Art History

Mission

Art history courses offer students a critical lens into human-made objects, images and sites from across the world: from the traditional media of painting, sculpture and architecture to the wider array of material culture that includes photography, jewelry, porcelain, amulets, bronze vessels, earthworks, happenings, polychrome prints, video art, textiles and illuminated manuscripts. Through direct engagement with these objects, students come to understand the past and the ways art’s history shapes our views of the present. 

The art history faculty is dedicated to exploring art with sensitivity to diverse cultural and historical contexts. We strive to increase critical consciousness about art history’s role as a force of both domination and liberation. We support and encourage building a more diverse and inclusive approach to the art of the past and present by centering the human experience and emphasizing collaboration and community. We aim to foster an environment in which students develop their intellectual curiosity and critical thinking skills as tools for both individual and collective enrichment.

Sequencing of Courses 

Students are invited to enter the study of art history at any level. Regarding courses at the three hundred level, we welcome the ambitious student to enroll in the course with no prior knowledge of the material, but they must be prepared to participate in small group discussions and willing to engage with texts that are longer and more challenging than those assigned at the 100 and 200 levels. 

 

  • ARTH 100 provides a geographically and chronologically diverse introduction to a wide range of artistic practices. Students will be introduced to the fundamental skills of visual and historical analysis. Courses will take different thematic approaches based on the instructor’s expertise.

  • Two-hundred level courses develop more specialized knowledge in particular geographic, chronological, religious and political traditions of art-making. Students will improve their written and analytical skills by working with art made in specific historical contexts.

  • Three-hundred level courses are small, discussion-based seminars that delve deeply into a single period, technique or theme. Students will hone their skills at close reading and collaborative learning.  

  • The Culminating Experience Seminar is an opportunity for seniors to develop an understanding of the methods and theories of art history and devise and present original research.

Double Majors

Students will find that the skills they develop through the study of art history will complement wide ranging interests and career trajectories. Past art history majors have also majored in such disciplines as economics, political science, psychology, management, as well as a host of other social sciences and humanities. 

Careers

Art history is a versatile major enabling graduates to pursue exciting careers at major museums, auction houses and galleries and to apply their art historical skills to the study of medicine, law, business and education.  

 

Art History Major

The art history major consists of a minimum of 8 courses, 7 of which must be in art history and 1 of which must be in art & design. No more than 2 of the 8 required courses may be taken for credit at other institutions. We encourage majors to work with their advisers to develop a course of study that reflects the diversity of historical periods and geographical areas that make up the discipline of art history.

Courses for the major and minor are structured to be non-hierarchical. Though we encourage students to take ARTH 100 early on in their study, it is not necessary that it be the first course taken.

Distribution of required courses for the Art History Major:

ARTH 100Introduction to Art History 11
4 courses taught at the 200 level 24
1 course taught at the 300 level 31
ARTH 402Culminating Experience 41
1 Art & Design course1
1

ARTH 100 provides a geographically and chronologically diverse introduction to a wide range of artistic practices. Students will be introduced to the fundamental skills of visual and historical analysis. Courses will take different thematic approaches based on the instructor’s expertise.

2

200-level courses develop more specialized knowledge in particular geographic, chronological, religious, and political traditions of art-making. Students will improve their written and analytical skills by working with art made in specific historical contexts.

NOTE: At least one course at the 200 level or above must focus on art before 1800 and at least one course at the 200 level or above must focus on art after 1800.

3

300-level courses are small, discussion based seminars that delve deeply into a single period, technique, or theme. Students will hone their skills at close reading and collaborative learning.

4

Culminating Experience (ARTH 402) is an opportunity for majors to develop an understanding of the methods and theories of art history and devise and present original research.

Study Abroad

Art history majors benefit immensely through study abroad. Students planning to undertake off-campus study should consult their adviser about the myriad programs available around the globe. With departmental approval, up to two art history courses taken abroad can be counted toward the major.

Honors

Students interested in pursuing Honors in art history should, in their junior year, contact a faculty member to discuss the process. Should the faculty member agree to mentor the student, they will take two courses ARTH 410 and ARTH 411 in their senior year. These are in addition to the eight courses required for the major. With the guidance of a faculty member in the department the student researches, writes and defends an original scholarly work. For more information, please review the Honors Program website.

 

Art History Minor

A minor in art history provides the opportunity to explore some of the exciting aspects of the discipline without committing to the full requirements of the art history major. Minors will find that the skills they develop through the five-course program will complement their primary areas of study and provide a rewarding emphasis on critical and visual thinking. 

