The Department of Art offers three majors: Art History and Criticism, Studio Art and Media/Art/Culture. The courses of study, while allowing students a considerable degree of choice, will also usually fulfill requirements for admission to graduate study or preparation for professional work in the field.
The department also offers three minors: Art History, Studio Art, and Digital Arts (see separate listing for DIA minor in this Bulletin).
Art History and Criticism looks at images, objects, and spaces throughout history and across geographic regions. Majors and minors acquire a broad foundation in art history at the introductory level. Majors may then choose whether to specialize in a certain area, or continue to explore more broadly across different fields and perspectives, from ancient to modern and contemporary, and across the Americas, Europe, the Middle East, Asia and Africa, including traditional fields of painting, sculpture and architecture, as well as digital technologies, photography and film. We also provide exposure to museum, gallery and curatorial studies through coursework and internships.
Media/Art/Culture is a specialized interdisciplinary curriculum that brings together art history, film and media history, and photography, film and digital media studio practice. The program offers courses informed by histories of media, technology, and art, explored through specific social and cultural formations. Students engage critically with diverse topics and issues at the intersection of digital art, media, technology, and culture. Students acquire the practical skills to create innovative work in digital media, including writing, photography, video, sound, interactive, computational and internet based media. Coursework emphasizes cross-disciplinary, project- based, and collaborative learning; students practice working on their own and in teams using theory and practice in ways that will help prepare them to contribute in a wide range of contemporary workplaces. We prepare students to be socially aware global citizens who think critically about how to make positive change in a society that is ever increasingly shaped by new and emerging technologies.
Studio Art majors concentrate on the creative, technical, and practical aspects of the Fine Arts. They acquire a foundation in drawing, digital media and 2-dimensional/ 3-dimensional design, and select one of three areas of concentration to specialize in. The areas of concentration include: painting, drawing, and printmaking; photography, digital and electronic media; and sculpture and ceramics. Beyond their areas of specialization, students have the opportunity to take elective courses in all of the disciplines. Studio Art majors are expected to acquire a sound foundation in art history and criticism to inform and inspire their own creative work. Students have on and off-campus internship and exhibition opportunities, as well as faculty mentors to guide them in preparing for graduate studies, and professional work and creative opportunities.
Department of Art graduates who go on to work in the discipline usually acquire some postgraduate training, that may include anything from a few additional courses to such advanced graduate degrees as the M.A., M.F.A., or Ph.D. Studio Art graduates hold teaching positions up to and including the college, university, and professional school level; others work as independent artists, printers, photographers, and designers. Art History and Criticism graduates hold teaching positions in colleges and universities; others work as gallery or museum administrators, or as art critics, among other career paths.
The major in Art History and Criticism (ARH) provides students with the tools to explore how the world has been seen, imagined and constructed in visual images, objects and environments. As we examine how we shape our objects and images, we also look at how we are in turn shaped by them. The major spans a broad spectrum of histories, cultural situations, and methodologies, with a particular focus on modern and contemporary art in a global context, and in relationship with media,
technology and material culture. Art history classes allow students to engage not only a wide range of practices--such as painting, sculpture, public memorial, photography, moving images, sound, and computational media---but also diverse
worldviews from the Ancient Worlds to Italian Renaissance, from 19th-20th century Europe and Americas to present-day East Asia, from New York to West Africa. Our students acquire a historical understanding of intellectual and social issues that shape our own time, and develop skills of observation, interpretation, and communication that will allow them to become active contributors, critics, and creators. Many of our graduates take positions at art institutions or other arts-related businesses and nonprofits, but they also succeed in many other fields that value astute perception and advanced fluency in written, verbal, and visual expression.
The major in Art History and Criticism (ARH) leads to the Bachelor of Arts degree. All courses offered for the major must be passed with a letter grade of C or higher. Transfer students must complete a minimum of 12 credits in section II and III at Stony Brook. In planning coursework, please note that enrollment in any course is contingent on requirements stated in the bulletin, and that upper-level courses often coordinate with specific lower-level prerequisites.
1. Required (3 credits):
2.
