond the introductory level. Topics change yearly. The course is sometimes taught with Art 395, but Art 275 students are required to do less advanced work. Prerequisite: at least one art history course or permission of the instructor. Offered annually.

395 Senior Studies in Art History

This capstone seminar course first pursues a specific topic in order to develop in majors sound awareness of art historical methods and then assists students in developing an independent, major research project. Work on this project culminates in a senior thesis and oral presentation. Prerequisite: senior standing and at least four art history courses. Offered annually.