Info:
Art history provides the opportunity to explore visual culture, as well as the social, aesthetic, and personal values that shape it.
Students are introduced to the study of art history and archaeology through general introductory courses that focus on European, Asian, and American art; and world archaeology. In more advanced courses, students enjoy studying original works of art owned by the Mildred Lane Kemper Art Museum, the Saint Louis Art Museum, and local private collectors.
A variety of career paths are available to you when you major in art history and archaeology. Many graduates earn advanced degrees in both related and unrelated fields and work in museums or academia or for art publishers, commercial art galleries, auction houses, non-profit organizations, and other arts-related organizations.
The Major: When you major in art history and archaeology, you must take two introductory courses (Art-Arch 111 and 112), which serve as prerequisites for most of the 300- and 400-level offerings. The major consists of 24 additional hours of art history at the 300- or 400- levels, including courses from three of the following five areas of the discipline: 1) Ancient and Medieval 2) non-Western art and archaeology, 3) Renaissance and Baroque 4) Modern European and American art 5) Architecture. At least two courses must be 400-level seminars, home-based in this Department.
As an art history and archaeology major, you are encouraged to acquire a good reading knowledge of French, Italian, or German. If you choose a concentration in ancient Mediterranean art and archaeology, ancient Greek, Latin, or both will be useful. Similarly, Chinese, Japanese, Hindi or Arabic, for example, will be useful if you choose a concentration in non-Western art.
The Minor: To minor in art history and archaeology requires a total of 18 hours. You must take two introductory courses (Art-Arch 111 and 112) and four courses at the 300- or 400-level, chosen from at least two of the five areas listed above.
Undergraduate Internships: Internships in the curatorial and education departments of the Saint Louis Art Museum or the Mildred Lane Kemper Art Museum or in one of the St. Louis area commercial galleries are available to you as an undergraduate art history and archaeology major. You may devote up to 3 credit hours to a voluntary internship, or secure a paid internship for no credit. Such internships provide invaluable experience and may help lead to employment opportunities after graduation. Internship credit does not count toward the required 24 distribution credits for the major, but does count toward the overall university graduation credits.
Study Abroad: Students are encouraged to participate in a variety of international programs available in a number of overseas locations. Foreign language ability is not a barrier; programs based in English are also available. You may work with your adviser or with the Department's Study Abroad Advisor to find the program that best meets your particular interests and needs.
Senior Honors: Exceptional students are invited by the faculty to work toward Honors. Students with at least a 3.6 GPA in the major and an overall 3.5 GPA in the second semester of their Junior year may apply to write an honors thesis. The student enrolls in L01 499 Thesis Honors under the direction of a primary advisor within the department. For additional details concerning the Honors program, please contact the department.
**Departmental Section/Faculty list for research projects and independent studies:
02 Childs
06 James
07 Klein
08 Miller
09 Rotroff
10 Symeonoglou
11 Walker
12 Wallace
14 Mumford