Self-Assessment Portfolio

For the Art History Major

 
To all second-semester senior majors:
You are requested to compile a portfolio of your work in art history and write a brief, two-page assessment of your progress.Please take care to compile a thoughtful and professional record of your education in art history (we suggest you place items neatly in a binder).Each portfolio will be read by at least two faculty members.
Portfolio contents should include:

·a list of the art history and studio art classes you have taken, as well as classes in other disciplines that have enriched your understanding of art history

·selected examples of your work in art history at all levels, with the faculty commentary on the work, including:

¾exams, papers, and other relevant class materials

¾work from all four years at college, and from a variety of professors

¾ your best work

¾ your most formative work, even if it wasn’t highly graded

·material that evidences the special projects, study abroad, work or internship experiences that have enriched your art historical education

·a two-page written self-assessment which relates your experience in the major to the GOALS we have established for the major, and comments on your personal, intellectual growth as evidenced by the supporting materials in the portfolio.In writing the self-assessment, keep the following in mind:

¾this is NOT a course nor a teaching evaluation; please do not evaluate professors here

¾this IS a self-evaluation of your own performance, growth, and experience

¾setbacks and shortcomings, as well as triumphs and acheivements, are relevant

¾please contextualize the portfolio materials for us; narrate them, explain why you included certain items and what we are meant to understand about your development from them

During senior week we will gather the senior majors and ask you, over lunch, to discuss your experiences in the major.We hope this informal gathering will bring out additional information about the program that may not make it into the more formal setting of the portfolio, especially suggestions and ideas for improvement.


 

MISSION STATEMENT

Art history is distinctive in its direct engagement with art objects through visual analysis and historical study.We use art objects to understand history and culture, and history and culture to understand art objects.Students earning a bachelor of arts in art history explore the varied roles of artists, their art, and their patrons across diverse cultural and historical contexts.In addition, they experience the creative process of making art.Students gain a breadth of knowledge spanning both Western and non-Western subfields in the discipline.Art history majors develop skills in analyzing images of texts that are applicable to a wide range of personal, civic, and professional endeavors; they may also go on to graduate work in art history and professional work in art-related fields.


 
 

GOALS OF THE ART HISTORY MAJOR

I.KNOWLEDGE
The student will gain:
A.Familiarity with the terminology necessary for the historical study and discussion ofart

B.Specific knowledge of selected monuments in both Western and non-Western art

C.Breadth of knowledge in several different sub-fields of art history

D. Knowledge of the creative process, acquired through the direct experience of making art

E.Knowledge of the possibilities and limitations of various media, acquired through the direct experience of making art

F. Knowledge of the varied roles of artists and art objects across diverse cultural and historical contexts, as well as how, why, and for whom artists make art


 

II.ABILITIES
 

The student will be able to:

A. Analyze works of art formally and iconographically

B. Find, evaluate and differentiate among primary and secondary source

C.Communicate effectively and precisely in writing and speaking

D.Reason persuasively, i.e., present a thesis, support that thesis, and come to logical conclusions

E. Formulate insightful questions about visual objects, and answer them through research


 

III.IDEOLOGIES, VALUES and PERSPECTIVES
 

The student will graduate with:

A. Self-consciousness about visuality in culture

B.Willingness to use objects as historical evidence that fosters understanding of both past and present

C. Recognition of the affecting presence of actual art objects and the limits of working with reproductions

D. An interest in and curiosity about the diverse values and ideas evident in the visual culture of different periods and places

E.Respect for and willingness to engage productively with unfamiliar cultural forms