Department of Art and Art History (GRAD)

For those considering professional careers as art historians (teaching and research), critics, or museum and gallery professionals, the Department of Art and Art History offers graduate work leading to the degrees of master of arts and doctor of philosophy. Those who aim to become professional artists should take the degree of master of fine arts in studio art.

The department houses many resources that are vital to our programs. The Hanes Art Center provides exhibition galleries, an art library, a visual resources library, offices, study areas, classrooms, digital, photography, and printmaking laboratories, one of several BeAM makerspaces, and artist studios. Additional studios and the metal, ceramic, and wood shops are located in the Art Laboratory building on Airport Drive, one mile from campus.

The Joseph C. Sloane Art Library has a collection of over 100,000 print volumes and is supplemented by the University Libraries, with holdings of more than 6,000,000 volumes. The Sloane Art Library provides quiet study spaces and access to specialized art resources; it also houses the reserve holdings for art department courses. Graduate students have access to the Visual Resources Library and can use different types of scanning equipment (flatbed scanners, slide, and film scanners) to digitize images for research. The VRL has current holdings of 250,000 slides, 60,000 digital images, and 20,000 photographs.

Admission

Deadlines for applications are in December for art history and in January for studio art. The Graduate School application is submitted via the online application for admission. See both the Department of Art and Art History's website and The Graduate School's website for detailed information and deadlines. Individuals who are unable to utilize the online application may request a paper application from gradinfo@unc.edu or by phoning (919) 966-2612. Individuals applying to the studio art program will want to load their images in Slide Room as instructed.

Admission Requirements for M.F.A.

We seek applications from individuals committed to their development as professional artists. While the majority of applicants hold a bachelor's degree in art, we also welcome applications from students who hold undergraduate degrees in other fields and can present a strong art portfolio. Students who do not have a bachelor's degree in art should have at least one basic-level and one intermediate-level course in art history in preparation for the graduate-level coursework in art history required of M.F.A. students. Applicants to the M.F.A. program are not required to take the Graduate Record Exam (GRE).

Applicants are admitted for the fall semester only.

All applications must be submitted by posted deadlines and must include the following:

  • Graduate School Application
  • Undergraduate Transcript
  • Three Letters of Recommendation
  • Application Fee

Supplemental materials specific to the M.F.A. admission application include the following: 

  • Statement of Purpose
  • Visual Materials for Creative Review
  • List of Images Submitted for Creative Review

See the Department of Art and Art History's website for specific instructions.

For more information, contact the director of graduate studies for studio art.

Master of Arts (M.A.) and the Doctorate (Ph.D.) in Art History

In addition to completing an application to The Graduate School, candidates for admission to the graduate programs in art history must submit an example of their written work. The writing sample should be no more than 15 pages. Applicants with a B.A. in art history (or related field) may apply to the M.A. program, the dual M.A./M.S.L.S., or directly to the Ph.D. program. Those who already have an M.A. in art history may apply to the Ph.D. program. An undergraduate major in art history is not required for admission to the graduate program; however, entering candidates must have taken a minimum of 24 credit hours in art history, archaeology, cultural anthropology, or aesthetics.

There are no spring semester admissions in art history. See the Department of Art and Art History's website for more detailed instructions.

Financial Aid for Studio Art Students

All applicants for admission to the M.F.A. program are automatically considered for nomination for merit awards offered by The Graduate School. Additional support in the form of assistantships and/or specially designated awards is administered directly by the department. Students may apply for teaching fellowships after they have completed the teaching practicum course.1 Students desiring financial aid should consult as early as possible the Office of Scholarships and Student Aid for information about work-study jobs and loans.

1

Students with demonstrable teaching experience at the college level are exempt from this course.

Financial Aid for Art History Students

All applicants for admission who have completed their applications by the deadline are automatically considered by the department for nomination for Graduate School awards. Applicants and students in residence are also eligible for teaching and research assistantships, which are awarded by the department.  Students desiring financial aid should consult as early as possible the Office of Scholarships and Student Aid for information about work-study jobs and loans.

