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Department of Art History

BA in Art History

• Degree Requirements
• Sample Course Schedule—Art History

Minor in Art History
Departmental Distinction

302 Henry Hall (HH)
(312) 996-3303
http://www.uic.edu/depts/arch/ah/
Administration: Chairperson, Peter B. Hales
Student Services: Director of Undergraduate Studies, Robert Munman

The program in the Department of Art History introduces the student to the study of both the built environment and the various forms of art: painting, sculpture, graphics, decorative arts, and design. A large selection of courses covers all periods of history and most of the world’s cultures. Various subjects and approaches are introduced: visual and stylistic analysis, criticism, iconography, historiography, and methodology. The architecture of Chicago and its suburbs and the many local museums and galleries are a living part of the general curriculum and are specific components in specialized courses.

While many art history graduates pursue graduate education toward scholarly careers in teaching and museum work, others are attracted to positions with foundations, architectural and art periodicals, or freelance research. Many students combine study in this discipline with graduate work in other fields, such as business administration, history, and urban planning; and still others find themselves in a variety of related professions such as editorial work and arts management.

For information on the Department of Art History at UIC, see the Web page http://www.uic.edu/depts/arch/ah.

BA in Art History

Degree Requirements

To earn a Bachelor of Arts in Art History degree from UIC, students need to complete University, college, and department degree requirements. The Department of Art History degree requirements are outlined below. Students should consult the College of Architecture and the Arts section for additional degree requirements and college academic policies.

BA in Art History Degree Requirements	Hours
General Education and Foundation Courses	36
Foreign Language Requirement	0–16
Major Course Requirements	36
Electives	36–48
Total Hours—BA in Art History	120

General Education and Foundation Courses

Courses	Hours
AH 110—Art History Ia	4
AH 111—Art History IIa	4
Six hours of studio courses selected from among the offerings of the School of Architecture and the School of Art and Design, chosen with the approval of an adviser	6
ENGL 160—Academic Writing I: Writing for     Academic and Public Contexts	3
ENGL 161—Academic Writing II: Writing for     Inquiry and Research	3
Understanding the Past courseb	3
Exploring World Cultures courseb	3
Analyzing the Natural World coursebc	3
Understanding the Individual and Society courseb	3
Understanding U.S. Society courseb	3
Total Hours—General Education Requirements	36

a This course is approved for the Understanding the Creative Arts General Education category.
b Students should consult the General Education section of the catalog for a list of approved courses in this category.
c Students who select a course worth fewer than 4 hours from the Analyzing the Natural World list will need to take an additional General Education Core course as part of their electives.

Foreign Language Requirement

Knowledge of a foreign language is required, most commonly French, German, Italian, or Spanish, and should be attained by the end of the junior year. The requirement may be met by taking four years of high school language courses, two years of college language courses, or by passing a proficiency examination.

Courses	Hours
Four semesters of college language courses or the equivalent	0–16
Total Hours	0–16
Major Course Requirements

A minimum of 36 semester hours in art history courses at the 200-, 300-, and 400-levels, of which at least two courses (6 semester hours) must be at the 400-level. The major includes the following specific requirements:

Courses	Hours
AH 200—Theories and Methods in Art History	3
At least six semester hours at the 400-level,a of which at least 3 hours must be selected from the following courses:	6a
AH 404—Topics in Architecture, Art, and Design (3)
AH 422—Topics in the Literature of Architecture (3)
AH 430—Contemporary Photography (3)
AH 432—Topics in Film and Video (3)
AH 434—Women and Film (3)
AH 435—Topics in Modern and Contemporary Design (3)
AH 441—Topics in Medieval Art and Architecture (3)
AH 450—Topics in Renaissance Art (3)
AH 460—Topics in Modern and Contemporary Art (3)
AH 463—Topics in North American Art and Architecture (3)
AH 470—Topics in Non-Western Art and Architecture (3)
AH 471—Topics in Asian Art and Architecture (3)
Six semester hours in courses in Western art covering     material primarily before 1700	6
Six semester hours of courses covering non-Western     architecture and art	6
AH electives	15
Total Hours—Major Course Requirements	36

^a 400-level courses in non-Western art and architecture and 400-level courses in Western art and architecture covering material primarily before 1700 can count toward fulfilling both the 400-level requirement and the non-Western and pre-1700 requirements.

Electives

Courses	Hours
Total Hours—Electives	32–48

Sample Course Schedule—Art History

Freshman Year
Fall Semester	Hours
ENGL 160—Academic Writing I: Writing for     Academic and Public Contexts	3
AH 110—Art History I	4
Foreign language	4
General Education Core course	3
Total Hours	14
Spring Semester	Hours
ENGL 161—Academic Writing II: Writing for     Inquiry and Research	3
AH 111—Art History II	4
Foreign language	4
General Education Core course	3
Total Hours	14
Sophomore Year
Fall Semester	Hours
AH 200—Theories and Methods in Art History	3
Art History before 1700	3
Foreign language	4
General Education Core course	4
Total Hours	14
Spring Semester	Hours
Art History—non-Western	3
Art History before 1700	3
Foreign language	4
General Education Core course	6
Total Hours	16
Junior Year
Fall Semester	Hours
Art History—non-Western	3
Art History elective	3
Art History 400-level	3
General Education Core Course	5
Elective	2
Total Hours	16
Spring Semester	Hours
Art History 400-level	3
Art History electives	6
Electives	6
Total Hours	15
Senior Year
Fall Semester	Hours
Art History elective	3
Electives	12
Total Hours	15
Spring Semester	Hours
Art History elective	3
Electives	12
Total Hours	15

Minor in Art History

A minimum of 20 semester hours in art history courses, of which at least 10 hours must be taken at the University of Illinois at Chicago, distributed as follows:

Required Courses	Hours
AH 110—Art History I	4
AH 111—Art History II	4
Twelve hours of AH courses at the 200-, 300-, or        400-level	12
Total Hours—Art History Minor	20

Except for AH 110 and 111, courses taken to fulfill the requirements in the student’s major may not be counted towards the minor. A minimum grade point average of 2.25/4.00 is required for the minor.

Departmental Distinction

To be eligible for Departmental Distinction, a student must have done the following:

1. Attended UIC for at least three semesters.  
2. Attained a university cumulative GPA of 3.50/4.00.
3. Completed 21 semester hours at UIC in courses required for the major.
4. Attained a GPA of 3.75/4.00 in courses in art history.
5. Written a thesis that either expands work represented in a seminar or which grows out of an AH 492—Readings in Art and Architecture History course.

The Department of Art History’s Thesis Requirements are as follows:

1. Applicants for graduation with Distinction must take AH 490—Honors Thesis for three hours of credit.
2. Students must enroll in AH 490 in their penultimate semester of course work.
3. The completed thesis must be acceptable to a committee of two faculty members from the Department of Art History.
4. The grading of the thesis and the grade in the course is either Satisfactory or Unsatisfactory. Students must receive a grade of Satisfactory in order to graduate with Distinction.
5. Completion of AH 490 must be in addition to the 36 semester hours required for the major.