The history of art is different from other historical disciplines in that it is founded on direct visual confrontation with objects that are both concretely present and yet documents of the past. Department faculty emphasize analysis of images, objects, and built environments as the basis for critical thought and visual literacy. In addition to formal and iconographic analysis, faculty members use the work of other disciplines to understand visual images, such as social history, perceptual psychology, engineering, psychoanalysis, cultural studies, and archaeology. Because of its concentration on visual experience, the art history major increases one’s ability to observe and to use those observations as analytical tools for understanding history and culture.
The studio division of the art major has been structured to foster the development of a critical understanding of making art to support creative interests, and to develop students’ perceptions and imaginations as they investigate a variety of visual media.