Master of Fine Arts Degree

The master of fine arts degree at UNC–Chapel Hill is a two-year, 60-hour program. Credits are earned through studio practice, formal critique, professional development, and academic electives. Additionally, a teaching foundation and professional development course that supports the practical aspects of an art career (grant writing, professional presentation, studio visits, relationships with galleries and museums, etc.) is available for students who wish to prepare for an academic career. While this class is optional, it is required for students who wish to apply for teaching fellowships in the M.F.A. program. Because the majority of our funding is offered through teaching fellowships we strongly urge students to take advantage of this opportunity.

Credits for studio practice constitute the majority of credits. These are earned through independent study and critique. All M.F.A. students have individual studio space to support their creative research. With the department's interdisciplinary approach, students need not choose a particular medium for specialization. They may use different media to express a variety of aesthetic and conceptual goals. This, however, does not preclude a media focus but does mean that media choices are integral to students' intellectual and aesthetic explorations.

The structure for feedback in the program is through weekly critiques when students interact with the studio faculty over the course of the semester. A formal review brings the entire faculty together to evaluate each student's progress at the end of the first semester, and the student's committee members evaluate that progress at the end of the second and fourth semester. The academic component of the M.F.A. program is designed to complement the art-making process. The program strongly believes that the decision to pursue the making of fine art in an academic context carries an attendant responsibility to develop the verbal and written articulation of the visual. To help achieve this goal, students participate in two graduate seminars (three credit hours each). Other academic credits are satisfied by a requisite six hours of additional coursework in art history. Usually, students are urged to take one of these courses in the area of contemporary art history. Students also take six hours in electives in which the students are able to take advantage of upper-division and graduate-level courses in fields related to their studio practice or studio courses that help them advance or expand their technical and material skills. Students select these courses depending on the focus of their studio explorations, thus stretching the capacity of their creative work.

The remaining academic credits are earned through the master's thesis. This includes mounting a group exhibition of the thesis work, curated by and at the Ackland Art Museums, as well as a solo show in the Department of Art's Allcott Gallery; writing a thesis statement to accompany the thesis work; and presenting a visual lecture as the M.F.A. thesis defense that is then submitted to the Carolina Digital Repository.

In addition to the core curriculum, the UNC–Chapel Hill master of fine arts program supports students by bringing artists and critics to UNC–Chapel Hill throughout the year. For the Hanes Visiting Artist Lecture Series, artists are typically invited to campus for a two-day visit, during which time they give a public lecture and provide private critiques for the department's graduate students. This program has proved to be a vital conduit for graduate students to see the work of, and interact with, a large and diverse number of professional artists. Additionally, the Visiting Arts Professionals Program brings visiting critics, gallerists, curators, or other art professionals to campus 4–5 times per year to further introduce students to the professional art world, furthering knowledge and fostering mutually beneficial practical and professional connections and relationships. These guests participate in a moderated, informal conversation with students and also conduct studio visits.

Master of Arts Degree

The master of arts degree generally follows the requirements of The Graduate School as described in the section on graduate degree requirements in The Graduate School Handbook. Both a broad knowledge of world art and a basic sampling of the diverse theory and methods employed by our faculty in the discipline of art history. The master's program in art history is designed to be completed in four semesters.

Course Work

Total of 12 courses, 36 credits distributed as follows:

  • Three required courses: Methods in Art Historical Research (ARTH 850) in the first semester; Writing Seminar (ARTH 991)in the second year, and Master's Thesis (ARTH 993) in the fourth semester
  • Nine courses, five of which should be graduate research seminars (900-level)
  • Students are strongly encouraged to take courses in a range of art-historical fields.

Language Requirement

By the end of the third semester, all M.A. students are required to have met the language requirement of one language other than English, appropriate to the area of study. The language will be determined in consultation with the student's advisor and the director of graduate studies. The student can demonstrate competency by obtaining a passing grade on the UNC–Chapel Hill reading competency exam, or earning a B (or a graduate P) or better in a fourth semester or higher language course, or earning a B (or a graduate P) in a literature course in that language at UNC–Chapel Hill. No credit toward the M.A. coursework requirement is given for language courses.

