Art History (AH)
Art History students investigate how the material world shapes human identities, experiences,
and values. We study images, artifacts, and spaces from many cultures around the world—including
photographs, paintings, architecture, fashion, interior design, and urban planning.
We think about how visual representation relates to issues of race, ethnicity, socio-economic
class, gender, sexuality, and religion. Art History cultivates visual observation,
critical thinking, and communication skills that are applicable to a wide range of
potential career paths—including law, medicine, media, museum work, historic preservation,
and many more.
First-year students are welcome to take any 100- or 200-level courses other than AH 220 Writing in Art History and AH 221 Practices of Art History (which are intended
for prospective majors in the sophomore year or beyond) and courses that fulfill the
Bridge Experience requirement (which are designed for sophomores and juniors).
Recommended courses for a prospective major
Choose one or two of the courses below offered in the Fall term.
- AH 151 Ways of Seeing: The Arts of China & Japan
- AH 151 Ways of Seeing: The Arts of Africa
- AH 222 Greek Art & Archaeology
- AH 243 Body Politics in Early Modern Europe
113 Filene Hall
518-580-5053