Courses for the major and minor are structured to be non-hierarchical. Though we encourage students to take ARTH 100 early in their study, it is not necessary that it be the first course taken.

The Art History minor consists of 5 courses:

ARTH 100Introduction to Art History1
Three courses at the 200 level or above3
One course at the 300 level or above1

Study Abroad

Art history minors benefit immensely through study abroad. Students planning to undertake off-campus study should consult their adviser about the myriad programs available around the globe. With departmental approval, up to two art history courses taken abroad may be counted toward the minor.

 

Art History Majors will be able to:

  1. Understand the complex relationships between works of art and their historical and cultural contexts (1, 3)

  2. Apply interpretive frameworks to analyze works of art as primary sources. (6, 8)

  3. Interrogate the established conventions within the field of art history. (1, 5)

  4. Demonstrate effective communication to specialist and non-specialist audiences. (7)

  5. Understand how art can be a source of personal and collective enrichment. (5, 9)

Numbers in parentheses reflect related Educational Goals of Bucknell University.

Courses

ARTH 100. Introduction to Art History. 1 Credit.

Offered Either Fall or Spring; Lecture hours:3
Why does art matter? This course will examine artworks from diverse cultures and consider just how interconnected the world has been, how definitions of art have changed through space and time, and how the past continues to inform (and impact) our present.

ARTH 202. Arts Leadership: Museums. 1 Credit.

Offered Spring Semester Only; Lecture hours:1,Other:2
Providing an introduction to Museum Studies and Curatorial Studies, this course covers the history and practices of museums. It reveals how museums perform social memory functions like collection and preservation in the broader field of cultural heritage institutions. It explores museum curating and cultural programming in comparative arts presenting organizations. Crosslisted as UNIV 201.

ARTH 207. Birth of Modern Art: 1850-1915. 1 Credit.

Offered Fall Semester Only; Lecture hours:3
Examination of artists and movements from 1850-1915, including Realism, Impressionism, Post-impressionism, Symbolism, Expressionism, Fauvism, Cubism and Abstraction. Focus on innovations in French painting and urban experience.

ARTH 208. Surrealism to the Present. 1 Credit.

Offered Either Fall or Spring; Lecture hours:3
Significant artists from twentieth century from WWI to the present. Movements: Futurism, Dadaism, Constructivism, Surrealism, Abstract Expressionism, Minimalism, Fluxus, Earth Art, Conceptual Art, Performance Art, Feminist Art, Pop Art, Institutional Critique, Social Practice Art. Readings from textbook, documents, art historians. Grades by weekly writing assignments; one exam and research paper.

ARTH 209. Art, Science, and Magic in the Medieval World. 1 Credit.

Offered Either Fall or Spring; Lecture hours:3
What did “science” and “magic” look like in the medieval world? How did concepts of art, science, magic, and religion overlap, and how do modern definitions obscure premodern ideas about the natural world? Students will develop the conceptual tools necessary to confront these questions using visual evidence.

ARTH 212. Global Decorative Arts. 1 Credit.

Offered Either Fall or Spring; Lecture hours:3
This course examines artworks often undermined as “craft” or “decorative art.” Chinese ceramics, Japanese glittering lacquered screen, and South Asian calico textiles were important financial generators and coveted luxury items. These global artworks sparked artistic innovations but also came at a terrible cost of colonial violence.

ARTH 217. Performance Art, Then and Now. 1 Credit.

Offered Either Fall or Spring; Lecture hours:3
Hugo Ball reads nonsense poetry in a Zurich cafe; Marina Abramović breathes in air from a high-powered fan until she falls unconscious; William Pope L. crawls down Broadway dressed in a Superman costume. This course explores the provocative history of performance art from Europe, Asia, and the Americas.

ARTH 222. Philosophy of Art. 1 Credit.

Offered Either Fall or Spring; Lecture hours:3
Analysis of the creative process, the work of art, natural beauty, aesthetic experience, and principles of criticism. Crosslisted as PHIL 212.

ARTH 230. Awakening: Arts of Buddhism. 1 Credit.

Offered Either Fall or Spring; Lecture hours:3
Examines the centuries-long history of Buddhist image-making that took on many forms across a wide geographic reach: from the sublime imagery on monumental stupas of ancient India, polychrome cave paintings of western China, mesmerizing mandalas of the cosmos in Tibet, and the spontaneous Zen ink painting of Japan.

ARTH 231. Arts of East Asia. 1 Credit.

