Department of Art
JAMES HIRSCHFIELD, Chair
Professors
Christoph Brachmann, European Art, 1400–1700
S. Elizabeth Grabowski, Printmaking, Painting, Drawing
James Hirschfield, Sculpture
Juan Logan, Painting, Mixed Media
Yun-Dong Nam, Ceramic Sculpture
Mary D. Sheriff, 18th- and 19th-Century Art, Gender Studies
Daniel J. Sherman, European Art, 1850–1960, Cultural History and Theory, Museum Studies
elin o’Hara slavick, Mixed Media
Mary C. Sturgeon, Ancient Art, Archaeology
Dennis Zaborowski, Painting, Drawing
Associate Professors
John P. Bowles, African American Art
Eduardo Douglas, Latin American Art
Pika Ghosh, South Asian Art
Carol Magee, African Visual Culture
Mary Pardo, Italian Renaissance
Dorothy Verkerk, Late Antique, Celtic, Early Medieval
Jeff Whetstone, Photography
Assistant Professors
Glaire Anderson, Islamic Art
Ross Barrett, American Art
Sabine Gruffat, Digital Art
Cary Levine, Contemporary Art
Wei-Cheng Lin, East Asian Art
Mario Marzan, Painting, Drawing, Latin American Art
Roxana Perez-Mendez, Sculpture
Hong-An Truong, Digital Art
Jina Valentine, Mixed-Media
Lyneise Williams, Latin American and African Diaspora Art
Lecturers
Jennifer J. Bauer, Modern Art
Michael Sonnichsen, Photography and Printmaking
Ackland Art Museum:
Adjunct Professor
Timothy Riggs, Curator of Collections
Adjunct Associate Professor
Peter Nisbet
Adjunct Assistant Professors
Carolyn Allmendinger, Director of Academic Programs
North Carolina Museum of Art:
Adjunct Associate Professors
John Coffey, Deputy Director for Art
Adjunct Professor – American Studies Department
Bernard Herman
Professors Emeriti
Jaroslav T. Folda
James Gadson
Frances Huemer
Richard W. Kinnaird
Arthur Marks
Jerry Noe
Marvin Saltzman
For those considering professional careers as art historians (teaching and research), critics, or museum or gallery professionals, the Department of Art offers graduate work leading to the degrees of master of arts and doctor of philosophy. Those who aim to become professional artists should take the degree of master of fine arts. The Hanes Art Center provides exhibition galleries, a departmental library, a visual resources library, offices, study areas, classrooms, and studios. Additional studios and shops are located in the Art Laboratory building on Airport Drive, one mile from campus. The Joseph C. Sloane Art Library has a collection of over 100,000 print volumes and is supplemented by the University Libraries, with holdings of more than 6,000,000 volumes. The Sloane Art Library provides quite study spaces, access to specialized art resources, and houses the reserve holdings for Art Department courses. Graduate students have access to the departmental visual resources library and can use different types of scanning equipment (flatbed scanners, slide and film scanners) to digitize images for research. The VRL has current holdings of 250,000 slides, 60,000 digital images, and 20,000 photographs.
Admission
Deadline for applications will be in December for art history and in January for studio art. The Graduate School application is submitted via the online application for admission. See gradschool.unc.edu/admissions/instructions.html for detailed information and deadlines. This user-friendly, online application is faster and easier than completing a paper application and provides for the prompt receipt and distribution of application information. Individuals who are unable to utilize the online application may request a paper application from gradinfo@unc.edu or by phoning (919) 966-2612.
Master of Fine Arts (M.F.A.)
Overview
The master of fine arts program in studio art is a community of dedicated and diverse fine arts professionals. We recognize and respond to the universal human need for visual expression, and the indispensable role of the visual arts and visual communication in contemporary society. We recognize the necessity of intellectual curiosity and creative discipline as components of a quality learning environment and respect the conversation between intuition and intellect that contributes to transformative art-making. We encourage exploration and experimentation that crosses intellectual and methodological boundaries while simultaneously respecting and engaging the history and traditions of art.