Master's Thesis

The M.A. thesis is completed by the end of the fourth semester of enrollment. The completed thesis must be signed by the members of the thesis committee and submitted to The Graduate School in time for May graduation.

Master's Thesis Defense and Oral Exam

Students will present their M.A. thesis at an oral examination prior to the formal submission deadline for M.A. theses. The examining committee will comprise the student’s thesis committee. The oral examination will include questions about larger issues raised in the Methods and Writing seminars and thus will constitute a comprehensive examination of the student’s work toward the M.A. degree as well as of the thesis itself. Students who fail the thesis examination may repeat it prior to the end of classes and if successful may apply for the next graduation date.

Doctor of Philosophy Degree

The degree of doctor of philosophy generally follows the requirements of The Graduate School as described in the section on graduate degree requirements in The Graduate School Handbook. Additionally, specific departmental guidelines governing movement through the program, such as the formation of the dissertation committee and scheduling of committee meetings can be found on the departmental Sakai website.

Course Work

Ph.D. students entering with an M.A. in art history or closely related field take a total of nine courses, at least four of which are research seminars (900-level), plus a final course, ARTH 994 (Doctoral Dissertation). Two of the nine courses may be taken in other departments as electives for supplementary and complementary studies.

Ph.D. students entering without an M.A. take a total of 15 courses, plus a final course, ARTH 994 (Doctoral Dissertation). The required courses normally include ARTH 850 (Methods in Art Historical Research) and the Writing Seminar (ARTH 991), with a Professional Development Course (ARTH 852) strongly recommended. Of the remaining courses, at least six must be research seminars (900-level).

Two of the nine courses may be taken in other departments as electives for supplementary and complementary studies.

Electing to Pursue an External Minor

Ph.D. students may choose to complete a formal external minor, which consists of at least five additional courses in a field related to his or her area of specialized study (such as communication studies, women's studies, history, or medieval studies). The student must secure prior approval of the department offering the minor, and a copy of the proposed courses to be taken must be signed by both departments and entered in the student's permanent record in the Department of Art and Art History and the UNC–Chapel Hill Graduate School.

Language Requirement

Ph.D. students are required to demonstrate proficiency in two languages other than English. The first language will be the language that fulfilled the M.A. language requirement. The second language should be appropriate to the area of study and will be determined in consultation with the student's advisor and the director of graduate studies for art history. Some fields require additional languages and students should study these languages as necessary. Competency in the second language will be determined following the same guidelines as those for the M.A. language requirement.

Preliminary Doctoral Exams

Ph.D. students take both the written and the oral preliminary exams during the semester after the Ph.D. coursework is completed. Most Ph.D. students will take the preliminary exams during the spring semester of their second year in the Ph.D. program. Those students pursuing an external minor will take the preliminary exams during the fall semester of their third year.

  • Written Exams. Students take the written exams over the course of a one-week period. Students who fail the written exams may repeat them only once. These exams are taken in three parts: first major field of study (six hours), second major field of study (six hours), methodological/thematic area of study (six hours).
  • Preliminary Oral Exam. An oral exam will take place within two weeks of the written exam. The oral will be on the content of the written exams and may also include a defense of the dissertation prospectus. The examining committee will consist of at least three members who must be full-time active graduate faculty members or adjunct teaching faculty members in art history.
  • Dissertation Prospectus. Ph.D. students defend their dissertation prospectus orally. If the dissertation prospectus is not defended at the oral exam, this defense should take place within four months of the written exams. At least two weeks before the prospectus defense, the student submits a dissertation prospectus to his or her dissertation committee, which should consist of five faculty members, three of whom must be permanent members of the UNC–Chapel Hill art history faculty. 

Dissertation and Final Oral Exam

After passing the preliminary doctoral exams, the student begins work on the dissertation. Once the dissertation is completed and approved by the advisor and dissertation committee, the student defends the finished dissertation.

For further information, the applicant should write to the director of graduate studies for art history.

