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2022-2023 Graduate Catalog [ARCHIVED CATALOG]
Art History (PhD)
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Program Educational Goals:
Students will demonstrate:
- Knowledge of artistic traditions across a wide diversity of times and places, and also a high level of knowledge in one particular area of study, whether chronological, geographical and/or thematic.
- The ability to write about works of art clearly and with appropriate attention to such factors as style, iconography, condition, provenance and reception. They will demonstrate the ability to present their writing with the appropriate citations of evidence from both primary and secondary, visual and textual, sources, and to use at least one language other than English as necessary for their scholarship.
- The ability to communicate their knowledge concerning works of art in oral form, both to other art professionals and to more general audiences.
Requirements for the Degree:
For students seeking a PhD in art history, the Department offers two routes to degree completion. One is designed for students who hold an MA in art history or its equivalent. The other, the Direct PhD Program, is an accelerated path designed for students who hold a Bachelor’s Degree in art history, or a related field, and are seeking a PhD in Art History. Students admitted to the Direct PhD Program have the option of stepping out of the program at the MA degree. Direct PhD Program Requirements (with BA degree in hand):
Requirements for students in the Direct PhD program consist of a minimum of 36 credits of graduate course work, satisfactory completion of the language requirement (advanced proficiency in at least one language other than English), three credits of ARTH 870 - Master’s Paper , and major and minor PhD field exams. Candidates then produce a dissertation, which is defended in an oral examination. Upon the successful completion of 27 credits of coursework and 3 credits of ARTH 870 , a language exam, and the Master’s Paper, students will be awarded an M.A. degree.
Core Coursework:
A minimum of 36 credits of graduate course work is required, with at least 27 of these credits to be in Art History seminar courses and the other 9 to be selected from additional seminars, graduate lecture courses, or independent study courses, or a combination of these. Chronological Distribution:
Students enrolled in the Direct Ph.D. Program must take at least one (1) graduate seminar or graduate-level lecture course (600 or 800 level) in each of the following four (4) time periods (if a course cuts across boundaries between time periods, it will count as one period only at the judgment of the faculty and in consultation with the Director of Graduate Studies). At the beginning of each semester, all Department of Art History courses will be identified as satisfying the requirement in one (or none) of these areas. Students who wish to satisfy the distribution requirement with courses taken outside the Department of Art History must petition the Director of Graduate Studies in writing before enrolling in such a course, and must receive approval for the satisfaction of the distribution requirement by that course from the Director of Graduate Studies. The list below is not exhaustive and is subject to change. Geographic Distribution:
Students enrolled in the Direct Ph.D. Program must take at least one (1) course in three of the following five (5) areas (if a course cuts across boundaries between geographic areas, it will count as one area only at the judgment of the faculty and in consultation with the Director of Graduate Studies). At the beginning of each semester, all Department of Art History courses will be identified as satisfying the requirement in one (or none) of these areas. Students who wish to satisfy the distribution requirement with courses taken outside the Department of Art History must petition the Director of Graduate Studies in writing before enrolling in such a course, and must receive approval for the satisfaction of the distribution requirement by that course from the Director of Graduate Studies. The list below is not exhaustive and is subject to change. Master’s Paper Requirement:
Three credits. Language Requirement:
The Department of Art History considers the ability to read scholarly works in languages other than English essential. All graduate students entering the M.A. or the Ph.D. Programs in the Department are expected to have upon enrollment or to gain at the earliest possible moment the ability to read works in the history of art in at least one language other than English, as approved by their faculty adviser and the Director of Graduate Studies and as appropriate to their course of study. Proficiency in the selected language will be tested by a Departmental language examination. During a period of one hour, with the use of a dictionary, the student must translate a passage of art historical writing. Ph.D. students must demonstrate an advanced proficiency in the language and be able to comprehend sophisticated art historical writing. Although only one language is required to obtain the degree, doctoral students wishing to apply or be nominated to certain outside fellowships may be required to demonstrate competence in two languages.
Comprehensive Examinations:
The Direct Ph.D. student is required to take the Ph.D. Comprehensive Examinations (including both major and minor field examinations) no later than the end of the second week of the second semester following the completion of Ph.D. coursework, but not before having completed Ph.D. course work and having satisfactorily completed the language requirement. Successful completion of both parts of the comprehensive examination is required for admission to Doctoral Candidacy.
