Art History Major
Art History Minor
Goals
AP Credit in Art History
Assessment Portfolio
Honors

The Art History Major

For the class of 2010 and beyond, each student major is required to take a minimum of eleven courses according to the following guidelines.

1. Foundation (two courses)    
    a. AH100 Survey of Western Art
    b. One studio art course of your choice (note prerequisites where necessary)

    c. AH221: Practices of Art History should be taken by the end of the second year.

2. Breadth AH221 and one course from four of the following five areas:
    a. Ancient and Medieval Art in the West: AH222, 223, 232, 233, 330
    b. 15th- to 18th-Century Art in the West: : AH241, 252, 254, 268**, 342, 347, 348.
    c. Modern and Contemporary Art in the West: AH217, 256, 261, 265, 268**, 315***, 321, 322, 353, 354, 364
    d. Arts of Africa and the Americas: AH103, 203, 207, 309 ,310 ,315 ***
    e. Asian Art: AH105, 106, 200, 204, 209, 210, 211, 311, 312, 314.

** Fulfills breadth areas "b" or "c," NOT both
*** Fulfills breadth areas "c" or "d," NOT both

3. Exploration (at least three courses) Besides the foundation and breadth courses, each student must take a minimum of three additional art history courses including at least one seminar but not including the senior thesis. (The senior thesis is an option students may take beyond the eleven courses required for the art history major.)

4. AH380 Capstone: All second-semester senior majors are required to take AH380.

For the class of 2008 and 2009, each student major is required to take a minimum of ten courses according to the following guidelines:

1. Foundation (two courses)    
    a. AH100 Survey of Western Art
    b. One studio art course of your choice (note prerequisites where necessary).

2. Breadth: AH221 and one course from four of the five breadth areas listed above OR one course from each of the five breadth areas listed above

3. Exploration (at least three courses) Besides the foundation and breadth courses, each student must take a minimum of three additional art history courses including at least one seminar but not including the senior thesis. (The senior thesis is an option students may take beyond the ten courses required for the art history major.)

4. AH380 Capstone (Or Self-Assessment Portfolio): All second-semester senior majors are required to take either AH380 or compile a portfolio of their work in art history and write a brief two-page assessment of their progress through the major. Students are strongly encouraged to fulfill this requirement by taking AH380. For students who choose to complete the portfolio on their own, it must contain: a list of classes taken in art history, studio art, and any related fields that have enriched the student's understanding of art history; examples of the student's work in art history at all levels with faculty commentary on the work, including exams, papers and other relevant class materials; work from all four years at college, and from a variety of professors; your best work, your most formative work, even if it wasn't highly graded; materials that evidence any special projects, study-abroad work, or internship experiences; and a two-page written self-assessment addressing the ways in which the student did or did not meet the goals of the art history major, including comments on growth within the major and comments on your personal intellectual growth as evidenced by the supporting materials in the portfolio. Please clearly indicate on the front of all papers and exams included in your portfolio the course for which it was completed, the semester and year, along with the name of the instructor.

Because advanced research in any aspect of art history requires foreign languages (generally French or Italian and/or German, plus any language appropriate to your area, e.g. Chinese), we recommend language study. We also recommend additional art history courses (including independent studies, museum/gallery internships, and the senior thesis) and/or courses in related fields, such as literature, history, philosophy, anthropology, religion, and studio art.

HONORS: In addition to meeting the College grade-point average for the major, students wishing to qualify for honors in the program must successfully complete an independent project that the art history faculty judge to be outstanding. The project nominated by a member of the art history faculty, must go beyond the work required in our regular art history classes. Examples of types of projects that could qualify are Senior Theses and Independent Study or Internship projects, whether written, in the form of an exhibition, or computer-based.

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Students electing a minor in art history are required to take a minimum of five art history courses totaling not less than seventeen credit hours. Of those five courses, at least one must be at the 300 level. Students should consult the director of the Art History Program for approval. (Please note: a total of six studio art and two art history courses constitutes a minor in studio art.)
Note : Please refer to the Academic Information Guide regarding double counting of courses between majors and minors.

