BA Art History

The study of art history encompasses the visual art, architecture, and material culture of a wide range of regions and historical periods. Art history courses develop students' skills in visual analysis, interpretation of images and texts, use of historical sources, and engagement with scholarly debates. So conceived, the study of art is an element of a general, liberal arts education; the skills of analytical thinking, logical argument, and clear verbal expression necessary to the program are basic to most fields. While maintaining the University of Chicago s traditional emphasis on the life of the mind, the program in art history prepares students for advanced study at the graduate level as well as for a wide array of careers involving visual acuity, design, research, and analysis.