Professors

Christoph Brachmann, European Art, 1400–1700
S. Elizabeth Grabowski, Printmaking, Painting, Drawing
Sabine Gruffat, Digital Art
James Hirschfield, Sculpture
Annette Lawrence, Painting
Carol Magee, African Photography and Contemporary Art
Yun-Dong Nam, Ceramic Sculpture
Victoria L. Rovine, African Art
Daniel J. Sherman, European Art, 1850–1960, Cultural History, Museums
Hong-An Truong, Digital Art

Associate Professors

John P. Bowles, African American Art
Maggie Cao, American Art
Eduardo Douglas, Latin American Art
Cary Levine, Contemporary Art
Mario Marzán, Painting, Drawing, Latin American Art
Roxana Pérez-Méndez, Sculpture
Tania String, European Art, 1400–1700
Lien Truong, Painting, Drawing
Lyneise Williams, Latin American and African Diaspora Art

Assistant Professors

Kathryn Desplanque, 18th- and 19th-Century European Visual Culture
Martín Wannam, Photography

Teaching Associate Professor

Joy Drury Cox, Digital Art

Teaching Assistant Professor

Jennifer J. Bauer, Modern Art

Ackland Art Museum

Carolyn Allmendinger, Adjunct Assistant Professor, Director of Academic Programs
Dana Cowen, Adjunct Assistant Professor, Peck Curator of European and American Art before 1950
Elizabeth Manekin, Adjunct Assistant Professor of the Practice, Head of University Programs and Academic Projects

Adjunct Associate Professor

Hérica Valladares, Roman Visual and Literary Culture, Classics Department

Adjunct Assistant Professor

Timothy Shea, Greek Art and Archaeology, Classics Department

Professors Emeriti

Jaroslav T. Folda
Arthur Marks
Jerry Noe
Mary Pardo
Marvin Saltzman
Mary C. Sturgeon
Dorothy Verkerk

Subjects in this department include Art History (ARTH) and Studio Art (ARTS).

ARTH (Art History)

Advanced Undergraduate and Graduate-level Courses

The content of these courses varies slightly from year to year in accordance with the needs of the students and the special competence of the instructor.

ARTH 400.  German and Netherlandish Renaissance.  3 Credits.  

The course focuses on a crucial period of German and Netherlandish art around 1500, referred to as the so-called Age of Dürer, which still shows influences of Gothic art but also of new Italian Renaissance. Often based on artifacts of the Ackland Art Museum, case studies explore the interaction of artists and patrons in important art centers of the time.

Rules & Requirements  
Making Connections Gen Ed: VP, WB.  
Grading Status: Letter grade.  
IDEAs in Action General Education logoARTH 401.  Seen, Unseen, and Suggested: Representation and Hollywood Film Censorship.  3 Credits.  

This course will look at the history of film censorship in the United States from the perspective of how such things as the Production Code (Hays Code), wartime restrictions, Anti-communist blacklisting, regional and local censorship boards (for example, Southern Baptist Ministers prior to 1968), late 1960s movements for social change, and culturally and socially-determined moral and ethical standards restricted what could and could not be seen on movie screens in American theaters.

Rules & Requirements  
IDEAs in Action General Education logo IDEAs in Action Gen Ed: FC-AESTH or FC-PAST.
Grading Status: Letter grade.  
ARTH 445.  The Mexican Mural Renaissance, 1921-1945.  3 Credits.  

This course investigates mural painting and state patronage in post-Revolutionary Mexico, from 1921 to 1945, when artists engaged politics in monumental public works. Focuses on the murals of Diego Rivera, José Clemente Orozco, and David Alfaro Siqueiros, as well as on the relationship between art and politics.

Rules & Requirements  
Making Connections Gen Ed: VP, BN.  
Grading Status: Letter grade.  
IDEAs in Action General Education logoARTH 446.  The Invention of the Modern Artist.  3 Credits.  

This class examines the invention of the idea of the artist in the Western world, starting in Early Modernity and ending with the present. We consider the evolution of the artist's social status, the representation of the artist in a variety of media, shifting expectations for artistic training and community, the relationship between the artist and the art market, and different definitions of artistic genius or excellence in art marking.

Rules & Requirements  
IDEAs in Action General Education logo IDEAs in Action Gen Ed: FC-AESTH, RESEARCH, COMMBEYOND.
Making Connections Gen Ed: VP.  
Grading Status: Letter grade.  
ARTH 450.  The City as Monument.  3 Credits.  