Foundations (9
credits):
Choose three courses from the following two categories, with at least one course selected from each category
:
3. Advanced (15 credits):
4. Required (3 credits):
5. Electives (9 credits)
Any additional ARH or ARS courses, including those listed above and:
6. Upper-Division Writing Requirement:
ARH 400 or any ARH course certified WRTD. The university requires that students demonstrate adequate writing skills in their major. Students should consult with the department advisor to ensure that their plan for completing the Upper-Division Writing Requirement is consistent with university graduation requirements for General Education. Students completing the Stony Brook
Curriculum (SBC) must complete a course that satisfies the "Write Effectively within One's Discipline" (WRTD) learning objective to graduate. The Upper-Division Writing Requirement is consistent in most cases with the SBC learning outcomes for WRTD.
Students should consult with the department advisor to ensure that their plan for completing the Upper Division Writing Requirement is consistent with university graduation requirements for General Education. Students completing the Stony Brook Curriculum (SBC) must complete a course that satisfies the "Write Effectively within One's Discipline" (WRTD) learning objective to graduate. The Upper Division Writing Requirement is consistent in most cases with the SBC learning outcomes for WRTD.
With the minor in Art History, the student may choose from broad array of foundation courses before moving on to advanced courses. All courses offered for the minor must be passed with a letter grade of C or higher. Completion of the minor
requires 21 credits in art history, of which at least twelve credits must be in upper-division courses. Art History transfer students must take at least 6 upper division ARH credits for the minor at Stony Brook.
1. Three 100- and/or 200-level ARH courses selected from the following (9 credits):
2. Four 300-level and/or 400-level ARH courses selected from the following (12 credits): ARH 300, ARH 301, ARH 302, ARH 306, ARH 308, ARH 315, ARH 316, ARH 317, ARH 322, ARH 323, ARH 325, ARH 326, ARH 328, ARH 329, ARH 330, ARH 333, ARH 334, ARH 336, ARH 344, ARH 346, ARH 347, ARH 348, ARH 350, ARH 355, ARH 390, ARH 391, ARH 392, ARH 393, ARH 394, ARH 395, ARH 396, ARH 397, ARH 398, ARH 400
| FRESHMAN |
|---|
| FALL | Credits |
|---|---|
| First Year Seminar 101 | 1 |
| WRT 101 | 3 |
| ARH 202 | 3 |
| SBC | 3 |
| SBC | 3 |
| SBC | 3 |
| Total | 16 |
| SPRING | Credits |
|---|---|
| First Year Seminar 102 | 1 |
| WRT 102 | 3 |
| ARH 204 | 3 |
| ARH 206 | 3 |
| ARS 154 or ARS 205 | 3 |
| SBC | 3 |
| Total | 16 |
| SOPHOMORE |
|---|
| FALL | Credits |
|---|---|
| ARH 208 or ARH 209 | 3 |
| ARH 201 or ARH 203 | 3 |
| Language | 3 |
| SBC | 3 |
| SBC | 3 |
| Total | 15 |
| SPRING | Credits |
|---|---|
| ARH 300-level | 3 |
| ARH 300-level | 3 |
| Language | 3 |
| SBC | 3 |
| SBC | 3 |
| Total | 15 |
| JUNIOR |
|---|
| FALL | Credits |
|---|---|
| ARH 300-level | 3 |
| ARH 300-level | 3 |
| Language or ARS | 3 |
| Upper-division SBC | 3 |
| Upper-division SBC | 3 |
| Total | 15 |
| SPRING | Credits |
|---|---|
| ARH 300-level | 3 |
| ARH 300-level | 3 |
| Language or elective | 3 |
| Upper-division SBC | 3 |
| Upper-division SBC | 3 |
| Total | 15 |
| SENIOR |
|---|
| FALL | Credits |
|---|---|
| ARH 300-level | 3 |
| ARH 400-level | 3 |
| ARH 308 | 3 |
| Upper-division SBC | 3 |
| Upper-division SBC | 3 |
| Total | 15 |
| SPRING | Credits |
|---|---|
| ARH 300-level | 3 |
| ARH 400-level | 3 |
| Upper-division SBC | 3 |
| Upper-division SBC | 3 |
| Upper-division elective | 3 |
| Total | 15 |
Major and Minor in Art History
Department of Art, College of Arts and Sciences
Chair: Margaret Schedel
Director of Undergraduate Studies: Lorena Salcedo-Watson
Assistant to the Chair: Laura Sisti
Office: 2224 Staller Center for the Arts
Phone: (631) 632-7250
Website: http://art.stonybrook.edu/undergraduate/ug-arhc/
Minors of particular interest to students majoring in Art History: French (FRN), Studio Art (ARS)