Degree Requirements
Information presented from the 2025 - 2026 Academic Catalog.
Mission Statement
The Department of Art History and Visual Culture's mission places questions of difference and power globally at the center of our teaching and research. Our mission reflects Denison’s core liberal arts values and advances inclusion and equity. We employ a thematic, interrogative approach that reflects critically on what art history and visual culture can be for the liberal arts. We do not seek broad, superficial coverage, but collaborative partnership in reimagining art history and visual culture studies for an integrative, transformative liberal arts experience. In so doing we exploit our areas of faculty specialization as spaces from which to rethink dominant narratives and interpretive frameworks with their global implications. We rethink, too, how we respond in writing to that which is not primarily articulated through the spoken or written word. Emphasizing global issues of difference and power prompts the curation of intentional interdisciplinarity inside and outside the college, as concrete expressions of our mission.
We strongly urge students to declare their intention to major in Art History and Visual Culture before the end of their sophomore year. We also urge students to choose an academic advisor from among AHVC faculty.
Art History and Visual Culture Major
Requirements for Art History and Visual Culture Major
- 10 four-credit courses
- 1 one-credit course (AHVC 409)
- Junior Talk (AHVC 095)
- Senior Thesis (25-30 pages) and presentation at the Annual Senior Symposium (AHVC 408). To be eligible to graduate, the Senior Thesis must be submitted to the Art History and Visual Culture faculty.
One 4-credit Core Course at the 100-level selected from the list below:
| Code | Title |
|---|---|
| AHVC 101 | The Western World: Ancient to Baroque |
| AHVC 111 | Late 19th-21st Century Art and Visual Culture |
| AHVC 131 | Asian Art and Visual Culture |
Three Required Core Courses for Juniors & Seniors:
| Code | Title |
|---|---|
| AHVC 380 | Methods of Art History and Visual Culture (this course to be taken in the junior year - 4 credits) |
| AHVC 408 | Art History and Visual Culture Senior Seminar: Research (this course to be taken in the senior year - 4 credits) |
| AHVC 409 | Art History and Visual Culture Senior Seminar: Writing (1 credit) |
Elective Courses & Distribution Requirements
Seven courses from the following 4-credit, 200-300 level options. At least 3 of the 7 elective courses listed below must be at the 300 level. Students must also take at least 1 course in each of the distributional areas. The sole 100-level required core course may be used to satisfy one of the areas in this distribution instead of one of the 200-300 level elective courses listed below.
Distributional Areas:
- Ancient, Medieval, and Early Modern Art in the Mediterranean and Europe
- Pre-modern to Modern and Contemporary Art from China, Japan, and South Asia
- Modern and Contemporary Art from Europe, Eurasia, and the United States
Ancient, Medieval, and Early Modern Art in the Mediterranean and Europe
| Code | Title |
|---|---|
| AHVC 201 | Classical Art and Architecture |
| AHVC 203 | Early Renaissance Art and Architecture |
| AHVC 204 | High Renaissance, Baroque Art and Architecture |
| AHVC 302 | Medieval Art and Architecture |
Pre-modern to Modern and Contemporary Art from China, Japan, and South Asia
| Code | Title |
|---|---|
| AHVC 231 | Art of Japan |
| AHVC 232 | Art of China |
| AHVC 263 | World Views: Spatial Imagination in East Asia |
| AHVC 333 | Art and Revolution in 20th Century China |
Modern and Contemporary Art from Latin America and the UNITED STATES
| Code | Title |
|---|---|
| AHVC 111 | Late 19th-21st Century Art and Visual Culture |
| AHVC 214 | Decolonizing the Museum |
Note on transfer credit: no more than two courses taken at institutions other than Denison (including off-campus programs) can count toward the AHVC major or minor. We encourage students to take these courses from 2 of the areas listed above, or from others in consultation with your advisor.
We urge students to consult the ‘Criteria for Transfer Credit in AHVC’ sheet available in the AHVC office, and to work with their advisor and the current program chair before going off campus, to ensure the successful transfer of courses back to Denison for AHVC major credit. The current program chair must approve any transfer course for AHVC major credit before students go off-campus, or immediately after if needed because of changes in course of study or other factors.
Art History and Visual Culture Minor
A minimum of six courses in Art History and Visual Culture of the student's choice.
Additional Points of Interest
Students in Art History and Visual Culture learn writing skills that are integral to the discipline and the liberal arts. Working closely with faculty, students learn to translate visual observation and evaluation into written language; articulate questions for research; communicate the results of their research discoveries in writing; and develop an informed, critical, and independent written voice. Our courses emphasize the sequential, graduated development of writing skills. These culminate in our required senior thesis and symposium.
Art History and Visual Culture seniors also make a formal presentation of their research to an invited audience at the AHVC Junior-Senior Symposium. All juniors in Art History and Visual Culture also are required to make a formal presentation of current work or research. The presentation is made to the faculty and to the student's peers as part of the AHVC Symposium annually.
Denison University works to make study abroad possible for all students. In Art History and Visual Culture, we encourage students to study abroad during their junior year. Most students who major in Art History and Visual Culture and study off-campus transfer up to two classes for the major, satisfy GE requirements, and/or gain general credits towards graduation. Quite a few students also do independent research or internships as part of their study abroad experience. We encourage students to visit the Center for Global Programs/Off-Campus Study office to explore their options.