A city or cities will be considered as cultural artifact(s), with emphasis given to plans and planning, architecture, public monuments and to various institutions, such as religion, government, the arts, and commerce that initiate or affect these urban developments and forms. Honors version available.

Rules & Requirements  
Making Connections Gen Ed: VP.  
Grading Status: Letter grade.  
ARTH 451.  Women in the Visual Arts II.  3 Credits.  

Discussion of topics related to the representation of women in Western art and/or women as producers of art.

Rules & Requirements  
Grading Status: Letter grade.  
Same as: WGST 451.  
ARTH 452.  Brazilian Modernism.  3 Credits.  

This course covers the development of modernism in the visual arts in Brazil from 1917, the year in which a Brazilian artist first exhibited "modernist" artworks in Brazil, to 1960.

Rules & Requirements  
Making Connections Gen Ed: VP, BN.  
Grading Status: Letter grade.  
IDEAs in Action General Education logoARTH 453.  Africa in the American Imagination.  3 Credits.  

Examines the ways African art appears in United States popular culture (advertisements, magazines, toys, films, art) to generate meanings about Africa. Addresses intersecting issues of nationalism, multiculturalism, imperialism, nostalgia, and race. Restricted to sophomores, juniors, and seniors.

Rules & Requirements  
IDEAs in Action General Education logo IDEAs in Action Gen Ed: RESEARCH.
Making Connections Gen Ed: VP, CI, NA.  
Grading Status: Letter grade.  
Same as: AAAD 486.  
ARTH 454.  Cathedrals, Abbeys, Castles: Gothic Art and Architecture, ca.1130-1500.  3 Credits.  

Covers the development of Gothic church and secular architecture in Europe between 1130 and 1500. Explores formal and constructive progress in architecture (including sculpture and stained glass windows) and social, political, and economic aspects of medieval society that affected these developments.

Rules & Requirements  
Making Connections Gen Ed: VP.  
Grading Status: Letter grade.  
ARTH 455.  City, Architecture, Art: Nuremberg as a European Artistic Center,1300-1600.  3 Credits.  

The course covers the development of art and architecture from ca. 1300 to ca. 1600 in one of the most important medieval and early modern art centers in Europe: Nuremberg, the hometown of the famous German painter Albrecht Dürer (1471-1528).

Rules & Requirements  
Making Connections Gen Ed: VP.  
Requisites: Prerequisite, ARTH 151; permission of the instructor for students lacking the prerequisite.  
Grading Status: Letter grade.  
IDEAs in Action General Education logoARTH 457.  Studies in the History of Graphic Art.  3 Credits.  

Required preparation, any intermediate art history course or permission of the instructor. Study of prints and printmaking in Western art from ca. 1400 to the present focusing on selected topics.

Rules & Requirements  
IDEAs in Action General Education logo IDEAs in Action Gen Ed: FC-AESTH or FC-PAST.
Grading Status: Letter grade.  
ARTH 461.  Greek Sculpture.  3 Credits.  

Required preparation, any intermediate art history course or permission of the instructor. A focused study of sculpture in Ancient Greece.

Rules & Requirements  
Grading Status: Letter grade.  
Same as: CLAR 461.  
ARTH 464.  Greek Architecture.  3 Credits.  

A survey of Greek architectural development from the Dark Ages through the fourth century BCE. Special topics include the beginnings of monumental architecture, the development of the orders, and interpretations of individual architects in terms of style and proportions.

Rules & Requirements  
Making Connections Gen Ed: HS, NA, WB.  
Requisites: Prerequisite, CLAR 244; permission of the instructor for students lacking the prerequisite.  
Grading Status: Letter grade.  
Same as: CLAR 464.  
IDEAs in Action General Education logoARTH 465.  Roman Architecture.  3 Credits.  

The development of architecture in the Roman world from the ninth century BCE through the fourth century CE. The course focuses on the development of urbanism and the function, significance, and evolution of the main building types and their geographic distribution.