In the context of a research I institution, the UNC M.F.A. program stands as a site of synthesis, where extensive intellectual and creative resources are available to students in their pursuit of self expression. We seek students who are technically adept, critically aware, and dedicated to their passion for art-making. With these qualities as a point of departure, faculty work closely with students to encourage aesthetic and intellectual inquiry, impart versatile skills, and motivate self-exploration. Our resolve is to help students create outstanding works of art.
M.F.A. Curriculum
The master of fine arts degree at UNC–Chapel Hill is a two-year, 60-hour program. Credits are earned through studio practice, formal critique, professional development, and academic electives. Additionally, a teaching foundation class is available for students who wish to prepare for an academic career. While this class is optional, it is required for students who wish to apply for teaching fellowships in the M.F.A. program. Most students take advantage of this opportunity and receive teaching fellowships that provide the opportunity to teach their own class.
Credits for studio practice constitute the majority of credits. These are earned through independent study and critique. All M.F.A. students have individual studio space to support their creative research. With the department’s interdisciplinary approach, students need not choose a particular medium for specialization. They may use different media to express a variety of aesthetic and conceptual goals. This however, does not preclude a media focus, but does mean that media choices are integral to students’ intellectual and aesthetic explorations.
The structure for feedback in the program is through weekly critiques, where students interact with the studio faculty over the course of the semester. A series of formal reviews bring the entire faculty together to evaluate each student’s progress at the end of the first, second, and fourth semester.
The academic component of the M.F.A. program is designed to complement the art making process. The program strongly believes that the decision to pursue the making of fine art in an academic context carries an attendant responsibility to develop the verbal and written articulation of the visual. To help achieve this goal, students participate each semester in a graduate seminar (three credit hours). Contemporary critical issues surrounding the making of art are explored and debated in this group forum. Practical aspects of an art career (grant writing, professional presentation, networking with galleries and museums, etc.) make up the professional development component of the seminar. The balance of these components will vary from semester to semester, reflecting the focus of the various faculty teaching the course.
Other academic credits are satisfied by a requisite six hours of additional course work in art history and/or related fields. Students select these courses depending on the focus of their studio explorations, thus stretching the capacity of their creative work. Usually students are urged to take one of these courses in the area of contemporary art history.
The remaining academic credits are earned through the master’s thesis. This includes the preparation of the thesis exhibition and the writing of the thesis document. At the end of the students’ final semester, they mount a group exhibition of the thesis work produced under the direction of a thesis committee. Students write a thesis statement to accompany the thesis work. A final oral defense takes place during the time of the exhibition. Once the oral defense has been passed, students submit a copy of the thesis statement (along with documentation of the thesis work) for permanent retention in the Sloane Art Library.
In addition to the core curriculum, the UNC–Chapel Hill master of fine arts program supports students by bringing artists and critics to UNC throughout the year. For our Hanes Visiting Artist Lecture Series, artists are typically invited to campus for a two-day visit during which they give a public lecture and provide private critiques for the department’s graduate students. In addition, each semester one artist is invited for a longer two-week residency. Graduate students have the opportunity to interact with these artists in a variety of settings. This program has proved to be a vital conduit for graduate students to see the work of, and interact with, a large and diverse number of professional artists. Additionally, once a semester the department brings to campus a critic, gallerist or other art professional to further introduce students to the professional art world, furthering knowledge and fostering mutually beneficial practical and professional connections and relationships.
Financial Aid for Studio Art Students
All applicants for admission to the M.F.A. program are automatically considered for nomination for merit awards offered by The Graduate School. Additional support in the form of assistantships and/or specially designated awards is administered directly by the department. Students may apply for teaching fellowships after they have completed the teaching practicum course.* Students desiring financial aid should consult as early as possible the Office of Scholarships and Student Aid (studentaid.unc.edu/) for information about work-study jobs and loans.
