The Field

The discipline of art and architectural history examines visual culture and the built environment within their social and historical contexts. The History of Art and Architecture major at the University provides students with a solid foundation in the history of art and architecture produced in diverse regions and cultures, and from all periods of human history. Students learn to analyze works of art and material objects and to interpret them by making interdisciplinary connections with the political, economic, technological, religious, and other endeavors of the region and culture in which they were made.

Current course offerings cover the fields of ancient Greece and Rome; Byzantium and the Middle Ages; Islamic Art from its origins to the present day; East Asian art; Early Modern, Modern, and Contemporary European art; art of the Americas from the fifteenth century through to the present, and modern architecture. With the instructor's consent, qualified undergraduates may enroll in graduate research seminars.