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Twin Cities Campus
Art History MinorArt History
College of Liberal Arts
Art history is the study of the visual world, both past and present. It looks closely at a wide array of images, objects, buildings, and sites in order to better understand human societies. Art history operates with the understanding that visual/material artifacts may speak more directly and deeply about a culture than its written record. Put another way, if a picture is worth a thousand words, then Art History equips students to read it. This is called "visual literacy" and it is an invaluable skill in our increasingly visual world. Students in art history learn to analyze a wide variety of artifacts from all geographic regions and historical eras, including our own. Not limited strictly to the so-called "fine arts," art history seeks to understand visual and material culture more broadly: from paintings and sculpture, to architecture and urban design; from films and photographs, to ceramics and textiles; from scientific illustration and political posters, to performance art and street graffiti. Through engaging closely with these and other forms of visual expression, students of art history become adept practitioners of the following skills: visual analysis and interpretation, original research and careful argumentation, image-based thinking and communication, and clear and persuasive writing in a variety of modes (e.g., analytical, creative, and journalistic). Engaging visual approaches to learning and thinking, art history prepares a diverse student body for a variety of professional tracks, including the visual arts (e.g., art criticism, art appraisal and sales, art therapy, fashion, interior design, museums, and conservation), the humanities (e.g., grant writing, historic preservation, and philanthropy), media and marketing (e.g., advertising, film, journalism, radio, and television), K-12 and post-secondary education (e.g., teaching and administration), information science and collections management (e.g., libraries and archives in public, non-profit, and corporate contexts), and medicine and law, two fields that have long prized art history alumni for their analytical precision, skills at information mastery, and "right-brain/left-brain" balance. For these and other reasons, students of art history go on to enjoy higher job satisfaction and lower unemployment rates over the course of their working lives than peers in vocational tracks.
Program Delivery
This program is available:
Minor Requirements
Students may earn a BA or a minor in art history, but not both.
Minor Courses
To achieve training across the discipline and its skills, students must meet the following distribution requirements:
Level Distribution Requirements:
(0-4) 3xxx-level courses
(1-5) 5xxx-level courses
Chronological and Geographic Distribution Requirements:
-Take at least 1 course from at least two of the three historical eras
-Take at least 1 course from at least two of the three geographical areas
Take exactly 5 course(s) totaling 14 or more credit(s) from the following:
Era I: Ancient to ca. 1300
Take 0 or more course(s) from the following:
Area: North America and Europe
Take 0 or more course(s) from the following:
·
ARTH 3009 - Intersectional Medieval Art
[AH]
(3.0 cr)
or
MEST 3009 - Intersectional Medieval Art