A student’s major and minor fields should be distinct from one another, separated by some combination of geography, time period, media, or other factors as appropriate. Definition of the major and minor fields, although proposed by the student, must have the approval of the primary faculty adviser and the Director of Graduate Studies.
Both the major and minor field examinations are assessed as either passing or failing. An affirmative vote for a passing grade by a majority of the examiners is necessary for the examination to be considered passing. Should the student fail either the major field or the minor field examination, the student will be given an opportunity to take that portion only for a second time. The second attempt to pass the examination must be made not later than the end of the first semester after the first attempt to pass that portion. Failure to pass the examination on the second attempt will result in termination from the program effective at the end of that term. No third attempt will be permitted.
Major Field:
The major field exam comprises written and oral components, both administered by an examining committee. The written component of the exam is designed to test the student’s knowledge of the field (including works of art and significant themes and issues in the scholarship) and critical thinking. After consulting with the student the examining committee will define five to eight broad areas or themes that will guide preparation for the exam. Each area should encompass a broad segment of the field and command a substantial bibliography. A bibliography usually containing 25 to 40 items (a mix of books and articles) for each theme will be prepared by the student and approved by the committee. The exam itself will consist of six questions designed by the examiners to engage the prepared areas. The student will be expected to answer three such questions within a period of six hours. The oral component, a two-hour exam, will be held no more than one week after the written exam is completed. It may return to the questions posed in the written exam but is not restricted to them, and the student may be asked to relate particular works to themes addressed in the written exam. Minor Field:
The minor field exam only comprises a written component administered by an examining committee. The minor exam is designed to test the student’s knowledge of the field (including works of art and significant themes and issues in the scholarship) and critical thinking. Three to five broad areas or themes will be defined by the examining committee after consulting with the student. A bibliography containing 10 to 15 items for each theme will be prepared by the student and approved by the committee. The exam itself will consist of two parts and last for five and one-half hours. The first part will contain six questions designed by the examiners to engage the prepared areas. The student will be expected to answer three questions within a period of three and one-half hours. In the second part of the exam, the student will have two hours to answer three of six questions based on specific works or groups of works which may be visual or textual. Dissertation:
Nine credits. Credits to Total a Minimum of 48
PhD Program Requirements (with MA degree in hand):
Requirements for the PhD for students holding an MA include a minimum of 24 credits of graduate course work beyond the MA and satisfactory completion of the language requirement (advanced proficiency in at least one language other than English) and major and minor PhD field exams. In addition to the 24 credits of graduate course work, nine Dissertation Credits are required. Candidates then produce a dissertation, which is defended in an oral examination. Core Coursework:
A minimum of 24 credits of graduate course work beyond the M.A. is required, with at least 18 of these credits to be in Art History seminar courses and the other 6 to be selected from additional seminars, graduate lecture courses, or independent study courses, or a combination of these. Chronological Distribution:
Students who enter the Ph.D. Program with an M.A. in Art History from another institution must take at least one (1) graduate seminar or graduate-level lecture course (600 or 800 level) in three (3) of the following four (4) time periods (if a course cuts across boundaries between time periods, it will count as one period only at the judgment of the faculty and in consultation with the Director of Graduate Studies). At the beginning of each semester, all Department of Art History courses will be identified as satisfying the requirement in one (or none) of these areas. Students who wish to satisfy the distribution requirement with courses taken outside the Department of Art History must petition the Director of Graduate Studies in writing before enrolling in such a course, and must receive approval for the satisfaction of the distribution requirement by that course from the Director of Graduate Studies. Students holding M.A. degrees from other programs, who have taken graduate seminars offered by the Department of Art History as part of their M.A. credits, may submit a written request to the Director of Graduate Studies to allow such courses to satisfy their doctoral breadth requirements; if the request is approved, the student will still need to complete the 24 credits of graduate course work beyond the M.A. required by the Ph.D. program. The list below is not exhaustive and is subject to change. Geographic Distribution:
Students who enter the Ph.D. Program with an M.A. in Art History from another institution must take at least one (1) course in three (3) of the following five (5) areas (if a course cuts across boundaries between geographic areas, it will count as one area only at the judgment of the faculty and in consultation with the Director of Graduate Studies). At the beginning of each semester, all Department of Art History courses will be identified as satisfying the requirement in one (or none) of these areas. Students who wish to satisfy the distribution requirement with courses taken outside the Department of Art History must petition the Director of Graduate Studies in writing before enrolling in such a course, and must receive approval for the satisfaction of the distribution requirement by that course from the Director of Graduate Studies. Students holding M.A. degrees from other programs, who have taken graduate seminars offered by the Department of Art History as part of their M.A. credits, may submit a written request to the Director of Graduate Studies to allow such courses to satisfy their doctoral breadth requirements; if the request is approved, the student will still need to complete the 24 credits of graduate course work beyond the M.A. required by the Ph.D. program. The list below is not exhaustive and is subject to change. Language Requirement:
The Department of Art History considers the ability to read scholarly works in languages other than English essential. All graduate students entering the M.A. or the Ph.D. Programs in the Department are expected to have upon enrollment or to gain at the earliest possible moment the ability to read works in the history of art in at least one language other than English, as approved by their faculty adviser and the Director of Graduate Studies and as appropriate to their course of study.