*Students with demonstrable teaching experience at the college level are exempt from this course.
Admission Requirements — M.F.A.
We seek applications from individuals committed to their development as professional artists. While the majority of applicants hold a bachelor’s degree in art, we also welcome applications from students who hold undergraduate degrees in other fields and can present a strong art portfolio. Students who do not have a bachelor’s degree in art should have at least one basic-level and one intermediate-level course in art history in preparation for the graduate-level course work in art history required of M.F.A. students. Applicants to the M.F.A. program are not required to take the Graduate Record Exam (GRE).
Application for admission to the M.F.A. program in studio art must be made online through The Graduate School. Their instructions for applicants may be found at gradschool.unc.edu/admissions/instructions.html.
Applicants are admitted for the fall semester only.
All applications must be submitted by posted deadlines, and must include the following:
The electronic application via the UNC Graduate School (see gradschool.unc.edu/admissions/instructions.html)
• Graduate School Application
• Undergraduate Transcript
• Three Letters of Recommendation
• Application Fee
Supplemental materials specific to the M.F.A. admission include (See the Department of Art Web site at art.unc.edu/Studio_Art/Graduate_Programs/APPLY_DEADLINES for specific instructions.)
• Statement of Purpose
• Visual Materials for Creative Review
• List of Images Submitted for Creative Review
For more information, contact
Director of Graduate Studies for Studio Art
Department of Art
CB# 3405, Hanes Art Center
The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill
Chapel Hill, N.C. 27599-3405
Web: art.unc.edu
Master of Arts (M.A.) and the Doctorate (Ph.D.) in Art History
In addition to completing an application to The Graduate School (which must include up-to-date GRE scores), the candidate for admission to the programs in art history must submit directly to the Department of Art an example of his/her written work. The writing sample should be no more than 15 pages. All applicants for graduate study in art history are admitted to the program as candidates for the master of arts degree unless they have already received or expect to receive the M.A. degree in art history from another institution. An undergraduate major in art history is not required for M.A. candidacy; however, entering candidates must have taken a minimum of twenty-four semester hours in art history, archaeology, cultural anthropology, or aesthetics.
There are no spring semester admissions in art history.
Degree Requirements for Art History
Master of Arts Degree
The master of arts degree generally follows the requirements of The Graduate School as described in the section on graduate degree requirements in the Graduate School Handbook.
Purpose of the M.A. degree: Both a broad knowledge of world art and a basic sampling of the diverse theory and methods employed by our faculty in the discipline of art history.
The master’s program in art history is designed to be completed in four semesters.
Diagnostic Slide Examination
During the first week of their first semester, entering M.A. students take a diagnostic slide examination (DSE). The purpose of the DSE is to identify one or more areas where the graduate students need to develop visual knowledge beyond their undergraduate background. It is in no way punitive, nor is it graded. Since the field of art history is increasingly global, and our program encourages a global approach, the diagnostic exam serves to assist the new graduate student in identifying an area in which he or she could increase his or her visual repertoire by auditing a survey class offered by one or more of the faculty.
Course Work
Total of 12 courses, 36 credits.
Three required courses: Methods in Art Historical Research (ART 850) in the first semester; Master’s Thesis Writing Seminar (ART 992) and Master’s Thesis (ART 993) in the fourth semester.
Nine courses, of which five should be graduate seminars (900-level).
In order to develop breadth of knowledge, both in terms of content and method, students must take at least two courses whose topics cover the time period before 1700 C.E. and two covering the period after 1700 C.E. Additionally, students must take courses with five different members of the graduate faculty.