[AH]
(3.0 cr)
·
ARTH 3152 - Art and Archaeology of Ancient Greece
[HIS]
(3.0 cr)
or
CNRC 3152 - Art and Archaeology of Ancient Greece
[HIS]
(3.0 cr)
·
ARTH 3162 - Roman Art and Archaeology
[HIS]
(3.0 cr)
or
CNRC 3162 - Roman Art and Archaeology
[HIS]
(3.0 cr)
·
ARTH 5783 {Inactive}
(3.0 cr)
or
ARTH 8783 - Art, Diplomacy, and Empire
(3.0 cr)
·
ARTH 5787 - Visual Cultures in Contact: Cross-Cultural Interaction in the Ancient World
(3.0 cr)
or
CNRC 5787 - Visual Cultures in Contact: Cross-Cultural Interaction in the Ancient World
(3.0 cr)
·
Area: Middle East and/or Islamic World
Take 0 or more course(s) from the following:
·
ARTH 3018 - Art of the Ottoman Empire
(3.0 cr)
·
ARTH 3015W - Art of Islam
[AH, GP, WI]
(3.0 cr)
or
RELS 3706W - Art of Islam
[AH, GP, WI]
(3.0 cr)
·
ARTH 3182 - Egypt and Western Asia: Art and Archaeology of Ancient Egypt and Western Asia
[AH, GP]
(3.0 cr)
or
CNRC 3182 - Egypt and Western Asia: Art and Archaeology of Ancient Egypt and Western Asia
[AH, GP]
(3.0 cr)
or
RELS 3182 - Egypt and Western Asia: Art and Archaeology of Ancient Egypt and Western Asia
[AH, GP]
(3.0 cr)
·
ARTH 5115 {Inactive}
(3.0 cr)
or
CNES 5185 {Inactive}
(3.0 cr)
·
ARTH 5192 {Inactive}
(3.0 cr)
or
CNES 5192 {Inactive}
(3.0 cr)
·
ARTH 5783 {Inactive}
(3.0 cr)
or
ARTH 8783 - Art, Diplomacy, and Empire
(3.0 cr)
·
ARTH 5787 - Visual Cultures in Contact: Cross-Cultural Interaction in the Ancient World
(3.0 cr)
or
CNRC 5787 - Visual Cultures in Contact: Cross-Cultural Interaction in the Ancient World
(3.0 cr)
·
Area: South and/or East Asia
Take 0 or more course(s) from the following:
·
ARTH 3013 {Inactive}
[GP]
(3.0 cr)
·
ARTH 5765 {Inactive}
(3.0 cr)
·
ARTH 3014W - Art of India
[AH, GP, WI]
(3.0 cr)
or
AMES 3014W {Inactive}
[AH, GP, WI]
(4.0 cr)
or
RELS 3415W - Art of India
[AH, GP, WI]
(3.0 cr)
·
ARTH 5787 - Visual Cultures in Contact: Cross-Cultural Interaction in the Ancient World
(3.0 cr)
or
CNRC 5787 - Visual Cultures in Contact: Cross-Cultural Interaction in the Ancient World
(3.0 cr)
·
Era II: ca. 1300 to 1800
Take 0 or more course(s) from the following:
Area: North America and Europe
Take 0 or more course(s) from the following:
·
ARTH 3309 - Renaissance Art in Europe
[AH]
(3.0 cr)
·
ARTH 3311 - Baroque Art in Seventeenth Century Europe
[AH]
(3.0 cr)
·
ARTH 3312 - European Art of the Eighteenth Century: Rococo to Revolution
[HIS]
(3.0 cr)
·
ARTH 5301 {Inactive}
(3.0 cr)
·
ARTH 5324 {Inactive}
(3.0 cr)
·
ARTH 5336 - Transformations in 17th Century Art: Caravaggio, Velazquez, and Bernini
(3.0 cr)
·
FRIT 3600 {Inactive}
(3.0 cr)
·
ARTH 3015W - Art of Islam
[AH, GP, WI]
(3.0 cr)
or
RELS 3706W - Art of Islam
[AH, GP, WI]
(3.0 cr)
·
ARTH 3315 - The Age of Curiosity: Art, Science & Technology in Europe, 1400-1800
[AH, TS]
(3.0 cr)
or
HIST 3708 - The Age of Curiosity: Art, Science & Technology in Europe, 1400-1800
[AH, TS]
(3.0 cr)
·
ARTH 3335 - Baroque Rome: Art and Politics in the Papal Capital
[HIS]
(3.0 cr)
or
ARTH 5335 - Baroque Rome: Art and Politics in the Papal Capital
(3.0 cr)
or
HIST 3706 - Baroque Rome: Art and Politics in the Papal Capital
[HIS]
(3.0 cr)
or
RELS 3612 - Baroque Rome: Art and Politics in the Papal Capital
[HIS]
(3.0 cr)
or
RELS 5612 - Baroque Rome: Art and Politics in the Papal Capital
(3.0 cr)
·
ARTH 5783 {Inactive}
(3.0 cr)
or
ARTH 8783 - Art, Diplomacy, and Empire
(3.0 cr)
·
