Cultivating Future Educators, Museum Professionals, and Independent Thinkers
The Art Department's Bachelor of 艺术 degree in art history promotes and cultivates building historical, 当代, and cultural knowledge in the visual arts through critical analysis and independent thinking. The program is designed to prepare students for careers in the arts and as most of those jobs require higher degrees, the program likewise prepares students for success in graduate school in a variety of related disciplines. This is accomplished, 在某种程度上, by instilling students with skills such as broad-base visual literacy, research competence, written and oral communication, 创造力, and critical analysis. Students arrive at these skills through a variety of processes, including but not limited to scaffolded writing assignments in course work, project design and participation in research symposia and conferences, 高级顶点, 实习, 以及高级论文. These experiences and the skills they instill are fundamentally transferable, preparing students for careers in the arts, but also for a wide variety of possible paths.
After a survey of global art from ancient to 当代, students must take a course each in the following areas at the 200- and 300-levels: Ancient/Medieval, Early Modern (Renaissance and Baroque), and Modern and Contemporary. The art history degree also requires a non-western course, three art history electives at the 400 level (of the student's choice), in addition to a culminating research paper (capstone or senior thesis) in their final semester.
Program Highlights
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Art history majors must also take two studio courses to better understand materials and techniques of art making in various media.
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Advanced majors may pursue 实习 at museums and other cultural venues, and conduct independent research with faculty guidance.
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ODU's 艺术历史 majors have presented at regional, 国家, and inter国家 conferences and entered prestigious master of arts and doctoral programs.
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The 艺术历史 Program offers scholarships and study abroad courses, and participates in the annual 本科 研究 Symposium, in which students can share their original research in a professional format.
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The Student 艺术历史 Association (AHA) supports extracurricular activities including discussions, 实地考察旅行, and guest lectures, and works to build community among art history majors and minors.