Methodologies of Art History

This is a writing- and discussion-intensive methodology course, open only to first-year graduate students in the department. Besides offering a synoptic view of critical theory and something of a smorgasbord of various art historical methodologies, the course focuses on sharpening students' abilities to look and read critically; to do research effectively; to write and edit research papers; to understand and use the many tools of art historical analysis; to use sophisticated art historical vocabulary (as opposed to jargon); and to construct successful oral presentations. This is not a survey of art history’s history or a comprehensive overview of every method available to art historians. The larger goal of this course is to engage students with new ways of thinking and writing about art and its history, and to help them realize their own voices as writers within our field’s larger discourse.

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With thanks to Ben Levy for the image