Art History - BA (Hons)

This programme provides an opportunity to undertake an internship and we offer all our students support with their CVs and personal statements. In this way, the degree offers both a strong grounding in the foundations of art historical study and an expansive approach to developing career skills.

Knowledge and understanding

You gain knowledge and understanding of:

• particular forms of the visual arts and the way in which they can be interpreted
• the historical evolution of visual traditions, artistic movements, media and genres of art
• the works of a range of significant artists, in particular from the Renaissance to the present day
• the cultural, social and historical contexts in which works of art are produced, and the uses to which they are put
• the techniques and processes through which artefacts are constructed in the cultures studied
• modes, formal conventions and styles of representation in the fine arts, photography and related visual media
• critical tools, theories and concepts that have evolved for interpreting works of art
• methodologies and approaches to the study of visual arts, including the terminology used in art history
• substantive areas of current research in history of art.

Intellectual skills

You develop intellectual abilities in the following:

• engage critically with major thinkers, intellectual paradigms, scholarly literature and issues and debates within art history
• understand the historical emergence of forms of visual culture and the discipline of art history
• undertake informed examination of the social and historical context in which art is produced
• combine empirical and historical information with relevant conepts in articulating your knowledge and understanding of the discpline of art history
• apply your knowledge and experience to address problems within the subject
• analyse and interpret works of art in a manner that demonstrates critical evaluation and contextual understanding
• critically reflect upon your own work and your understanding of the subject in an open-minded and receptive manner to unfamiliar artefacts, issues and ideas
• conduct various forms of research for essays, projects, seminar assignments and dissertations involving independent inquiry
• formulate appropriate research questions and employ suitable methods and reources for exploring those questions
• draw upon and evaluate a range of sources and the conceptual frameworks appropriate to researching in the chosen subject area
• reflect upon the underlying cultural and epistemological assumptions that structure the understanding of the chosen subject.

Subject-specific skills

You gain subject specific skills in the following:

• analyse and interpret visual artefacts with an informed knowledge of the conventions of visual traditions
• critical skills of visual observation, description and analysis
• the effect deployment of terms and concepts specific to history of art
• locate and evaluate evidence from a wide range of primary and secondary sources (visual, oral or textual) and interpret it in relation to relevant issues and inquiries
• draw upon and bring together ideas from different sources of knowledge, not only from the subject area but also from other academic disciplines
• articulate an understanding of visual media orally and in writing
• demonstrate the ability to marshal an argument, summarise and defend or critique a particular interpretation or analysis supported by relevant visual, textual or other evidence as appropriate
• evaluate a range of different methodologies and approaches within the subject.

Transferable skills

You gain transferable skills in the following:

• organise information clearly, respond to written sources, present information orally and adapt your style for different audiences, use images as a communication tool; present arguments cogently and effectively in written, spoken or other form
• IT – produce written documents, undertake online research, communicate using email and process information using databases
• explore your personal strengths and weaknesses, critical and analytical skills, self-discipline and self-direction, independence of thought, time management and develop specialist learning skills, such as foreign languages, seek and utilise feedback and critically reflect upon and improve your own performance
• working with others, in particular define and review the work of others, work co-operatively on group tasks and understand how groups function
• problem solving – identify and define problems, explore alternative solutions and discriminate between them. Focus and apply attention to detail and to work dilligently to fulfil briefs and deadlines and take responsibility for your own work.