Language Requirement
M.A. Degree: By the end of the third semester, all M.A. students are required to have met the language requirement of one language, other than English, appropriate to the area of study. The language will be determined in consultation with the student’s advisor, the director of graduate studies, and the graduate committee. The student can demonstrate competency by obtaining a passing grade on the UNC–Chapel Hill reading competency exam, or earning a "B" (or a graduate "P") or better in a fourth semester or higher language course, or earning a "B" (or a graduate "P") in a literature course in that language at UNC–Chapel Hill. Note: No credit toward the M.A. course work requirement is given for language courses.
Master’s Exam
M.A. students take this exam at the beginning of their third semester. Students who do not pass the exam at that time may re-take the exam at the end of the third semester. Only students who have successfully passed the exam may register for ART 992 (Master’s Thesis Writing Seminar) or ART 993 (Master’s Thesis). The exam is offered only during the fall semester.
Master’s Thesis
The M.A. thesis is completed by the end of the fourth semester of enrollment. The completed thesis must be signed by the members of the thesis committee and submitted to The Graduate School in time for May graduation.
Doctor of Philosophy Degree
The degree of doctor of philosophy generally follows the requirements of The Graduate School as described in the section on graduate degree requirements in the Graduate School Handbook.
Course Work
Ph.D. students take a total of nine courses, at least four of which are research seminars (900-level), plus a final course, ART 994 (Doctoral Dissertation). Two of the nine courses may be taken in other departments as electives for supplementary and complimentary studies.
Electing to pursue an external minor: Ph.D. students may choose to complete a formal external minor, which consists of at least three additional courses in a field related to his or her area of specialized study (such as communication studies, women’s studies, history, or medieval studies). The student must secure prior approval of the minor department, and a copy of the proposed courses to be taken must be signed by both departments and entered in the student’s permanent record in the Department of Art and the UNC–Chapel Hill Graduate School.
Language Requirement
Ph.D. students are required to demonstrate proficiency in two languages (other than English). The first language will be the language that fulfilled the M.A. language requirement. The second language should be appropriate to the area of study, and will be determined in consultation with the student’s advisor, the director of graduate studies for art history, and the graduate committee. Some fields require additional languages and students should study these languages as necessary. Competency in the second language will be determined following the same guidelines as those of the M.A. language requirement.
Preliminary Doctoral Exams
Ph.D. students take both the written and the oral preliminary exams during the semester after the Ph.D. course work is completed. Most Ph.D. students will take the preliminary exams during the spring semester of their second year in the Ph.D. program. Those students pursuing an external minor will take the preliminary exams during the fall semester of their third year.
• Written Exams. Students take the written exams over the course of a one-week period. Students who fail the written exams may repeat them only once. These exams are taken in three parts: first major field of study (six hours), second major field of study (six hours), methodological/thematic area of study (six hours).
• Preliminary Oral Exam. An oral exam will take place within two weeks of the written exam. The oral will be on the content of the written exams and may also include a defense of the dissertation prospectus. The examining committee will consist of at least three members who must be full-time active graduate faculty or adjunct teaching faculty in art history.
• Dissertation Prospectus. Ph.D. students defend their dissertation prospectus orally. If the dissertation prospectus is not defended at the oral exam, this defense should take place within four months of the written exams. At least two weeks before the prospectus defense, the student submits a dissertation prospectus to his or her dissertation committee, which should consist of five faculty members, three of whom must be permanent members of the UNC–Chapel Hill art history faculty.
Dissertation and Final Oral Exam
After passing the preliminary doctoral exams, the student begins work on the dissertation. Once the dissertation is completed and approved by the advisor and dissertation committee, the student defends the finished dissertation. Doctoral students have eight calendar years from the date of first registration in the doctoral program to complete the Ph.D. For doctoral students, there is a minimum residence credit requirement of four semesters, and at least two semesters must be earned through continuous full-time registration on the UNC–Chapel Hill campus.
For further information the applicant should write to the director of graduate studies for art history.