Area: Middle East and/or Islamic World
Take 0 or more course(s) from the following:
·
ARTH 3018 - Art of the Ottoman Empire
(3.0 cr)
·
ARTH 5781 - Age of Empire: The Mughals, Safavids, and Ottomans
(3.0 cr)
·
ARTH 3015W - Art of Islam
[AH, GP, WI]
(3.0 cr)
or
RELS 3706W - Art of Islam
[AH, GP, WI]
(3.0 cr)
·
ARTH 5783 {Inactive}
(3.0 cr)
or
ARTH 8783 - Art, Diplomacy, and Empire
(3.0 cr)
·
Area: South and/or East Asia
Take 0 or more course(s) from the following:
·
ARTH 3013 {Inactive}
[GP]
(3.0 cr)
·
ARTH 3014W - Art of India
[AH, GP, WI]
(3.0 cr)
or
AMES 3014W {Inactive}
[AH, GP, WI]
(4.0 cr)
or
RELS 3415W - Art of India
[AH, GP, WI]
(3.0 cr)
·
ARTH 5777 - The Diversity of Traditions: Indian Empires after 1200
(3.0 cr)
or
RELS 5777 - The Diversity of Traditions: Indian Empires after 1200
(3.0 cr)
·
Era III: 1800 to Present
Take 0 or more course(s) from the following:
Area: North America and Europe
Take 0 or more course(s) from the following:
·
ARTH 3005 - Identity and American Art
[AH]
(3.0 cr)
·
ARTH 3012 - 19th and 20th Century Art
(3.0 cr)
·
ARTH 3401W - Art on Trial
[AH, CIV, WI]
(3.0 cr)
·
ARTH 3434 - Art and the Environment
[AH, ENV]
(3.0 cr)
·
ARTH 3464 - Art Since 1945
[HIS]
(3.0 cr)
·
ARTH 3484 {Inactive}
(4.0 cr)
·
ARTH 3577 - Photo Nation: Photography in America
[AH]
(3.0 cr)
·
ARTH 3921W - Art of the Film
[AH, WI]
(4.0 cr)
·
ARTH 3929 - Cinema Now
[AH]
(3.0 cr)
·
ARTH 5411 {Inactive}
(3.0 cr)
·
ARTH 5413 - Alternative Media: Video, Performance, Digital Art
(3.0 cr)
·
ARTH 5417 {Inactive}
(3.0 cr)
·
ARTH 5466 - Contemporary Art
(3.0 cr)
·
ARTH 5575 - Boom to Bust: American Art from the Roaring Twenties to the Great Depression
(3.0 cr)
·
ARTH 3627 {Inactive}
(3.0 cr)
or
AFRO 3627 {Inactive}
(3.0 cr)
·
ARTH 3655 - African-American Cinema
[AH, DSJ]
(3.0 cr)
or
ARTH 5655 - African-American Cinema
[AH, DSJ]
(3.0 cr)
or
AFRO 3655 {Inactive}
[AH, DSJ]
(3.0 cr)
·
ARTH 3926 - The Cinema of Alfred Hitchcock
[AH]
(3.0 cr)
or
ARTH 5926 - The Cinema of Alfred Hitchcock
(3.0 cr)
·
Area: Middle East and/or Islamic World
Take 0 or more course(s) from the following:
·
ARTH 3434 - Art and the Environment
[AH, ENV]
(3.0 cr)
·
ARTH 3464 - Art Since 1945
[HIS]
(3.0 cr)
·
ARTH 5466 - Contemporary Art
(3.0 cr)
·
ARTH 5781 - Age of Empire: The Mughals, Safavids, and Ottomans
(3.0 cr)
·
ARTH 3015W - Art of Islam
[AH, GP, WI]
(3.0 cr)
or
RELS 3706W - Art of Islam
[AH, GP, WI]
(3.0 cr)
·
Area: South and/or East Asia
Take 0 or more course(s) from the following:
·
ARTH 3013 {Inactive}
[GP]
(3.0 cr)
·
ARTH 3434 - Art and the Environment
[AH, ENV]
(3.0 cr)
·
ARTH 3464 - Art Since 1945
[HIS]
(3.0 cr)
·
ARTH 5466 - Contemporary Art
(3.0 cr)
·
ARTH 3014W - Art of India
[AH, GP, WI]
(3.0 cr)
or
AMES 3014W {Inactive}
[AH, GP, WI]
(4.0 cr)
or
RELS 3415W - Art of India
[AH, GP, WI]
(3.0 cr)
·
ARTH 5777 - The Diversity of Traditions: Indian Empires after 1200
(3.0 cr)
or
RELS 5777 - The Diversity of Traditions: Indian Empires after 1200
(3.0 cr)
·
Courses Requiring Advising Appointment for Application to the Distribution Requirements
The below courses are applicable to the distribution requirements described above, but vary in how they may be applied. Some courses span across time periods and geographic/cultural areas. Consult with the program advisor or director of undergraduate studies to determine which requirements these courses fulfill.
