Requirements

Art History

Art History Major

The art history major consists of ten courses.

Required Courses
Select one introductory ARTH course (numbered 1100–1999).1
Select one of the following:1
One ARTH course numbered 1100-1999
One ARTH first year writing seminar (1000-1049)
One Visual Arts (VART) course
Select one course in African, Asian, or Ancient American Art History numbered 2000-2969.1
ARTH 2190
Culture and Crisis in Modern and Contemporary Japanese Art
ARTH 2200
Art and Revolution in Modern China
ARTH 2210
From Mao to Now: Contemporary Chinese Art
ARTH 2710
Power and Politics in Pre-modern Chinese Art
Select one course from Ancient and Medieval European Art History numbered 2000-2969:1
ARTH 2090/ARCH 1101
Greek Archaeology
ARTH 2100/ARCH 1102
Roman Archaeology
ARTH 2130 Art of Three Faiths: Christian, Jewish, and Islamic Art and Architecture, Third to Twelfth Centuries
ARTH 2140
The Gothic World
ARTH 2150
Illuminated Manuscripts and Early Printed Books
ARTH 2260 Northern European Art of the Fifteenth and Sixteenth Centuries
Select one course from Renaissance and Baroque European Art History numbered 2000-2969:1
ARTH 2220
The Medici's Italy: Art, Politics, and Religion, 1300-1600
ARTH 2230
The Arts of Venice
ARTH 2240
Monstrosity and Elegance: Mannerism in European Court Art, 1500-1600.
ARTH 2320
Art in the Age of Velazquez, Rembrandt, and Caravaggio
Select one course from Modern and Contemporary European and American Art History numbered 2000-2969:1
ARTH 2410 Sugar, Tobacco, Rice, and Rum: Art and Identity in Atlantic World, 1620–1812
ARTH 2420
Realism and Its Discontents: European Art, 1839-1900
ARTH 2440
Shoot, Snap, Instagram: A History of Photography in America
ARTH 2450
The Art of Making and Meaning
ARTH 2520
Modern Art
ARTH 2540
Contemporary Art
ARTH 2620
American Art I: Colonial Period to the Civil War
ARTH 2640
American Art from the Civil War to 1945
Select two additional ARTH courses numbered 2000 or higher.2
Select two advanced ARTH seminars (numbered 3000–3999).2

Art History Minor

Required Courses
Select one introductory ARTH course (numbered 1100-1999).1
Select two intermediate ARTH courses (numbered 2000–2999).2
Select one advanced ARTH course (numbered 3000–3999).1
Select one additional ARTH course at any level. a1

Courses that count toward the major and minor must be taken for regular letter grades (not Credit/D/Fail), and students must earn grades of C- or better in these courses.

Seminars in Art History

The seminars are intended to utilize the scholarly interests of members of the department and provide an opportunity for advanced work for selected students who have successfully completed enough of the regular courses to possess a sufficient background. The department does not expect to give all, or in some cases any, seminars each semester. As the seminars are varied, a given topic may be offered only once, or its form changed considerably from time to time.


Visual Arts

Visual Arts Major

The major consists of eleven courses.

Required Courses
VART 1101Drawing I1
Select two of the following:2
VART 1201
Printmaking I
VART 1401
Photography I
VART 1601
Sculpture I
VART 1701
Digital Media I
VART 3902Advanced Studio1
Select one 3000-level visual arts course labelled generally as Guided Independent Studio Practice. c1
Select four additional visual arts electives. d4
Select two courses in art history.2

Visual Arts Minor

The minor consists of six courses.

Required Courses
VART 1101Drawing I1
Select one of the following:1
VART 1201
Printmaking I
VART 1401
Photography I
VART 1601
Sculpture I
VART 1701
Digital Media I
Select three additional visual arts courses. e3
Select one course in art history at any level.1

Courses that count toward the major and minor must be taken for regular letter grades (not Credit/D/Fail), and students must earn grades of C- or better in these courses.

A maximum of two studio visual arts courses and one art history course (for a total of three courses) taken at another college or university may count toward the major or minor in visual arts, with departmental approval of that transfer credit.

Visual arts courses without prerequisites are frequently oversubscribed; registration preference is then given to first- and second-year students, as well as to juniors and seniors fulfilling requirements of the visual arts major or minor.