Rules & Requirements  
IDEAs in Action General Education logo IDEAs in Action Gen Ed: FC-AESTH or FC-PAST.
Making Connections Gen Ed: VP, NA, WB.  
Requisites: Prerequisite, CLAR 245, CLAR 247, or CLAR/ARTH 263; permission of the instructor for students lacking the prerequisite.  
Grading Status: Letter grade.  
Same as: CLAR 465.  
ARTH 466.  History of the Illuminated Book.  3 Credits.  

Chronological survey of major developments in book painting during the European Middle Ages from 300 to 1450 CE.

Rules & Requirements  
Grading Status: Letter grade.  
IDEAs in Action General Education logoARTH 469.  Art of the Aztec Empire.  3 Credits.  

This course provides a comprehensive introduction to the art of the Aztec Empire, including architecture, monumental sculpture, small-scale sculpture, ceramics, painting, lapidary work, gold work, and feather work.

Rules & Requirements  
IDEAs in Action General Education logo IDEAs in Action Gen Ed: FC-AESTH or FC-PAST.
Grading Status: Letter grade.  
ARTH 471.  Northern European Art of the 14th and 15th Centuries.  3 Credits.  

Required preparation, any intermediate art history course or permission of the instructor. Advanced study of painting and sculpture in France, England, and the Netherlands, 1300 to 1400.

Rules & Requirements  
Grading Status: Letter grade.  
ARTH 472.  Early Modern Art, 1400-1750.  3 Credits.  

Required preparation, any intermediate art history course or permission of the instructor. This course explores specialized themes and/or broad topics in Western European art of the early modern period. Honors version available.

Rules & Requirements  
Grading Status: Letter grade.  
IDEAs in Action General Education logoARTH 473.  Early Modern and Modern Decorative Arts.  3 Credits.  

Required preparation, any intermediate art history course or permission of the instructor. This course traces major historical developments in the decorative and applied arts, landscape design, and material culture of Western society from the Renaissance to the present.

Rules & Requirements  
IDEAs in Action General Education logo IDEAs in Action Gen Ed: FC-AESTH or FC-PAST.
Making Connections Gen Ed: VP, NA.  
Grading Status: Letter grade.  
IDEAs in Action General Education logoARTH 474.  Roman Sculpture.  3 Credits.  

Survey of Roman sculpture (200 BCE-300 CE), including portraiture, state reliefs, funerary monuments, and idealizing sculpture, with emphasis on style, iconography, and historical development of sculpture in its sociocultural, political, and religious contexts.

Rules & Requirements  
IDEAs in Action General Education logo IDEAs in Action Gen Ed: FC-AESTH or FC-PAST, RESEARCH.
Making Connections Gen Ed: VP, WB.  
Requisites: Prerequisite, CLAR 245, CLAR 247 or CLAR/ARTH 263; permission of the instructor for students lacking the prerequisite.  
Grading Status: Letter grade.  
Same as: CLAR 474.  
IDEAs in Action General Education logoARTH 476.  Roman Painting.  3 Credits.  

Surveys Roman painting from 200 BCE to 300 CE, with emphasis on style, iconography, historical development of painting in its sociocultural, political, and religious contexts. Treats current debates in scholarship.

Rules & Requirements  
IDEAs in Action General Education logo IDEAs in Action Gen Ed: FC-AESTH or FC-PAST.
Making Connections Gen Ed: VP, WB.  
Requisites: Prerequisite, any CLAR or ARTH course at the 200-level or higher (preferably CLAR 245, CLAR 247, or CLAR/ARTH 263); permission of the instructor for students lacking the prerequisite.  
Grading Status: Letter grade.  
Same as: CLAR 476.  
ARTH 482.  Art and Archaeology of Achaemenid Persia.  3 Credits.  

This course will examine the history and material culture of the ancient state known as the Achaemenid Persian Empire through ancient texts and archaeological sources. Beginning in the sixth century BCE, this ancient superpower ruled a vast and culturally diverse empire that stretched from Northern Libya to central Asia. Through an examination of key sites, objects, and texts we will explore the history and diversity of this multicultural empire.