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Goals of the Art History Major

I. KNOWLEDGE

The student will gain:
A. Familiarity with the terminology necessary for the historical study and discussion of art
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 sources
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

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AP (Advanced Placement) Credit in Art History

Students may receive AP (Advanced Placement) credit in art history. A score of 4 or 5 earns the student four college credits. It is the program's policy that the AP credits can count as AH100 and may be applied toward a major or minor in art history. A score of 5 will automatically receive this credit; a score of 4 requires consultation with the director of the Art History program before it is approved.

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Self-Assessment Portfolio

To all second-semester senior majors:
You are requested to compile a portfolio of your work in art history and write a brief, 2- 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:

1) 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
2) selected examples of your work in art history at all levels, with the faculty commentary on the work, including:

-exams, papers, and other relevant class materials
-work from all four years at college, and from a variety of professors
-your best work
-your most formative work, even if it wasn’t highly graded

3) material that evidences the special projects, study abroad, work or internship experiences that have enriched your art historical education
4) a 2-page written self-assessment which relates your experience in the major to the GOALS we have established for the major (see attached sheet), 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:

-this is NOT a course nor a teaching evaluation; please do not evaluate professors here
-this IS a self-evaluation of your own performance, growth, and experience
-setbacks and shortcomings, as well as triumphs and acheivements, are relevant
-please 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.

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Catalogue description:
HONORS: In addition to meeting the College grade-point average for the major, students wishing to qualify for honors in the program must successfully complete an independent project that the art history faculty judge to be outstanding. The project, nominated by a member of the art history faculty, must go beyond the work required in our regular art history classes. Examples of types of projects that could qualify are Senior Theses and Independent Study or Internship projects, whether written, in the form of an exhibition, or computer-based.

Note: To be considered for honors, the College requires a GPA of 3.5 or higher for work in the major, and a GPA of 3.0 or higher based on all work taken at Skidmore.

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Further information on Honors.
CRITERIA FOR HONORS: The art historians will use the following criteria when awarding Honors for a project in Art History: typically it is a single, meritorious project that demonstrates (1) initiative, (2) focus, and (3) sustained commitment. Additionally, the faculty must be able to examine substantive materials, whether written or in some other format, related to the project; normally at least some written documentation and/or analysis is expected.

APPROPRIATENESS OF PROJECTS: In order to determine whether a project could potentially qualify for Honors, students may submit proposal forms to the Art History faculty, briefly describing the nature of the project, either before, after, or while working on a project. The format for the proposal is available on the Art History website, and should be turned in to the Art History secretary, Terri Brandt (LI230). Proposals may be submitted as early as the end of Junior year; projects are normally carried out during a student’s final year in the major. Faculty will evaluate projects regarding their potential appropriateness for future nomination for Honors during their regular monthly faculty meetings, normally held on the first Friday of each month. Approval of these preliminary proposals does not guarantee future nomination for Honors. The proposal is not mandatory but encouraged as a way to determine whether a project might stand up to the nomination and assessment process.

NOMINATION MATERIALS: In order to be considered for Honors, students are responsible for ensuring that the faculty members with whom they are working receive their projects, finished or largely completed, in time for the Art History faculty to determine by April 15 (or December 1, for January graduates) whether or not to nominate the project for Honors.

NOMINATIONS FOR HONORS: Individual faculty members (normally those advising the projects) will officially nominate projects for Honors by April 15 (or December 1, for January graduates), at which time the entire Art History faculty will evaluate the work. Students will provide the materials to be assessed and, with the assistance of the Art History secretary, these will be made available to all Art History faculty by April 15. Please note: if you wish your project to be eligible for nomination for the annual Art History prize or for other, all-College prizes (e.g., the Palamountain Award, Periclean, Women’s Studies, IA), you will likely need to have it in completed or almost final form by about April 1.

Potential Honors Project Proposal
Use the following set of questions to submit a proposal for preliminary determination of the potential of a project for honors. Submit to the Art History secretary (Terri Brandt, Li 230). They may be submitted as early as the end of Junior year, or in the senior year while working on the project (though note the deadlines for the final nomination materials of 15 April [of 1 December for January graduates]).

Name:

Year of graduation:

2nd Major (if any):

Minor(s):

Nature of your project (approximately 100-word description):

Faculty sponsor(s):

What will the Art History faculty actually assess; that is, what format(s) will the final project assume?

When do you expect to complete the project?

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