Offered Both Fall and Spring; Lecture hours:3
This course introduces you to the art of China, Korea and Japan from prehistory to the present. We examine a broad range of objects—ritual bronze vessels, Buddhist temple architecture, Neo-Confucian landscape painting and ukiyo-e woodblock prints—to emphasize how cross-cultural exchanges stimulated new interpretations across time and space. Crosslisted as EAST 231.

ARTH 241. Archaeology of Egypt. 1 Credit.

Offered Alternate Fall or Spring; Lecture hours:3
Survey of the material culture, with emphasis on major architectural and artistic developments and their legacy to modern Western civilization. Crosslisted as CLAS 241.

ARTH 242. Archaeology of Greece. 1 Credit.

Offered Either Fall or Spring; Lecture hours:3
Survey of the material culture of the Greek world from the Bronze Age through the Hellenistic period. Crosslisted as CLAS 242.

ARTH 243. Archaeology of Rome. 1 Credit.

Offered Alternate Fall or Spring; Lecture hours:3
Survey of the material culture of the Roman world from the Etruscans through the late Empire. Crosslisted as CLAS 243.

ARTH 262. Life in Ancient Pompeii. 1 Credit.

Offered Either Fall or Spring; Lecture hours:3
This course explores the history, literature and material culture of Pompeii with the goal of better understanding daily life for all levels of society in the early Roman Empire. Crosslisted as CLAS 262.

ARTH 265. Contemporary Philosophy of Art. 1 Credit.

Offered Either Fall or Spring; Lecture hours:3
An investigation of and focused study of contemporary philosophical issues in the arts and aesthetics more generally. Crosslisted as PHIL 265.

ARTH 310. The Body in Premodern Art. 1 Credit.

Offered Either Fall or Spring; Lecture hours:3
This course will investigate the representation and perception of the human body in ancient and medieval visual culture. Looking at objects, images and sites from across the premodern world, we will examine premodern art through lenses of gender and sexuality, race, health and illness, disability, pain, aging and death.

ARTH 319. Independent Study in Art History. .25-1 Credits.

Offered Both Fall and Spring; Lecture hours:Varies; Repeatable
Advanced problems in art history. Prerequisite: permission of the instructor.

ARTH 320. Independent Study in Art History. .25-1 Credits.

Offered Both Fall and Spring; Lecture hours:Varies; Repeatable
Advanced problems in art history. Prerequisite: permission of the instructor.

ARTH 322. Decolonizing Museums: The History & Ethics of Collecting. 1 Credit.

Offered Either Fall or Spring; Lecture hours:3
This course explores the formation of art collections and the ethical challenges that museums face. Using wide ranging examples from cultural and historical perspectives, we evaluate arguments for and against encyclopedic museums, examine laws aiming to prevent antiquity trafficking, and analyze case studies of repatriation.

ARTH 323. Contemporary Art. 1 Credit.

Offered Either Fall or Spring; Lecture hours:3
Study of key artists and concepts of the past 30 years. Focus on the transformation from modernism to postmodernism in painting, sculpture, photography, and performance art.

ARTH 326. The Art of the Book and Books as Art. 1 Credit.

Offered Either Fall or Spring; Lecture hours:3
This course focuses on developments and changes in the making of books – both print and manuscript – and the images they contain. We will explore how books have been made, read and seen from antiquity to today. This seminar includes extensive, first-hand study of materials at Bucknell’s Special Collections.

ARTH 330. Hokusai and the Global Art of Edo. 1 Credit.

Offered Both Fall and Spring; Lecture hours:3
From luminous golden folding screens to delicate lines in woodblock prints, the arts of Edo (1603-1868) Japan profoundly impacted artists worldwide. How is this art global when seclusion policies of the era forbade foreign travel? Such questions guide our discussion as we focus particularly on artworks in the Samek Museum. Crosslisted as EAST 330.

ARTH 402. Culminating Experience. 1 Credit.

Offered Fall Semester Only; Lecture hours:3
Required for all art history majors. Students will explore individual research projects independently and workshop them in class. The class will culminate in a departmental art history conference where students will present their work. Prerequisite: senior status. Juniors by permission only.

ARTH 410. Art History Honors Thesis Fall. 1 Credit.

Offered Fall Semester Only; Lecture hours:3
Substantial independent work on a topic approved by the Department of Art and Art History and the Honors Council as satisfying the requirements for a senior honors thesis. Focus on research and drafting. Prerequisite: permission of the instructor.

ARTH 411. Art History Honors Thesis Spring. 1 Credit.

Offered Spring Semester Only; Lecture hours:3
Substantial independent work on a topic approved by the Department of Art and Art History and the Honors Council as satisfying the requirements for a senior honors thesis. Focus on writing and revising. Prerequisite: permission of the instructor.