Financial Aid for Art History Students
All applicants for admission who have completed their applications by December 1 are automatically considered by the department for nomination for Graduate School awards. Applicants and students in residence are also eligible for teaching and research assistantships, which are awarded by the department. There are also annual service and non-service awards. Students desiring financial aid should consult as early as possible the Office of Scholarships and Student Aid (studentaid.unc.edu) for information about work-study jobs and loans.
ART (Art History)
Courses for Graduate and Advanced Undergraduate Students
The content of these courses varies slightly from year to year in accordance with the needs of the students and the special competence of the instructor.
450 The City as Monument (3). A city or cities will be considered as cultural artifact(s), with emphasis given to plans and planning, architecture, public monuments and to various institutions, such as religion, government, the arts, and commerce that initiate or affect these urban developments and forms.
451 Women in the Visual Arts II (WMST 451) (3). Prerequisite, ART 151 or 254. Permission of the instructor for students lacking the prerequisite. Discussion of topics related to the representation of women in Western art and/or women as producers of art.
452 Brazilian Modernism (3). Prerequisite, ART 157 or 267. Permission of the instructor for students lacking the prerequisite. This course covers the development of modernism in the visual arts in Brazil from 1917, the year in which a Brazilian artist first exhibited "modernist" artworks in Brazil, to 1960.
453 Africa in the American Imagination (AFRI 453) (3). Restricted to sophomores, juniors, and seniors. Examines the ways African art appears in United States popular culture (advertisements, magazines, toys, films, art) to generate meanings about Africa. Addresses intersecting issues of nationalism, multiculturalism, imperialism, nostalgia, race.
454 Cathedrals, Abbeys, Castles: Gothic Art and Architecture, ca.1130-1500 (3). Prerequisite, ART 157 or 267. Permission of the instructor for students lacking the prerequisite. Covers the development of Gothic church and secular architecture in Europe between 1130 and 1500. Explores formal and constructive progress in architecture (including sculpture and stained glass windows) and social, political, and economic aspects of medieval society that affected these developments.
455 City, Architecture, Art: Nuremberg as a European Artistic Center,1300–1600 (3). Prerequisite, ART 157 or 267. Permission of the instructor for students lacking the prerequisite. The course covers the development of art and architecture from ca. 1300 to ca. 1600 in one of the most important medieval and early modern art centers in Europe: Nuremberg, the hometown of the famous German painter Albrecht Dürer (1471-1528).
456 Art and Visual Culture of South Asia (ASIA 456) (3). Required preparation, any intermediate art history course or permission of the instructor. This thematic course explores how objects and monuments are viewed, experienced, and used in a ritual context in South Asia.
457 Studies in the History of Graphic Art (3). Required preparation, any intermediate art history course or permission of the instructor. Study of prints and printmaking in Western art from ca. 1400 to the present focusing on selected topics.
458 Islamic Palaces, Gardens, and Court Culture (Eighth–16th Centuries CE) (3). Prerequisite, ART 154. Permission of the instructor for students lacking the prerequisite. This course focuses on palaces, gardens, and court cultures beginning with the eighth-century Umayyad period and ending with the 16th-century reigns of the Mughal, Safavid, and Ottoman dynasties.
460 Greek Painting (CLAR 460) (3). Required preparation, any intermediate art history course or permission of the instructor. A survey of the development of Greek art from geometric to Hellenistic painting through a study of Greek vases, mosaics, and mural paintings.
461 Archaic Greek Sculpture (CLAR 461) (3). Required preparation, any intermediate art history course or permission of the instructor. A focused study of sculpture during the Archaic period in Greece.
462 Classical Greek Sculpture (CLAR 462) (3). See CLAR 462 for description.
463 Hellenistic Greek Sculpture (CLAR 463) (3). Required preparation, any intermediate art history course or permission of the instructor. A focused study of Greek sculpture in the Hellenistic period.
