Bachelor of Arts (Art History)
The mission of the B.A. program at Eastern Michigan University is to provide students with educational support in terms of knowledge and methodology, preparing them with a solid liberals arts training in critical reading, writing, and thinking skills. Upon completion of the program, students will be prepared to enter graduate programs or find work in private collections, museums and galleries, and community arts organizations. The B.A. in Art History offers a comprehensive array of classes in different formats on art across cultures and time periods. Faculty teaching in these programs pursue both excellence in teaching and an active agenda of basic research. It is hoped that students will leave the program with an understanding of why and how art is made, and how it visually expresses its cultural context, be it historical or current.
EMU's Art History program studies world cultures and their expressions in the visual arts. Students are encouraged to explore artworks as documents of particular times, places, societies, and individuals. Small upper-level classes allow for lively discussion and individual attention. With a major in art history, you'll find opportunities in community education, private collections, preservation agencies, and libraries. The major may also lead to graduate study in the field or in a related field such as archeology, museum studies or conservation.
Degree Requirements
Major Requirements: 42-46 hours
Students in this program are granted a waiver of the University requirement that students may not earn “more than 60 credit hours in one subject area (prefix).”
Elective Courses: 15 hours
Students must choose one course from each of the following sub-sections below. Students may contract with art history faculty to include lower-numbered art courses for elective credit, with additional work.
Pre-Renaissance Art | One course from the following
Renaissance/Baroque Art | One course from the following
- ARTH 151 - Reason and Revolution [GEKH] 3 hrs
- ARTH 369 - History of Renaissance Art 3 hrs
- ARTH 469 - Baroque Art 3 hrs
Modern and Contemporary Art | One course from the following
- ARTH 374 - American Painting and Sculpture 3 hrs
- ARTH 472 - History of American Architecture 3 hrs
- ARTH 473 - Women in Art 3 hrs
- ARTH 475 - Seminar in Art History 3 hrs
Non-Western or Women’s Art | One course from the following
- ARTH 267 - History of Asian Art [GEKA] 3 hrs
- ARTH 467 - Art of Korea and Japan 3 hrs
- ARTH 470 - Arts of Africa 3 hrs
- ARTH 471 - Mesoamerican Art 3 hrs
- ARTH 473 - Women in Art 3 hrs
- ARTH 476 - Art of China 3 hrs
Additional Elective | Any 300-level or higher art history course not taken to fulfill another requirement
Foreign Language Requirement: 6-10 hours
Any two sequential courses in a single foreign language
Cognate: 3 hours
See Course Catalog for List of applicable courses https://catalog.emich.edu/preview_program.php?catoid=25&poid=11654