The goal of the major in the Department of Art History and Archaeology is to explore the history of art, architecture, and archaeology across a broad historical, cultural, geographic, and methodological spectrum. Department courses take advantage of the extraordinary cultural resources of New York City and often involve museum assignments and trips to local monuments. The department offers a major and concentration in art history and in the history and theory of architecture, and a combined major in art history and visual arts.
At the heart of the major is the colloquium, which introduces different methodological approaches to art history and critical texts that have shaped the discipline. The colloquium also prepares students for the independent research required in seminars and advanced lecture courses, and should be taken during the junior year. Surveys and advanced lecture courses cover the spectrum of art history from antiquity to the present and introduce students to a wide range of materials and methodologies. Limited-enrollment seminars have a narrower focus and offer intensive instruction in research and writing. The opportunity for advanced research with a senior thesis is available to students who qualify. The major readily accommodates students who wish to study abroad during junior year. Courses taken at accredited programs can generally count as transfer credits toward the major, but students must gain the approval of the director of undergraduate studies. Similarly, any transfer credit for the major must be approved by the director of undergraduate studies. The form to petition for transfer credit can be found on the department website. Generally no more than 12 transfer credits are applicable to the major. Courses taken at Barnard College and Reid Hall are counted as regular Columbia courses, not transfer credits.
Note: Art Humanities (HUMA W1121) does not count toward the major, and no credit is given for Advanced Placement tests. Courses in which a grade of D has been received do not count toward the major or concentration requirements. Appropriate Major Cultures or cultural diversity courses count toward the major.
Advising: All newly declared majors and concentrators should make an appointment with the student coordinator who will inform them of their assigned faculty advisor. All majors are required to confer with their advisor at the start of junior and senior year to discuss their academic program. In order for courses to count for the major, students must have the approval of their advisors. The student coordinator regularly communicates with majors by email to announce departmental events, museum internships, and other news. If you do not receive these messages, please contact the department office to be added to the listserv.
Art History and Archaeology Course Descriptions
DEPARTMENTAL OFFICE
826 Schermerhorn; (212) 854-4505
www.columbia.edu/cu/arthistory
DIRECTOR OF UNDERGRADUATE STUDIES
Zoë Strother
914 Schermerhorn; (212) 854-3617
zss1@columbia.edu
DIRECTOR OF ART HUMANITIES
Hilary Ballon
907 Schermerhorn; (212) 854-7968
hmb3@columbia.edu
FACULTY
Professors
Zainab Bahrani
Hilary Ballon
Barry Bergdoll
Richard Brilliant (emeritus)
Jonathan Crary
Vidya Dehejia
David Freedberg
Robert E. Harrist, Jr. (chair)
Anne Higonnet (Barnard)
Natalie Kampen (Barnard)
Rosalind Krauss
Keith Moxey (Barnard)
Stephen Murray
Esther Pasztory
Jonathan Reynolds (Barnard)
David Rosand
Simon Schama
Zoë Strother
Susan Vogel
Associate Professors
Kellie Jones
Branden Joseph
Holger Klein
Matthew McKelway
Joanna Smith
Assistant Professors
Francesco Benelli
Francesco de Angelis
Vittoria Di Palma
Cordula Grewe
Elizabeth Hutchinson (Barnard)
Adjunct Faculty
Margaret Ainsworth (Barnard)
Colin Bailey
Carmen Bambach
Dawn Delbanco
Rosalyn Deutsche (Barnard)
Visiting Professors
Timothy Benton
Jesus Escobar
Lecturers
Nikolas Bakirtzis
Kaira Cabañas
Sarah Cartwright
Meredith Martin
J.P. Park
Craig Peariso
John Rajchman
Deborah Vischak
REQUIREMENTS FOR A MAJOR IN ART HISTORY
Program of Study:
Note: The yearlong Senior Thesis (for qualified students; see below) AHIS C3997x-C3998y may substitute for one lecture course. Seminars may substitute for lecture courses and may count towards fulfilling the area distribution requirement. Barnard art history courses count toward the major.
REQUIREMENTS FOR A MAJOR IN HISTORY AND THEORY OF ARCHITECTURE
Majors can take advantage of one of the strengths of the department by focusing on architectural history. This track combines an introductory studio in architectural design with a slightly modified program in art history.
Program of Study:
Note: The yearlong Senior Thesis (for qualified students; see below) AHIS C3997x-C3998y may substitute for one lecture course. Seminars may substitute for lecture courses, and may count towards fulfilling the area distribution requirement. Barnard art history courses count toward the major. Courses in the Department of Architecture, and specifically related courses in urban studies, may substitute for up to two courses in art history with approval of the advisor. Advanced courses from the Graduate School of Architecture, Planning, and Preservation may be available to qualified students.
Up to two of the seven 3-point courses in art history may be replaced by a specifically related course in another department, with prior approval of the faculty advisor. Seminars may substitute for lecture courses, and may count toward fulfilling the area distribution requirement. Barnard art history courses count toward the major.
The combined major requires fulfillment of sixteen or seventeen courses. It is recommended that students interested in this major begin work toward the requirements in their sophomore year.
Advising for combined majors: Students electing the combined major should consult with a faculty advisor in the Art History Department and the Director of Undergraduate Studies in the Visual Arts Department.