Take 0 or more course(s) from the following:
·
ARTH 3940 {Inactive}
(1.0-4.0 cr)
·
ARTH 5766 - Chinese Painting
(3.0 cr)
·
ARTH 5785 {Inactive}
(3.0 cr)
·
ARTH 5930 {Inactive}
(3.0 cr)
·
ARTH 5950 - Topics: Art History
(3.0 cr)
·
ARTH 3205 {Inactive}
[AH]
(3.0 cr)
or
AMIN 3205 {Inactive}
[AH]
(3.0 cr)
or
ANTH 3205 {Inactive}
[AH]
(3.0 cr)
or
RELS 3322 {Inactive}
[AH]
(3.0 cr)
|
|
Credits: | 3.0 [max 3.0] |
Course Equivalencies: | ArtH 3009/MeSt 3009/RelS 3609 |
Typically offered: | Periodic Fall & Spring |
Credits: | 3.0 [max 3.0] |
Course Equivalencies: | ArtH 3009/MeSt 3009/RelS 3609 |
Typically offered: | Periodic Fall & Spring |
Credits: | 3.0 [max 3.0] |
Course Equivalencies: | ArtH 3152/CNES 3152 |
Typically offered: | Periodic Fall & Spring |
Credits: | 3.0 [max 3.0] |
Course Equivalencies: | ArtH 3152/CNES 3152 |
Typically offered: | Periodic Fall & Spring |
Credits: | 3.0 [max 3.0] |
Course Equivalencies: | ArtH 3162/CNES 3162 |
Typically offered: | Fall Odd, Spring Even Year |
Credits: | 3.0 [max 3.0] |
Course Equivalencies: | ArtH 3162/CNES 3162 |
Typically offered: | Fall Odd Year |
Credits: | 3.0 [max 3.0] |
Course Equivalencies: | ArtH 5783/ArtH 8783 |
Grading Basis: | A-F only |
Typically offered: | Periodic Fall & Spring |
Credits: | 3.0 [max 3.0] |
Course Equivalencies: | ArtH 5787/CNRC 3787/5787 |
Typically offered: | Periodic Fall & Spring |
Credits: | 3.0 [max 3.0] |
Course Equivalencies: | ArtH 5787/CNRC 3787/5787 |
Typically offered: | Periodic Fall & Spring |
Credits: | 3.0 [max 3.0] |
Typically offered: | Periodic Fall & Spring |
Credits: | 3.0 [max 4.0] |
Course Equivalencies: | ArtH 3015W/ClCv 3015W/RelS 370 |
Typically offered: | Every Fall |
Credits: | 3.0 [max 4.0] |
Course Equivalencies: | ArtH 3015W/ClCv 3015W/RelS 370 |
Typically offered: | Every Fall |
Credits: | 3.0 [max 3.0] |
Course Equivalencies: | ArtH 3182/CNES 3182/RelS 3182 |
Typically offered: | Every Fall & Spring |
Credits: | 3.0 [max 3.0] |
Course Equivalencies: | ArtH 3182/CNES 3182/RelS 3182 |
Typically offered: | Every Fall & Spring |
Credits: | 3.0 [max 3.0] |
Course Equivalencies: | ArtH 3182/CNES 3182/RelS 3182 |
Typically offered: | Every Fall & Spring |
Credits: | 3.0 [max 3.0] |
Course Equivalencies: | ArtH 5783/ArtH 8783 |
Grading Basis: | A-F only |
Typically offered: | Periodic Fall & Spring |
Credits: | 3.0 [max 3.0] |
Course Equivalencies: | ArtH 5787/CNRC 3787/5787 |
Typically offered: | Periodic Fall & Spring |
Credits: | 3.0 [max 3.0] |
Course Equivalencies: | ArtH 5787/CNRC 3787/5787 |
Typically offered: | Periodic Fall & Spring |
Credits: | 3.0 [max 4.0] |
Course Equivalencies: | ArtH 3014W/ RelS 3415 |
Typically offered: | Every Spring |
Credits: | 3.0 [max 4.0] |
Course Equivalencies: | ArtH 3014W/ RelS 3415 |
Typically offered: | Every Spring |
Credits: | 3.0 [max 3.0] |
Course Equivalencies: | ArtH 5787/CNRC 3787/5787 |
