History of Art Major Requirements
(Also see Requirements for a Bachelor's Degree.)
History of art majors choose from a variety of courses on the world’s artistic and architectural traditions and are encouraged to pursue a curriculum that is both geographically and chronologically broad. They are also required to take an advanced course on the historical and conceptual bases of art history, and to demonstrate intermediate knowledge of a foreign language, which is an invaluable skill for art-historical research. All courses taken towards a History of Art major requirement must be taken for a letter grade and a grade of C- or higher must be achieved. If a student opts to take First-Year Seminar (AS.001.xxx) cross-listed with the History of Art and earns an S grade, this course may apply towards major requirements even though it is graded satisfactory/unsatisfactory. Courses taken at another institution that are not directly equivalent to a JHU course may not apply towards these requirements without permission of the Director of Undergraduate Studies. Full requirements are outlined below.
Writing and Communication in the Major
Students must complete at least 6 credits of Writing and Communication foundational ability coursework in the History of Art major. Students are able to fulfill this requirement by selecting 6 credits of courses in the major that are designated as Writing and Communications courses.
| Code | Title | Credits |
|---|---|---|
| Core Courses | ||
| AS.010.101 | Introduction to Art History, Pre-1400 | 4 |
| AS.010.102 | Introduction to Art History, 1400 to the Present | 4 |
| AS.010.413 | Historical and Conceptual Bases of Art History 1 | 3 |
| Five Advanced-Level Courses (010.2xx-4xx) 2 | ||
| One course in ancient art history (HART-ANC) | 3 | |
| One course in medieval art history (HART-MED) | 3 | |
| One course in Renaissance/early modern art history (HART-RENEM) | 3 | |
| One course in modern art history (HART-MODERN) | 3 | |
| One course in any period | 3 | |
| Three Additional Courses | ||
| Three elective courses. Only one of these elective courses may be at the 100-level and all electives must in the department or cross-listed with History of Art. 3 | 9 | |
| Intermediate Knowledge of a Modern Foreign Language 4 | ||
| Proficiency is verified by completion of courses through the second semester of the intermediate level or higher. In cases where the language is not offered at Hopkins, alternate verification options are available in consultation with the DUS | 0-14 | |
| Total Credits | 35-49 | |
- 1
Course should be taken within one year of declaring, ideally before senior year.
- 2
At least one must be at the 400 level. Students should consult with their faculty advisor and/or the Director of Undergraduate Studies in choosing their courses, which should relate to at least two geographical and/or cultural contexts.
- 3
Exceptions to these rules may be reviewed with the director of undergraduate studies.
- 4
Those planning to continue to graduate school in the History of Art should discuss which language(s) to pursue with their advisor and/or the director of undergraduate studies. Languages that currently apply automatically include: Arabic, Chinese, French, German, Hebrew, Hindi, Italian, Japanese, Korean, Portuguese, Russian, Spanish, and Yiddish.
Sample Program of Study
| First Year | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| First Semester | Credits | Second Semester | Credits |
| AS.010.101 | 4 | AS.010.102 | 4 |
| Foreign Language | 4 | Foreign Language | 4 |
| 8 | 8 | ||
| Second Year | |||
| First Semester | Credits | Second Semester | Credits |
| Ancient Art Course | 3 | Medieval Art Course | 3 |
| Foreign Language | 3 | Foreign Language | 3 |
| 6 | 6 | ||
| Third Year | |||
| First Semester | Credits | Second Semester | Credits |
| Renaissance/Early Modern Art Course | 3 | AS.010.413 | 3 |
| Art History Elective3 | Modern Art Course | 3 | |
| 3 | 6 | ||
| Fourth Year | |||
| First Semester | Credits | Second Semester | Credits |
| Any Period Course | 3 | Art History Elective | 3 |
| Art History Elective | 3 | ||
| 6 | 3 | ||
| Total Credits 46 | |||
Honors Program in History of Art
For graduation with honors, students must have a cumulative GPA of 3.7 or higher in History of Art and successfully complete an honors thesis.
HONORS THESIS
- The honors thesis comprises a significant expansion and deepening of a paper in a 400-level seminar into a 20-25 page paper, with figures, bibliography, and any appendices constituting additional pages.
- Students pursuing honors must make a formal request to do so in conjunction with a proposed mentor via the Honors Thesis Form.
- While writing the thesis, students enroll in Honors Thesis credits (AS.010.521 or AS.010.522 Honors Thesis, 3 credits). These credits are in addition to the normal major requirements and do not count as an elective or advanced course.