BA Art History

From the earliest Paleolithic cave paintings rendered over 30,000 years ago to the exuberant canvases of the late Modern Age, the visual arts offer a unique record of human civilization, expressing and preserving some of humanity's most vibrant, profound and cherished experiences, feelings, and beliefs.The study of art history is an investigation into this most essential, sophisticated, and enduring form of human communication. Beginning with a two semester survey of Western art and architecture from prehistory to the present, and followed with twelve more specialized courses, the art history major is introduced to a broad range of ancient, medieval, renaissance, baroque, modern and contemporary art works. In this process, the student is also introduced to a diversity of methodologies for understanding art objects formally and analytically in their social, political, and economic context.