Typically offered: | Periodic Fall & Spring |
Credits: | 3.0 [max 3.0] |
Course Equivalencies: | ArtH 5787/CNRC 3787/5787 |
Typically offered: | Periodic Fall & Spring |
Credits: | 3.0 [max 3.0] |
Grading Basis: | A-F or Aud |
Typically offered: | Every Fall & Spring |
Credits: | 3.0 [max 3.0] |
Typically offered: | Every Spring |
Credits: | 3.0 [max 3.0] |
Typically offered: | Every Fall |
Credits: | 3.0 [max 3.0] |
Typically offered: | Periodic Fall & Spring |
Credits: | 3.0 [max 4.0] |
Course Equivalencies: | ArtH 3015W/ClCv 3015W/RelS 370 |
Typically offered: | Every Fall |
Credits: | 3.0 [max 4.0] |
Course Equivalencies: | ArtH 3015W/ClCv 3015W/RelS 370 |
Typically offered: | Every Fall |
Credits: | 3.0 [max 3.0] |
Course Equivalencies: | ArtH 3315/Hist 3708/ArtH 5315/ |
Typically offered: | Periodic Fall & Spring |
Credits: | 3.0 [max 3.0] |
Course Equivalencies: | ArtH 3315/Hist 3708/ArtH 5315/ |
Typically offered: | Periodic Fall & Spring |
Credits: | 3.0 [max 3.0] |
Course Equivalencies: | ArtH 3335/Rels 3162/Hist 3706/ |
Typically offered: | Fall Odd Year |
Credits: | 3.0 [max 3.0] |
Course Equivalencies: | ArtH 3335/Rels 3162/Hist 3706/ |
Typically offered: | Fall Odd Year |
Credits: | 3.0 [max 3.0] |
Course Equivalencies: | ArtH 3335/Rels 3162/Hist 3706/ |
Typically offered: | Fall Odd Year |
Credits: | 3.0 [max 3.0] |
Course Equivalencies: | ArtH 3335/Rels 3162/Hist 3706/ |
Typically offered: | Fall Odd Year |
Credits: | 3.0 [max 3.0] |
Course Equivalencies: | ArtH 3335/Rels 3162/Hist 3706/ |
Typically offered: | Fall Odd Year |
Credits: | 3.0 [max 3.0] |
Course Equivalencies: | ArtH 5783/ArtH 8783 |
Grading Basis: | A-F only |
Typically offered: | Periodic Fall & Spring |
Credits: | 3.0 [max 3.0] |
Typically offered: | Periodic Fall & Spring |
Credits: | 3.0 [max 3.0] |
Course Equivalencies: | ArtH 5781/RelS 5781 |
Typically offered: | Periodic Fall |
Credits: | 3.0 [max 4.0] |
Course Equivalencies: | ArtH 3015W/ClCv 3015W/RelS 370 |
Typically offered: | Every Fall |
Credits: | 3.0 [max 4.0] |
Course Equivalencies: | ArtH 3015W/ClCv 3015W/RelS 370 |
Typically offered: | Every Fall |
Credits: | 3.0 [max 3.0] |
Course Equivalencies: | ArtH 5783/ArtH 8783 |
Grading Basis: | A-F only |
Typically offered: | Periodic Fall & Spring |
Credits: | 3.0 [max 4.0] |
Course Equivalencies: | ArtH 3014W/ RelS 3415 |
Typically offered: | Every Spring |
Credits: | 3.0 [max 4.0] |
Course Equivalencies: | ArtH 3014W/ RelS 3415 |
Typically offered: | Every Spring |
Credits: | 3.0 [max 3.0] |
Course Equivalencies: | ArtH 3777/ArtH5777/RelS 5777 |
Typically offered: | Periodic Fall & Spring |
Credits: | 3.0 [max 3.0] |
Course Equivalencies: | ArtH 3777/ArtH5777/RelS 5777 |
Typically offered: | Periodic Fall & Spring |
Credits: | 3.0 [max 4.0] |
Typically offered: | Periodic Fall & Spring |
Credits: | 3.0 [max 3.0] |
Typically offered: | Every Fall, Spring & Summer |