Proficiency in the selected language will be tested by a Departmental language examination. During a period of one hour, with the use of a dictionary, the student must translate a passage of art historical writing. Ph.D. students must demonstrate an advanced proficiency in the language and be able to comprehend sophisticated art historical writing. Although only one language is required to obtain the degree, doctoral students wishing to apply or be nominated to certain outside fellowships may be required to demonstrate competence in two languages. Comprehensive Examinations:
The Ph.D. student is required to take the Ph.D. Comprehensive Examination (including both major and minor fieldexaminations) no later than the end of the second week of the second semester following the completion of Ph.D. coursework, but not before having completed Ph.D. course work and having satisfactorily completed the foreign languagerequirement. Successful completion of both parts of the comprehensive examination is required for admission to Doctoral Candidacy.
A student’s major and minor fields should be distinct from one another, separated by some combination of geography, time period, media, or other factors as appropriate. Definition of the major and minor fields, although proposed by the student, must have the approval of the primary faculty adviser and the Director of Graduate Studies.
Both the major and minor field examinations are assessed as either passing or failing. An affirmative vote for a passing grade by a majority of the examiners is necessary for the examination to be considered passing. Should the student fail either the major field or the minor field examination, the student will be given an opportunity to take that portion only for a second time. The second attempt to pass the examination must be made not later than the end of the first semester after the first attempt to pass that portion. Failure to pass the examination on the second attempt will result in termination from the program effective at the end of that term. No third attempt will be permitted. Major Field:
The major field exam comprises written and oral components, both administered by an examining committee.
The written component of the exam is designed to test the student’s knowledge of the field (including works of art and significant themes and issues in the scholarship) and critical thinking. After consulting with the student the examining committee will define five to eight broad areas or themes that will guide preparation for the exam. Each area should encompass a broad segment of the field and command a substantial bibliography. A bibliography usually containing 25 to 40 items (a mix of books and articles) for each theme will be prepared by the student and approved by the committee. The exam itself will consist of six questions designed by the examiners to engage the prepared areas. The student will be expected to answer three such questions within a period of six hours.
The oral component, a two-hour exam, will be held no more than one week after the written exam is completed. It may return to the questions posed in the written exam but is not restricted to them, and the student may be asked to relate particular works to themes addressed in the written exam. Minor Field:
The minor field examining committee will contain two members of the department faculty determined by the primary faculty adviser and the Director of Graduate Studies after consultation with the student. Students should have taken seminars in the area of the minor field as part of the preparation for the exam. Unlike major fields, minor fields may be defined in a variety of ways that may be distinct from the major fields. The scope of the minor field may be proposed by the student but must be approved by the primary faculty adviser and the Director of Graduate Studies.
The minor exam is designed to test the student’s knowledge of the field (including works of art and significant themes and issues in the scholarship) and critical thinking. Three to five broad areas or themes will be defined by the examining committee after consulting with the student. A bibliography containing 10 to 15 items for each theme will be prepared by the student and approved by the committee. The exam itself will consist of two parts and last for five and one-half hours. The first part will contain six questions designed by the examiners to engage the prepared areas. The student will be expected to answer three questions within a period of three and one-half hours. In the second part of the exam, the student will have two hours to answer three of six questions based on specific works or groups of works which may be visual or textual. Dissertation:
Nine credits. Credits to Total a Minimum of 33
Last Revised for 2022-2023 Academic Year
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