464 Greek Architecture (CLAR 464) (3). See CLAR 464 for description.
465 Architecture of Etruria and Rome (CLAR 465) (3). See CLAR 465 for description.
466 History of the Illuminated Book (3). Required preparation, any intermediate art history course or permission of the instructor. Chronological survey of major developments in book painting during the European Middle Ages from 300 to 1450 CE.
467 Celtic Art and Cultures (3). Required preparation, any intermediate art history course or permission of the instructor. This course explores the art and culture from the Hallstat and La Tène periods (seventh century BCE) to the Celtic "renaissance" (ca. 400–1200 CE).
468 Visual Arts and Culture in Modern and Contemporary China (3). This course examines visual materials, including those from fine arts, commerce, popular culture, political propaganda, avant-garde movements, etc., produced in modern and contemporary China as an important means of defining China’s self-identity in the modern and global world.
469 Art of the Aztec Empire (3). This course provides a comprehensive introduction to the art of the Aztec Empire, including architecture, monumental sculpture, small-scale sculpture, ceramics, painting, lapidary work, gold work, and feather work.
470 The Moving Image in the Middle Ages (3). The course explores the range of contexts in which images in the medieval period were made to move; for instance, in rituals, processions, and miracles.
471 Northern European Art of the 14th and 15th Centuries (3). Required preparation, any intermediate art history course or permission of the instructor. Advanced study of painting and sculpture in France, England, and the Netherlands, 1300 to 1400.
472 Early Modern Art, 1400–1750 (3). Required preparation, any intermediate art history course or permission of the instructor. This course explores specialized themes and/or broad topics in Western European art of the early modern period.
473 Early Modern and Modern Decorative Arts (3). Required preparation, any intermediate art history course or permission of the instructor. This course traces major historical developments in the decorative and applied arts, landscape design, and material culture of Western society from the Renaissance to the present.
474 Roman Sculpture (CLAR 474) (3). See CLAR 474 for description.
475 Icons and Idols: Debates in Medieval Art (3). This course will examine theories and instances of image making and breaking from the classical world to the early modern world, covering late antiquity, iconoclasm in Byzantium, and the medieval West.
476 Roman Painting (CLAR 476) (3). See CLAR 476 for description.
481 American Art and the Civil War (3). Prerequisite, ART 53, 54, 61, 64, 77, 79, 80,84, 151, 152, 153, 154, 155, 156, 157, 158, 159, 160, or 161. Permission of the instructor for students lacking the prerequisite. An exploration of the ways that American artists negotiated the Civil War, examining artworks and popular images that addressed slavery and sectionalism, the wartime experience, and the project of Reconstruction.
483 Art, Politics, and Society in France, 1850–1914 (3). An examination of the interaction of artists, criticism, and the market with larger political and social developments in France, with an emphasis on primary sources.
485 Art of the Harlem Renaissance (3). Examines the Harlem Renaissance (1918–1942) as an instance of both transnational modernism and cultural nationalism through study of how artworks articulate interrelated conceptions of race, gender, sexuality, and social class.
487 African Impulse in African American Art (AFAM 487) (3). Required preparation, any intermediate art history course or permission of the instructor. This class will examine the presence and influences of African culture in the art and material culture of Africans in the Americas from the colonial period to
the present.
488 Contemporary African Art (AFRI 488) (3). Prerequisite, AFRI 101 or ART 152 or 155. Permission of the instructor for students lacking the prerequisite. Examines modern and contemporary African art (1940s to the present) for Africans on the continent and abroad. Examines tradition, cultural heritage, colonialism, postcolonialism, local versus global, nationalism, gender, identity, diaspora.
490 Special Topics in the Visual Arts (3). Required preparation, any intermediate art history course or permission of the instructor. This course entails an intensive look at issues in the visual arts, and may cover specialized topics or broad themes from any part of the world or any historic period.