Interdisciplinary Majors

Art history participates in interdisciplinary programs in art history and archaeology, and in art history and visual arts. Art history majors may pursue a coordinate major with digital and computational studies, environmental studies, or education. See the Interdisciplinary Majors.

Visual arts participates in interdisciplinary programs in art history and visual arts. Visual arts majors may pursue a coordinate major with digital and computational studies, environmental studies, or education. See the Interdisciplinary Majors.

Additional Information and Department Policies

Art History

  • Students who received a minimum score of four on the Art History Advanced Placement exam may replace one introductory Art History course (numbered 1100-1999) with any upper-level course for the art history major and art history minor. In order to receive credit for Advanced Placement or International Baccalaureate work, students must have their scores officially reported to the Office of the Registrar by the end of their sophomore year at Bowdoin.
  • Majors and minors in art history may double-count one course with another major or minor as long as the course is cross-listed with art history. 
  • Art history majors are also encouraged to take courses in foreign languages and literature, history, philosophy, religion, and the other arts.
  • A maximum of two courses for one semester of study from another college or university may count toward the major in art history with departmental approval of that transfer credit. If a student studies away for a full academic year, three courses from another college or university may count toward their art history major with departmental approval.
  • Only one course for one semester of study from another college or university may count toward a student’s art history minor with departmental approval.

Visual Arts

  • Students who receive a four on the Studio Art: 2-D Design, Studio Art: 3-D Design, or Studio Art: Drawing AP exams, and complete VART 1101 Drawing IVART 1201 Printmaking IVART 1401 Photography I, or VART 1601 Sculpture I, with a minimum grade of B-, are eligible to receive a general credit toward their degree, but not major/minor credit. If a student has scores for more than one exam, only 1 total credit will be awarded. For information on credit for International Baccalaureate scores, please see the visual arts department. In order to receive credit for Advanced Placement or International Baccalaureate work, students must have their scores officially reported to the Office of the Registrar by the end of their sophomore year at Bowdoin.
  • Majors and minors in visual arts may double-count an unlimited number of courses with another major or minor as long as the course is cross-listed with visual arts.

Information for Incoming Students: Art History

Art history offers ways to understand our world and our histories through the visual arts. We look at the ways people have expressed their ideas, responded to their experiences, and created the world they lived in through paintings, sculptures, buildings, furniture, jewelry, stained glass, and much more.  By teaching you how to look closely, Art History provides you with new ways to think about the images and objects around you.

Art history is offering two first-year writing seminars this fall: ARTH 1022 Living in a Material World: Thinking and Writing with Art and Architecture and ARTH 1027 Saints, Monsters, and Marvels: Visualizing the Invisible in Medieval Art. First-year students are also welcome to join all our 1000- and 2000- level courses. The 1000-level courses offer more general introductions to broad themes in art history: ARTH 1120 Introduction to Art History: The Body in East Asian Art. The 2000-level courses allow students to dive more deeply into specific topics and periods, but there is no expectation that students have any previous experience with art history: ARTH 2150 Illuminated Manuscripts and Early Printed Books, ARTH 2190 Culture and Crisis in Modern and Contemporary Japanese ArtARTH 2560 Women, Gender, And Sexuality in Western European and American Art, 1500 to Present.


Information for Incoming Students: Visual Arts

VART 1101 Drawing I, VART 1201 Printmaking IVART 1401 Photography I, VART 1601 Sculpture I or VART 1701 Digital Media I are recommended to all students as a starting place in the visual arts curriculum, regardless of previous studio art experience. These courses have no prerequisites and presume no previous knowledge or aptitude beforehand, only a strong interest in the subject and the willingness to work. Students who have never taken an art class will be strongly welcomed and encouraged. 

Materials and fees: an endowed fund (the Kaempfer Fund) will pay the cost of art materials - up to $600 for photography courses and up to $300 for other 1000-level courses - for students who have qualified for financial aid. 

Introductory credit: student requests to apply AP credit or previous college credit to the major or minor will be discussed by the department on a case-by-case basis. We do not waive the requirement of VART 1101 Drawing I as a major or minor requirement or as a prerequisite for VART 1301 Painting I.


This is an excerpt from the official Bowdoin College Catalogue and Academic Handbook. View the Catalogue