Art History - BA
A St. Kate's art history major offers a critical approach to the study of art history, specializing in contemporary issues in art, visual culture, and museum studies as well as the work of women and nonbinary artists. Students will study and analyze visual art by engaging with questions about the role of the artist in society and critically reflecting on the contributions of visual art in our culture. St. Kate's offers classes that focus on contemporary issues in art, such as Ways of Seeing, Art and Power, and Gender, Art, and Society. In this program, students combine academic studies in art history with foundation studies in studio art.
This major prepares students for gallery and museum work as well as graduate work in art history, museum studies, and visual culture studies. With its emphasis on transportable skills--such as creative and critical thinking, active learning, and complex problem solving--and career readiness, the major also prepares students for myriad professions outside of the artworld.
As an art history major, students will be encouraged to participate in activities at the Catherine G. Murphy Gallery. Located in the Visual Arts Building on the St. Paul campus, it features national and regional artists, with an emphasis on the work of women. The gallery functions as a community resource offering special workshops and lectures for students in conjunction with most exhibitions. The culmination of each exhibition season is the annual Senior Exhibition, showing the best work of graduating studio art majors.
The same vibrant arts community that makes the Twin Cities a great place to view first-rate art also makes this a great place when it comes to finding an internship or a first professional position. St. Kate's students have had internships at the Minnesota Museum of American Art, the Minneapolis Institute of Art, Patrick's Cabaret, and Form + Content Gallery, to name just a few. The Catherine G. Murphy Gallery is an excellent internship for art history majors wishing to work with exhibiting artists or researching historical shows.
A minimum cumulative grade point average of B (3.0) must be earned for course work in the art history major. Transfer courses, substitutions, courses taken in foreign studies programs and at other colleges in the ACTC require the approval of the department chair.
Courses considered for transfer credit must be comparable in content, purpose and standards to courses offered by the department. Transfer students submit their academic transcript for evaluation of their record. Final determinations of transfer credits that apply to a student’s major and placement are made by the department faculty at that time.
Petitioning to the Major
The art history applicant petitions for admission to the major during her sophomore year.
See also: Studio Art
This major is offered in the College for Women only.
Curriculum
| Code | Title | Credits |
|---|---|---|
| Required Art History Courses | ||
| ARTH 1100 | Introduction to Art History: Ancient Through Medieval | 4 |
| ARTH 1110 | Introduction to Art History: Renaissance through Modern | 4 |
| ARTH 1150 | Ways of Seeing | 4 |
| ARTH 3500W | Art and Power | 4 |
| ARTH 3630 | Gender, Art, and Society | 4 |
| ARTH 4000 | Methods and Theories of Art History | 4 |
| Select a four-credit art history course at an ACTC institution in consultation with advisor | 4 | |
| Required Supporting Studio Art Courses | ||
| Must be taken for a letter grade | ||
| ART 1000 | Two-Dimensional Design | 4 |
| ART 1010 | Three-Dimensional Design | 4 |
| ART 2250 | Art and Technology | 4 |
| Required Supporting Course | ||
| Select one of the following: | 4 | |
| Philosophy of the Arts (also fulfills the liberal arts core requirement in philosophy) | ||
City Arts through the HECUA Program | ||
| Total Credits | 44 | |
Recommended course:
ART 4604 Slide Library Internship
Art history majors satisfy the Writing Requirement for Majors by completing ARTH 3500W Art and Power. They complete the Liberal Arts and Sciences Core Writing Requirement with three other writing-intensive courses (CORE 1000W The Reflective Woman and CORE 3990W Global Search for Justice and any other writing-intensive course in another department).
| Code | Title | Credits |
|---|---|---|
| Fall Term | ||
| ARTH 1150 | Ways of Seeing | 4 |
| Spring Term | ||
| ARTH 1100 | Introduction to Art History: Ancient Through Medieval | 4 |
| Fall Term | ||
| ARTH 3500W | Art and Power | 4 |
| or CRST 3500W | Art and Power | |
| ART 1000 | Two-Dimensional Design | 4 |
| Spring Term | ||
| ARTH 1110 | Introduction to Art History: Renaissance through Modern | 4 |
| Fall Term | ||
| ART 1010 | Three-Dimensional Design | 4 |
| Spring Term | ||
| ARTH Elective 1 | 4 | |
| ART 2250 | Art and Technology | 4 |
| PHIL 2900 | Philosophy of the Arts | 4 |
| Fall Term | ||
| ARTH 4000 | Methods and Theories of Art History | 4 |
| Spring Term | ||
| ARTH 3630 | Gender, Art, and Society | 4 |
| or WOST 3630 | Gender, Art, and Society | |
| Total Credits | 44 | |
- 1
Select a four-credit art history course at an ACTC institution in consultation with advisor. Recommend upper-division course (3000- or 4000-level).