500 Senior Seminar (3). Restricted to senior studio art majors. This course is the capstone course for the studio art major. Topics covered include issues of professional development, curatorial practice, and presentation of works of art in exhibition. The culminating project is mounting the Senior Exhibition.
514 Monuments and Memory (HIST 514, INTS 514) (3). See INTS 514 for description.
550 Topics in Connoisseurship (3). Permission of the instructor. Works in the Ackland Museum’s collection will be studied directly as a means of training the eye and exploring the technical and aesthetic issues raised by art objects.
551 Introduction to Museum Studies (3). Introduces careers in museums and other cultural institutions. Readings and interactions with museum professionals expose participants to curation, collection management, conservation, exhibition design, administration, publication, educational programming, and fundraising.
552 The Literature of Art (3). Required preparation, any intermediate art history course or permission of the instructor. A study of the principal critics and historians who have contributed to the development of modern art history. Also application of the principles to specific works of art.
553 The Body in Social Theory and Visual Representation (3). A study of how the human body has been represented in contemporary art and the relation of those representations to theories of the individual and society.
554 Imagining Otherness in Visual Culture in the Americas (AFAM 554) (3). Required preparation, any intermediate art history course or permission of the instructor. This course examines representational othering of black, Asian, Latina/o, and Native American people in images in the Americas through postcolonial topics like racial stereotyping, Orientalism, primitivism, essentialism, and universalism.
556 Visual Cultures of the American City, 1750–1950 (3). Prerequisite, ART 53, 54, 61, 64, 77, 79, 80, 84, 151, 152, 153, 154, 155, 156, 157, 158, 159, 160, or 161. Permission of the instructor for students lacking the prerequisite. An exploration of the wide field of American art and visual culture inspired by the spaces and social life of the modern city.
561 Art and Society in Medieval Islamic Spain and North Africa (ASIA 561) (3). Prerequisite, ART 154. Permission of the instructor for students lacking the prerequisite. This course introduces the art and architecture of medieval Islamic Spain and North Africa between the eighth and 16th centuries.
562 Islamic Urbanism (3). Prerequisite, ART 154. Permission of the instructor for students lacking the prerequisite. This course explores the development, urban forms, and social structures of some of the major cities of the medieval Islamic lands.
583 Theories of Modern Art (3). Required preparation, any intermediate art history course or permission of the instructor. A study of theoretical issues central to the understanding of trends in modern art (e.g., modernism, the avant-garde, formalism originality).
586 Cultural Politics in Contemporary Art (3). Permission of the instructor. This course will examine the strategies of critique in contemporary art. Organized thematically, it focuses on the tactics employed by artists who address political, social, or cultural issues through their work.
588 Current Issues in Art (3). Addresses select issues that have gained or re-gained prominence in today’s art world, for example globalization, training, the market, and the nature of the "contemporary."
595 History and Theory of Museums (3). Required preparation, any intermediate art history course or permission of the instructor. Provides an historical overview of museums. Serves as an introduction to many of the theoretical issues museums face including: ethics, audiences, the role of museums in society, exhibiting dilemmas.
596 Experience in Research (1–3). Required preparation, one 100-level art history course and one 200- to 399-level art history course. An experiential learning opportunity in independent and original research on a topic or in a field of the student’s choosing under the close direction of a faculty supervisor.
597 Studiolo to Wunderkammer (3). Required preparation, any intermediate art history course or permission of the instructor. This course explores the history of early modern collecting, encompassing scholars’ and merchants’ "study rooms," aristocrats’ menageries, humanists’ "sculpture gardens," and princely cabinets of wonders.
683 Etruscan Art (CLAR 683) (3).
691H Honors in Art (3). Permission of the instructor. Independent research directed by a faculty member leading to an honors thesis
692H Honors in Art (3). Permission of the instructor. Independent research directed by a faculty member leading to an honors thesis.
697 Art History Capstone (3). Majors only. In this seminar, designed for undergraduate majors, students apply their training in art historical methods towards the creation of a geographically and chronologically inclusive online exhibition.
