ART HISTORY

The MA (Hons) in Art History will teach you to critically and perceptively assess artworks of all kinds, allowing you to become visually and verbally articulate. The main focus of the course is on the major arts of painting, sculpture and architecture, but it also encompasses the applied arts, graphic arts and photography.

As part of your degree, you will learn to analyse the style, content, meaning, theory and aesthetics behind works of art. You will learn different approaches to art by studying patronage and social significance, and the implicit and explicit ideas behind each work.

Course information

In your first year, you will cover two main areas of study. The first comprises medieval and Renaissance art in Europe and beyond. This provides you with a thematic survey covering painting, sculpture and architecture in Southern and Northern Europe, as well as key points of contact with the non-Western world, from roughly 1300 to 1600. The second is a survey of European art and architecture in the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries. It covers the Baroque and Enlightenment eras, global networks of trade and exploration, and an introduction to early modern Islamic art.

Careers

A degree in art history provides an excellent foundation for a career in museums and galleries, arts administration, the art trade or teaching. As art history is studied in social, geographical, cultural and psychological contexts, you will develop an understanding of how different societies evolve and how art impacts our lives.

Popular career areas for art history students include:

• business and finance
• catering and hospitality
• cultural institutions
• curatorship
• law
• marketing
• media
• public relations.

CHINESE STUDIES

The MA (Hons) in Art History will teach you to critically and perceptively assess artworks of all kinds, allowing you to become visually and verbally articulate. The main focus of the course is on the major arts of painting, sculpture and architecture, but it also encompasses the applied arts, graphic arts and photography.

As part of your degree, you will learn to analyse the style, content, meaning, theory and aesthetics behind works of art. You will learn different approaches to art by studying patronage and social significance, and the implicit and explicit ideas behind each work.

Course information

In your first year, you will cover two main areas of study. The first comprises medieval and Renaissance art in Europe and beyond. This provides you with a thematic survey covering painting, sculpture and architecture in Southern and Northern Europe, as well as key points of contact with the non-Western world, from roughly 1300 to 1600. The second is a survey of European art and architecture in the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries. It covers the Baroque and Enlightenment eras, global networks of trade and exploration, and an introduction to early modern Islamic art.

Assessment

Almost all the modules in Art history are assessed by a balanced combination of coursework and written exams. At Honours level, some modules are assessed entirely by coursework, while others include written examinations.