Art History

Art History BA

Capstone Program

The Art History Department offers a designated capstone program for undergraduate majors. Students have options for completing a senior honors thesis, a directed independent study, an advanced undergraduate seminar, a museum studies internship, a research assistantship, or a faculty-approved upper-division course that includes additional coursework culminating in the completion of a capstone paper. Through their capstone work, students are expected to conceive and execute a research or creative project; identify and evaluate documentation relevant to the discipline; develop an enhanced capacity for writing and research, critical and analytical thinking, and competent familiarity with art historical methodologies; and identify and articulate these arguments within art historical discourse and areas of specialization. The capstone experience also enables students to develop an enriched understanding of the foundations of the discipline, as well as the current landscape of the field.

The Art History major has the following learning outcomes:

• Accurate identification of major works of art within periods, cultures, or genres comprising various art history subfields
• Analysis of individual works of art using appropriate art history terminology; and placement of them in their aesthetic, historical, and cultural contexts
• Identification and characterization of significant artistic traditions from chronologically and culturally disparate societies
• Conduct original research, employing appropriate art history theories and methods, and critical use of primary and secondary sources
• Formulation of effective and convincing written and oral arguments, and placement of them within the larger interpretive traditions of the field

Required: Two courses from Art History 20 through 25 and two courses from 27 through 31. It is strongly recommended that the courses be taken prior to enrollment in upper-division courses. Some of these courses serve as requisites to certain upper-division courses.

Transfer applicants to the Art History major with 90 or more units must complete as many of the following introductory courses as possible prior to admission to UCLA: two art history courses in ancient, Renaissance and baroque, medieval, or modern art and two courses in African, Asian, or pre-Columbian art.

Refer to the UCLA transfer admission guide for up-to-date information regarding transfer selection for admission.

Required: Eleven upper-division art history courses as follows:

1. One course from each of the following three historical periods; (a) ancient/medieval before 1400 — Art History M110A, M110B, M110C, M111, M112A through M112D, M113A, M113B, M114A through C114D, CM115A through C115F, C116A, C116B, C117A, C117B, M118A, 119A, 119B, CM139A, C148A, C148B, 154A, (b) early modern, 1400 to 1700 — courses 121A through 121D, 124, C125A, 125B, C126, C139B, C139C, C141, C148C, C148E, C152B, C152C, 154B, and (c) modern/contemporary, 1700 to present — courses M118B, 127A, 127B, M127C, C128A, C128B, C128C, C129A, C129B, C129C, 130, C131A, C131B, C131C, 132, C133A through 133E, CM135A, CM135B, C136A, C142A, C142B, C145B, C148D, 154D, C160, C170A
2. Three courses from at least three of the following five geographic regions: (a) Africa — Art History C145A, C145B, C146A, (b) Asia — courses C148A through C148E, C149, 150A, C150B, C151, 152A through C152D, C153, 154A through 154D, C155, 156, C158A, (c) Europe and U.S. — courses C115B through C115F, 121A through 121D, 124, C125A, 125B, C126, 127A, 127B, M127C, C129A, C129B, C129C, C131A, C131B, C131C, C133A through 133E, CM135A, CM135B, 137, C170A, (d) Latin America and Caribbean — courses CM139A, C139B, C139C, C140, C141, C142A, C142B, 143, 144, and (e) Mediterranean, Middle East, and Near East — courses M110A, M110B, M110C, M111, M112A through M112D, M113A, M113B, M114A, M114B, M114C, C115A, 119A, 119B
3. Additional art history electives selected from courses 100 through 185 (20 units minimum); courses 196, 197A, and 197B may also be included. With prior approval of the undergraduate adviser, one of these courses may be taken in another department

While the department does not require language training beyond the College requirement, Art History majors, particularly those planning graduate work, are strongly encouraged to study foreign languages beyond what is required by the College.

Each course must be taken for a letter grade.

The honors program is designed for Art History majors who are interested in carrying out an independent research project that culminates in a departmental honors thesis of approximately 30 pages. The program gives qualified students the opportunity to work closely with individual professors on an in-depth supervised research and writing project.

All senior Art History majors who have completed a minimum of six upper-division art history courses with a departmental grade-point average of 3.5 or better and an overall GPA of 3.0 or better are eligible to apply. Consult the art history student affairs officer no later than the beginning of fall quarter of the senior year.

To qualify for graduation with honors, students must (1) complete all requirements for the major, (2) have a cumulative grade-point average of 3.5 or better in upper-division courses in the department and an overall GPA of 3.0 or better, and (3) complete Art History 198A and 198B with grades of A- or better.

To qualify for graduation with highest honors, students must (1) complete all requirements for the major, (2) have a cumulative GPA of 3.85 or better in upper-division courses in the department and an overall GPA of 3.65 or better, and (3) complete courses 198A and 198B with grades of A.