Departmental Learning Goals

History of Art Learning Goals

1. Knowledge of art and visual culture across a range of global cultures and historical eras in their appropriate contexts
2. The ability to analyze visual imagery in both form and content
3. The ability to find, understand, and work with scholarly and popular texts in the history, theory, and criticism of art, as well as texts in adjacent disciplines that provide historical, cultural, and theoretical context
4. The ability to create and express an interpretation or argument about works of visual art and culture: verbally, in writing, and through the presentation of images

Mapping of departmental learning goals onto Bryn Mawr learning outcomes

• Writing Skills: through our 100-level Writing Intensive courses, and through required essay-writing in all courses across all levels (200, 300, and 400-level)
   
• Research Skills: through required research papers in 300-level courses and a required 25-page senior thesis in our capstone experience (HA 398 and HA 399)
   
• Oral Communication Skills: through discussion in smaller seminar-style courses (100 and 300 level) and through required oral presentations and class facilitations in 300-level seminars and in Senior Conference (398, 399)
   
• Quantitative Ability: typically not applicable, but used in some courses that involve quantitative or empirical methods
   
• Ability to View Problems from Multiple Perspectives: through theory and methods seminars that teach students multiple approaches to studying works of art (HA 398)
   
• Critical Thinking Skills: our 100-level courses train students in critical thinking and writing. These skills are honed in upper division courses that require analytic essay writing.
   
• Problem-Solving Ability: through coursework and praxis experiences, for example work in Special Collections or museum internships to identify unknown artworks and artifacts, practice finding and working with archival materials, etc.