Courses for Graduate Students
In the seminars listed, the topics for study change from year to year depending upon the professor conducting the course. Architecture, sculpture, painting, or a combination of these may be the subject. Consult the department schedule for details on specific courses in any given semester.
750 Advanced Readings Topics in the History of Art (3).
751 Gender and Visual Culture (WMST 751) (3).
755 Museum Studies Apprenticeship (3). Prerequisite, ART 551 or ART 595. Permission of the instructor for students lacking the prerequisite. Provides experience in some aspect of museum work: curatorial, educational, collections management, exhibition design, administration. Requires a minimum of 90 hours and will have an academic component.
763 Medieval Studies (3).
768 Tudor and Jacobean Portraits: A Theoretical and Practical Investigation (3). This course involves close and critical examination of a select body of extant portraits from the Tudor and Jacobean periods in English history (1485-1625) in the collection of the North Carolina Museum of Art. Students taking this unit will play an active role in researching these relatively unstudied works of art.
777 Colonialism and European Visual Culture, 1800–1990 (3). Considers the role of visual representation in the construction of European empire and its associated knowledges from the Napoleonic expedition to Egypt to debates over primitivism in the 1980s.
794 Greek Topography (CLAR 794) (3). See CLAR 794 for description.
798 Roman Topography (CLAR 798) (3).
850 Methods in Art Historical Research (3). This course introduces students to a variety of historical and contemporary methods for the interpretation of visual culture.
910 Seminar in Architecture (3).
950 Problems in the History of Art (3).
952 Seminar in Museum Studies (3).
954 Seminar in Chinese Art and Architecture (3). Study selected topics in the history of Chinese art and architecture.
955 South Asian Art (3).
956 Seminar in Islamic Art (3). Required preparation, 400-level or higher art history course or permission of the instructor. Graduate seminar for critical issues in Islamic art (for example, Orientalism, historiography of Islamic art, critiquing the Islamic city).
957 Seminar in African Art (3).
958 Seminar in Contemporary Global Arts (3). This seminar examines contemporary artistic production that engages, questions, and challenges the narratives of culture and art that privilege Europe and America as the models for understanding cultural production.
959 Seminar in Latin American Art (3). This seminar investigates topics in the history of colonial and modern Latin American art.
960 Seminar in Ancient Art (CLAR 960) (3).
961 Seminar in Medieval Art (3).
962 Seminar in Medieval Art (3).
971 Seminar in Renaissance Art (3).
972 Seminar in Baroque Art (3).
980 Seminar in Modern Art (3).
981 Seminar in 19th-Century Art (3).
982 Seminar in American Art (3).
984 Seminar in Contemporary Art (3). Addresses select topics and theoretical issues relevant to contemporary art.
987 Seminar in African American Art (3). Advanced standing in art history or permission of the instructor. Explores current debates crucial to the study of African American art. Emphasis on the variety of theories and methods central to the field.
992 Master’s Thesis Writing Seminar (3).
993 Master’s Thesis (3–6).
994 Doctoral Dissertation (3–9).
995 Mexico City: 1890–1950 (3). Permission of the instructor. This course examines the visual culture of Mexico City between 1890 and 1950. It also considers works by artists outside of Mexico who were associated and inspired by cultural production here.
ART (Studio Art Courses)
Courses for Graduate Students
700 Graduate Studio Art Seminar (3).
701 TA Practicum (3).
702 TA Practicum (2).
710 Graduate Studio (1–21).
713 Graduate Sculpture (1–21).
718 Graduate Printmaking (1–21).
720 Qualifying Review (2).
799 M.F.A. Graduate Group Critique (3). M.F.A. candidates meet weekly for organized group analysis and critique of their art work. Each candidate presents work on rotating basis before a panel of faculty and peers
993 Master’s Thesis (3–6).