Art History, B.A. (AUC Collective)
Credits: 122
Students in this program will take the bulk of their major courses at Spelman College through their Department of Art & Visual Culture.
Program Description
The AUC Collective BA in Art History degree is primarily housed and administered by Spelman College’s Department of Art and Visual Culture and the Spelman College Museum of Fine Art. This is a writing intensive, research based, liberal arts degree designed to prepare students to enter graduate studies, pursue careers in museum studies, grant writing for private or public research projects, and consulting on architectural restoration or historical film projects. Art historians most valued tool is writing. With this in mind, candidates to the program should have an average GPA from high school of a 3.74, an average SAT (CR+M) of 1140 or an ACT score of 25.
Student Learning Outcomes
The major has six student learning outcomes including:
- Demonstrate knowledge of works of art and architecture produced in different cultures and at different times, including major artists, scholars, and curators.
- Demonstrate informed and critical reading, writing, and speaking skills that emphasize critical looking. They will be able to analyze the visual and physical qualities of images, objects and buildings.
- Demonstrate expertise in self-directed research and ability to articulate a range of methodologies and theories across the discipline.
- Formulate interdisciplinary questions about the roles of art, the built and the virtual environment based on experiences in cross-departmental courses.
- Apply an understanding of the broader contexts of art and architecture through museum and site study experience(s) of exhibitions and collections on AUC campuses and in Atlanta area cultural institutions and beyond.
- Demonstrate a conceptual and historical grasp of contemporary issues in the intersecting worlds of art, science, technology, and new media.
Degree Requirements
The BA in Art History requires 16 courses. Four foundational courses introduce students to art historical movements, two courses focus on writing and research skills used in the practice of art history, seven elective courses allow students an emersion into various themes and three courses end the sequence with a focus on personal practice and career building. The degree requires a final thesis.
The Art History major requires 16 courses (51-55 credit hours) including the following:
| Code | Title | Hours |
|---|---|---|
| SAVC 141 | 3-4 | |
| SAVC 142 | History of Art II | 4 |
| SAVC 230 | Global Found of Modern Art | 3 |
| SAVC 243 | 4 | |
| SAVC 255 | Writing & Crit in Art History | 3 |
| SAVC 320 | Art History Meth, Theo,& Prac | 3 |
| One Art History Elective | 4 | |
| One Art History Elective (writing intensive) | 4 | |
| Art and Visual Culture Studio Elective | 3-4 | |
| Thematic Elective I | 3-4 | |
| Thematic Elective II | 3-4 | |
| Thematic Elective III | 3-4 | |
| Curatorial Studies Elective | 4 | |
| SAVC 375 | Entering the Art World:Cult&C | 2 |
| SAVC 480 | 6 | |
| Total Hours | 52-57 | |