Minor in Art History
EXPLORING HUMAN CREATIVITY
Art History is an interdisciplinary field and enhances any of your studies at the Abbey. In the Art History Minor, we examine the historical, religious, social, technological, and economic contexts of cities, buildings, sculpture, paintings, manuscripts, crafts, infrastructure, technologies, and materials. We address how and why these subjects are meaningful in human societies. Because we live in a built environment and a visual culture, invested with meaning, in which we participate daily, knowing the history of our material culture assists us in making informed, ethical decisions about our societies in the Benedictine tradition. Further, the Art History Minor provides appreciation of and inspiration from past cultural undertakings. As a branch of history, the Art History Minor is part of the Abbey’s History Department.
The Art History Minor equips students with an understanding of how specific historical, religious, social, economic, and technological contexts shape an artistic or architectural production and provides students with global and cultural perspectives. In addition to critical thinking, research and writing skills, the Art History Minor equips you with the skills of visual analysis, a valuable asset in the current workplace.
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Curriculum
Course Requirements:
15 Hour Minor. No thesis required.
Required Courses for the Minor (3 credit hours each):
AR 101: Introduction to Art and Architecture in Western Civilization I
AR 102: Introduction to Art and Architecture in Western Civilization II
Choose one or two art history-related courses from below, aiming for a total of 15 credit hours (3 credit hours each):
AR 300: The Art, Architecture, and Religion of India, China, and Japan
AR 301: The Art, Architecture, and Christian Tradition of the Byzantine Empire
AR 302: The Art and Architecture of Africa
AR 305: America: 17th-20th Century Art and Architecture
AR 350: The Art and Architecture of Christian Rome
HI 308: History of the Book
HI 389: Museum Studies
HI 342: Art and Society in European Culture
HI 343: Van Gogh and Gauguin: The Primal and the Eternal in Modernity
Choose one or two courses from below, aiming for a total of 15 credit hours (3 credit hours each):
AR 110: Intro to Drawing
AR 111: Intro to Digital Photography
EN 106: Introduction to Digital and Multi-Media Arts
HI 3111: Introduction to Public History
HI 300: Intro to Digital Humanities
HI 304: Human Prehistory
HI 306: Socrates vs Confucius: Comp Pol Cultures
HI 329: The Roman Republic
HI 328: The Roman Empire
HI 355: The Vikings
HI 375: Africa Since 1400
TH 384: The Virgin Mary
In addition to the elective courses above, other electives may be considered with the approval of the Program Director: Dr. Linda Pastryk
NOTE: A “C” (2.00) average or above is required for graduation with the Art History Minor.
*It is the student’s responsibility to verify that all degree requirements for graduation are fulfilled.
Here are a few other degrees available if you are interested in this field of study:
