ARTH3933: What Art Historians Do: Undergraduate Theory and Methods

Why do people study the history of art and what do they do with that knowledge? Designed for undergraduate art history majors but open to any students interested in the field, “What Art Historians Do” serves as an introduction to the history of the discipline as well as to its research, writing, and interpretative methods. The course is designed as a seminar in which students are trained in historical, philosophical, and practical knowledge. They study the European origins of the academic discipline and its development and global expansion over time. They debate such questions as the purpose of art, the changing definition–across time, geographical regions, and cultures–of the artist, the limitations and implications of history, and the place of museums in both preserving and destroying cultural heritage. And they learn and practice research techniques in material and digital archives and in primary and secondary sources, as well as different writing methods including museum didactics, scholarly papers, journalism, and social media. This course is a new requirement for any student who declares their art history major in Fall 2023 or later.

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