Credits: | 3.0 [max 3.0] |
Typically offered: | Periodic Fall & Spring |
Credits: | 3.0 [max 3.0] |
Typically offered: | Periodic Fall & Spring |
Credits: | 3.0 [max 3.0] |
Typically offered: | Periodic Spring |
Credits: | 3.0 [max 3.0] |
Typically offered: | Every Fall & Spring |
Credits: | 4.0 [max 4.0] |
Typically offered: | Every Spring |
Credits: | 3.0 [max 3.0] |
Typically offered: | Fall Odd Year |
Credits: | 3.0 [max 3.0] |
Grading Basis: | A-F or Aud |
Typically offered: | Periodic Fall |
Credits: | 3.0 [max 3.0] |
Typically offered: | Periodic Spring |
Credits: | 3.0 [max 3.0] |
Typically offered: | Periodic Fall & Spring |
Credits: | 3.0 [max 3.0] |
Course Equivalencies: | Afro 3655/ArtH 3655/ArtH 5655 |
Typically offered: | Spring Even Year |
Credits: | 3.0 [max 3.0] |
Course Equivalencies: | Afro 3655/ArtH 3655/ArtH 5655 |
Typically offered: | Periodic Fall |
Credits: | 3.0 [max 3.0] |
Course Equivalencies: | ArtH 3926W/ArtH 5926W |
Typically offered: | Periodic Fall & Spring |
Credits: | 3.0 [max 3.0] |
Course Equivalencies: | ArtH 3926W/ArtH 5926W |
Typically offered: | Periodic Fall & Spring |
Credits: | 3.0 [max 3.0] |
Typically offered: | Periodic Fall & Spring |
Credits: | 3.0 [max 3.0] |
Typically offered: | Periodic Spring |
Credits: | 3.0 [max 3.0] |
Typically offered: | Periodic Spring |
Credits: | 3.0 [max 3.0] |
Course Equivalencies: | ArtH 5781/RelS 5781 |
Typically offered: | Periodic Fall |
Credits: | 3.0 [max 4.0] |
Course Equivalencies: | ArtH 3015W/ClCv 3015W/RelS 370 |
Typically offered: | Every Fall |
Credits: | 3.0 [max 4.0] |
Course Equivalencies: | ArtH 3015W/ClCv 3015W/RelS 370 |
Typically offered: | Every Fall |
Credits: | 3.0 [max 3.0] |
Typically offered: | Periodic Fall & Spring |
Credits: | 3.0 [max 3.0] |
Typically offered: | Periodic Spring |
Credits: | 3.0 [max 3.0] |
Typically offered: | Periodic Spring |
Credits: | 3.0 [max 4.0] |
Course Equivalencies: | ArtH 3014W/ RelS 3415 |
Typically offered: | Every Spring |
Credits: | 3.0 [max 4.0] |
Course Equivalencies: | ArtH 3014W/ RelS 3415 |
Typically offered: | Every Spring |
Credits: | 3.0 [max 3.0] |
Course Equivalencies: | ArtH 3777/ArtH5777/RelS 5777 |
Typically offered: | Periodic Fall & Spring |
Credits: | 3.0 [max 3.0] |
Course Equivalencies: | ArtH 3777/ArtH5777/RelS 5777 |
Typically offered: | Periodic Fall & Spring |
Credits: | 3.0 [max 3.0] |
Typically offered: | Periodic Fall & Spring |
Credits: | 3.0 [max 9.0] |
Typically offered: | Every Fall, Spring & Summer |
Credits: | 1.0 -2.0 [max 2.0] |
Typically offered: | Every Fall, Spring & Summer |
Credits: | 1.0 -4.0 [max 12.0] |
Grading Basis: | A-F or Aud |
Typically offered: | Every Fall, Spring & Summer |
Credits: | 1.0 -4.0 [max 12.0] |
Typically offered: | Every Fall, Spring & Summer |
Credits: | 1.0 -4.0 [max 4.0] |
Grading Basis: | A-F or Aud |
Typically offered: | Every Fall, Spring & Summer |