REQUIREMENTS FOR A CONCENTRATION IN ART HISTORY
Requirements: Seven lecture courses in art history covering four of five areas as described for the major. Concentrators are not required to take the majors' colloquium, a seminar, or a studio course. However, seminars may substitute for lecture courses, and may count towards fulfilling the area distribution requirement. Barnard art history courses count toward the concentration.
REQUIREMENTS FOR A CONCENTRATION IN HISTORY AND THEORY OF ARCHITECTURE
Requirements: Seven courses in art history, including four in architectural history. Courses must cover four of five areas as described for the major. Concentrators are not required to take the majors' colloquium, a seminar, or a studio course. However, seminars may substitute for lecture courses, and may count towards fulfilling the area distribution requirement. Barnard art history courses count toward the concentration.
SENIOR THESIS
The senior thesis consists of a research paper of approximately 40 pages in length. It is a year-long project, and students writing a thesis should register for C3997-C3998. All thesis writers are required to participate in occasional meetings of a thesis colloquium led by faculty. A new procedure has been established for the senior thesis. Students are now required to submit an application, and a selection process similar to the one currently used for seminars will be instituted. The student is asked to identify a topic for the senior thesis and an advisor from among the Faculty of the Art History and Archaeology Department. The student is then asked to submit an application, with an indication of the subject of the thesis and the name and the signature of the advisor, followed by a one-page statement (400 words) outlining the subject, the goals, and the methodology of the thesis.
The deadline for the submission is set at the end of the second week of the senior year. The submissions are made in the Department's Office, and are addressed to the DUS. The DUS, in consultation with the thesis advisor, will evaluate the applications and decide on their approval or rejection. Students intending to write a thesis should begin formulating a research topic and approaching potential faculty sponsors during the spring of the junior year. Applications for writing a thesis can be found on the department website and are due by September 17, 2007. Senior Theses are due April 4, 2007.
DEPARTMENTAL HONORS
In order to qualify for departmental honors, students must write a senior thesis and have a GPA of at least 3.7 in classes for the major. The faculty of the Department of Art History and Archaeology submits recommendations to the School of General Studies Committee on Honors for confirmation. Normally no more than ten percent of the graduating majors in the department receive departmental honors.
SENIOR THESIS RESEARCH FELLOWSHIPS
The department will offer up to two Senior Thesis Research Fellowships for travel to distant museums and building sites, libraries, or archives. This travel is normally undertaken during the summer before senior year. Fellowship applications consisting of a carefully edited thesis proposal, a budget breakdown, and a supporting letter from a faculty sponsor should be submitted to the director of undergraduate studies.
SENIOR THESIS PRIZE
A prize is awarded each year to the best Senior Honors Thesis written in the Department of Art History and Archaeology, as determined by the Department of Art History and Archaeology.
TRAVELING SEMINAR
Each spring, one undergraduate seminar in the Department of Art History and Archaeology is designated a traveling seminar. The seminar receives funding to sponsor travel over the Spring Break to a distant site related to the subject matter of the seminar.
STUDY ABROAD-SUMMER PROGRAM IN VENICE
The Department of Art History and Archaeology offers two courses in the Columbia University Summer Program in Venice.
For further information about the Columbia University Summer Program in Venice, consult the Office of Global Programs: 203 Lewisohn; (212) 854-2559; fjj@columbia.edu; http://www.ce.columbia.edu/overseas/.
WALLACH ART GALLERY INTERNSHIPS
Columbia’s Department of Art History and Archaeology will offer two internships to undergraduate majors in the 2007-08 academic year. The student interns will be responsible for developing educational programs in conjunction with exhibitions at the Wallach Art Gallery planned for the coming academic year. The programs may be directed at schoolchildren in primary, middle or high school; and/or to mature visitors either from the campus community or the general public. In addition, interns will consult and participate in the development of all didactic opportunities presented with each exhibition including but not limited to in gallery texts, publications, and online resources. Interns will work closely with the exhibition curators and under the supervision of the Assistant Director of the Wallach Art Gallery.
In addition to the time spent executing the educational programs under their leadership, interns will work an average of 10 hours a week throughout the academic year for a total of 24 weeks. (Thanksgiving week, winter break and spring break excluded). During this time interns will research theories on art education, visit other city based programs, design programs based on Wallach exhibitions and solicit participation. The total time commitment for the year is 280 hours or the equivalent of 8 full-time weeks.
Program Goals:
Eligibility: Seniors majoring or concentrating in art hstory in Columbia College or the School of General Studies are eligible to apply. The internship begins in mid-September and takes place throughout the course of the academic year, when the interns lead the classes they designed. Applicants must be students in good standing with an excellent academic record.
Application Process: Applications are due on September 7, 2007 and should be submitted to the Wallach Art Gallery in 826 Schermerhorn. A complete application consists of the following items:
A committee consisting of the Director and Assistant Director of the Wallach Art Gallery, the director of undergraduate studies, and one additional faculty member will make the selection. The recipients will be notified by within two weeks.
Stipend: Interns will receive a stipend of $3,000.
MoMA COLUMBIA INTERNSHIPS
In a new program, up to two paid summer internships at the Museum of Modern Art, New York will be designated Columbia Internships, and will be earmarked for Columbia students. Internships will be available in all departments of the museum. Students follow regular MoMA internship application procedures, available on the MoMA website.
EVENING COURSES
The department normally offers Art Humanities (HUMA W1121) and one lecture course in the evening every term.
COURSES OF INSTRUCTION (for a detailed description of each course, see the Art History and Archaeology Course Descriptions)