BA/BS in Art History

The Department of Art History helped pioneer significant theoretical methods during the 1990s. Earlier scholarship in the field grew alongside the archaeological work of the ancient culture institute and the arts education led by Midway Studios, a history the department now looks back on with pride. Today it is known for a combination of global scope, research driven by objects and a firm commitment to interdisciplinarity. Faculty and students conduct research spanning five continents, and long-standing strengths in the art of Asia, Europe and North America have widened to take in Latin American and Islamic art and the connections between regions once treated separately. The university's area studies departments and centers, with strong language offerings, support this work. Original artworks, buildings and sites feature throughout the curriculum through research centered on objects, materials and sites that is often collaborative and large in scale. Training is provided through the Rhoades Program and an initiative for studying Chicago objects, along with yearly traveling seminars and conservation classes.