Checklist for Majors
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Art History Program, Denison University
2009-2010 Art History Major (B.A.) Check Sheet
The program strongly urges students to declare their intention to major in Art History before the end of their sophomore year. It also urges them to choose an academic advisor from among program faculty.
Required Courses
A total of eleven courses must be taken as follows.
Take this as the first course in the major:
_____ Art History 151, Introduction to Art History
Take an additional eight courses in Art History.
These must be chosen from 100- and 200-level courses; three must be at the 100 level and five at the 200 level. The student in consultation with an Art History advisor must be sure that these eight selections include two courses each from these four areas: Ancient to Renaissance/Baroque; 19th and 20th Century; Africa, South Pacific, and the Americas; and Asian Art:
_____ Art History _____ _____ Art History _____
_____ Art History _____ _____ Art History _____
_____ Art History _____ _____ Art History _____
_____ Art History _____ _____ Art History _____
Also take one 100-level Studio Art course:
_____ Studio Art _____
In the fall of the senior year take Art History 380, Methods of Art History and Criticism (note: beginning in 2008-2009, Art History majors are required to take this in the fall of their junior year):
_____ Art History 380, Methods of Art History and Criticism
Required Senior Art History Project
In addition to these eleven courses, majors must complete a substantial research paper by mid-second semester, senior year and participate in the Art History Senior Symposium and in Junior/Senior Day. Research topics are to be arranged between the student and advisor. Final results of the project must be presented at the Senior Symposium and the final project submitted to the program in required form, and in a timely fashion, in order to graduate.
_____ Junior/Senior Day _____ Senior Research Project _____ Senior Symposium
Though not required, in anticipation of a redesigned Art History major in the near future, the department is offering senior majors the fall semester Art History 408, Art History Senior Research Seminar and spring semester Art History 408, Art History Senior Writing Seminar. These courses complement the Methods seminar and the Senior Project to create a year-long capstone experience in Art History.
_____ Art History 408 (Fall—Research) _____ Art History 408 (Spring—Writing)
Junior/Senior Day
All junior majors are required to make a formal five-minute presentation of their current work in art history research, including why this research is important to them and why they have taken it in this specific direction. This presentation will be to Art History faculty, and all Art History senior majors are required to attend. Currently, senior majors also make a brief presentation of their preliminary Senior Project research for peer and faculty critique. Junior/Senior day will be held in the fall of each year; a spring iteration will be offered as needed to accommodate majors studying off-campus in the fall.
Honors Projects and Conversion from Senior Research to Honors Project
Senior majors intending to do an Honors Project in Art History must register for ARTH 451 in the fall semester and ARTH 452 in the spring of their senior year. In 2008-09 senior majors must attend and fulfill all the requirements of ARTH 380, the Methods class, but will change their registration instead to ARTH 451 for four credits. They will sign up for ARTH 452 in the spring, in place of the ARTH 408/400 Art History Senior Writing Seminar, for four credits. They are expected, however, to attend and fulfill all requirements of the Art History Senior Writing Seminar. If by the end of the fall semester, the required 3.6 g.p.a. has been attained or maintained, and if the Art History Program faculty approves, the Registrar will convert such senior majors’ registrations to ARTH 461-462 (Honors Project). Junior and senior Art History majors should discuss their intentions to do an Honors Project with their advisor prior to registering for ARTH 451 for the fall semester, senior year.
Revised 3.5.09