Undergraduate Degree

Students of art history and visual culture seek to investigate the production, form, and reception of images and objects, past and present, from a multicultural perspective, incorporating painting, sculpture, and architecture as conventionally defined by art history but extending beyond these boundaries to material culture and a wider range of media. Art history and visual culture poses questions regarding the social, economic, religious, philosophical and psychological influences affecting those who consume as well as those who produce images and objects thus broadly defined, asking how values and beliefs are given material form and how these forms themselves can be interpreted. Cognate study provides additional opportunities to explore visual culture from the perspectives of a wide range of fields.

Requirements for the Bachelor of Arts Degree in Art History and Visual Culture

1. The University requirements for bachelor's degrees as described in the Undergraduate Education section of this catalog; 120 credits, including general elective credits, are required for the Bachelor of Arts degree in Art History and Visual Culture.
   
   The University's Tier II writing requirement for the Art History and Visual Culture major is met by completing History of Art 499.  That course is referenced in item 3. a. (6) below.
2. The requirements of the College of Arts and Letters for the Bachelor of Arts degree.
   
   The completion of requirement 3.b. referenced below satisfies the College's foreign language requirement.
   
   The completion of requirement 3.c. referenced below satisfies the College requirement for a cognate.
3. The following requirements for the major:

   a.	The following courses related to History of Art (38 to 40 credits):
   	(1)	Both of the following courses (6 credits):
   		HA	101	Western Art from the Paleolithic to Medieval Era					3
   		HA	102	Western Art from the Renaissance to Contemporary					3
   	(2)	One course from two of the following three areas (6 credits):
   		Asian
   		HA	260	Asian Art					3
   		HA	261	Modern Asian Art					3
   		HA	262	Buddhist Art and Architecture Across Asia					3
   		African
   		HA	271	African Art					3
   		Native/Latin American
   		HA	253	Native North American Art					3
   		HA	254	Latin American Art					3
   	(3)	One of the following courses (3 credits):
   		HA	220	Renaissance Art					3
   		HA	231	Baroque and Rococo Art					3
   		HA	240	Modern Art					3
   		HA	250	Arts of North America					3
   		HA	251	History of Photography					3
   		HA	252	Introduction to Contemporary Art					3
   		HA	291	Topics in Art History					3
   	(4)	The following course (3 credits):
   		HA	389	Methods in and Approaches to Art History					3
   	(5)	At least three art history courses selected from the following (12 credits):
   		HA	401	Greek Art and Archaeology					4
   		HA	402	Roman Art and Archaeology					4
   		HA	410	Selected Topics in Medieval Art					4
   		HA	431	Special Topics in Early Modern Art					4
   		HA	446	Impressionism					4
   		HA	450	Selected Topics in Modern Art					4
   		HA	452	Selected Topics in Contemporary Art					4
   		HA	454	Selected Topics in Arts of the Americas					4
   		HA	461	Selected Topics in Modern Asian Art					4
   		HA	462	The Arts of China					4
   		HA	471	Selected Topics in African Art					4
   		HA	491	Special Topics in History of Art					1 to 4
   	(6)	A capstone experience. Complete 3 credits of History of Art 499 Senior Research and Professional Development Seminar with concurrent enrollment in 1 credit of HA 499S Senior Research Project in History of Art (4 credits).
   	(7)	A 1 or 2 credit internship through enrollment in HA 493A or equivalent internship from fields close to art history and visual culture. The internship must be approved and supervised by a faculty member.
   	(8)	Additional credits in History of Art courses as needed to meet the requirement of at least 38 credits, but not more than 40 credits, in courses in the major.
   b.	Second-year competency in a foreign language pertinent to the student’s overall plan of study in consultation with the History of Art advisor. This requirement may be satisfied by placing into a 300-level foreign language course on a MSU placement test.
   c.	A cognate of 15 credits from outside the student's major selected from areas such as museum studies, literature, a second language, material culture, or film studies. The cognate must be approved by the history of art advisor.