Foundations of Art History is a core course for the HAA major and offers an introduction to the history of the art historical discipline and its research and interpretive methods.
Foundations offers an introduction to the history of the art historical discipline, its modes of inquiry, and its relationship to the museum world. Other courses in the History of Art and Architecture Department introduce students to the 'what' of art history--major works and histories of visual culture in specific time periods and geographic locations around the globe. By contrast, this course is devoted to the 'how' of what art historians and museum researchers do: how they seek to understand the nature of visual objects and to share their findings in clear and compelling ways with broader publics. Foundations fulfills the writing requirement for the Museum Studies major. It offers an opportunity for deep exploration of "things": works of art, ethnographic objects, historically significant visual materials, or whatever else may be of special interest to you as you pursue your work in the major. To perform this kind of deep exploration, course participants will select a specific visual object that will serve as the basis of their writing assignments over the course of the term.
Core course for the History of Art and Architecture Major and the Museum Studies Major