Rules & Requirements  
Making Connections Gen Ed: VP, BN.  
Grading Status: Letter grade.  
Same as: CLAR 482.  
IDEAs in Action General Education logoARTH 484.  Culture on the Move: Art, Empire, and Restitution since 1800.  3 Credits.  

This discussion-based course examines the systems of value that confer special status on the broad category of cultural property, then explores a number of case studies of art theft and restitution since the early 19th century, with an emphasis on art theft during World War II and that undertaken under the aegis of European colonialism.

Rules & Requirements  
IDEAs in Action General Education logo IDEAs in Action Gen Ed: FC-AESTH or FC-PAST.
Making Connections Gen Ed: HS, NA.  
Grading Status: Letter grade.  
Same as: HIST 468.  
IDEAs in Action General Education logoARTH 485.  Art of the Harlem Renaissance.  3 Credits.  

Examines the Harlem Renaissance (1918-1942) as an instance of both transnational modernism and cultural nationalism through study of how artworks articulate interrelated conceptions of race, gender, sexuality, and social class.

Rules & Requirements  
IDEAs in Action General Education logo IDEAs in Action Gen Ed: FC-AESTH or FC-PAST.
Making Connections Gen Ed: VP, CI, US.  
Grading Status: Letter grade.  
IDEAs in Action General Education logoARTH 488.  Contemporary African Art.  3 Credits.  

Examines modern and contemporary African art (1940s to the present) for Africans on the continent and abroad. Examines tradition, cultural heritage, colonialism, postcolonialism, local versus global, nationalism, gender, identity, diaspora.

Rules & Requirements  
IDEAs in Action General Education logo IDEAs in Action Gen Ed: FC-AESTH.
Making Connections Gen Ed: BN, GL.  
Requisites: Prerequisite, AAAD 101 or ARTH 152 or 155; permission of the instructor for students lacking the prerequisite.  
Grading Status: Letter grade.  
Same as: AAAD 405.  
ARTH 490.  Special Topics in Art History.  3 Credits.  

Required preparation, any intermediate art history course or permission of the instructor. Selected topics in art history.

Rules & Requirements  
Repeat Rules: May be repeated for credit; may be repeated in the same term for different topics; 12 total credits. 4 total completions.  
Grading Status: Letter grade.  
IDEAs in Action General Education logoARTH 514.  Monuments and Memory.  3 Credits.  

Explores the role of monuments in the formation of cultural memory and identity, both nationally and globally. Topics include the construction of identities in and through public spaces, commemoration of both singular individuals and ordinary citizens, and the appearance of new types of post-traumatic monuments in the 20th century.

Rules & Requirements  
IDEAs in Action General Education logo IDEAs in Action Gen Ed: FC-AESTH or FC-PAST.
Making Connections Gen Ed: HS, NA.  
Grading Status: Letter grade.  
Same as: HIST 514.  
IDEAs in Action General Education logoARTH 551.  Introduction to Museum Studies.  3 Credits.  

Introduces careers in museums and other cultural institutions. Readings and interactions with museum professionals expose participants to curation, collection management, conservation, exhibition design, administration, publication, educational programming, and fundraising.

Rules & Requirements  
IDEAs in Action General Education logo IDEAs in Action Gen Ed: .
Making Connections Gen Ed: VP, EE- Field Work, EE- Mentored Research, NA.  
Grading Status: Letter grade.  
ARTH 553.  The Body in Social Theory and Visual Representation.  3 Credits.  

A study of how the human body has been represented in contemporary art and the relation of those representations to theories of the individual and society.

Rules & Requirements  
Grading Status: Letter grade.  
ARTH 555.  Urban Africa and Global Mobility.  3 Credits.  

The contemporary arts of Africa are framed by urbanization and global mobility. This course examines how artists examine, reflect on, and express visually experiences of these conditions.

Rules & Requirements  
Making Connections Gen Ed: BN, CI, GL.  
Grading Status: Letter grade.  
IDEAs in Action General Education logoARTH 557.  Art and Money.  3 Credits.  

This course explores intersection of art and economics from the 18th century to the present through themes such as value, markets, counterfeiting, and circulation. It examines money as a visual artifact and artworks that engage with monetary questions in the context of art history and Western economic theory.

Rules & Requirements  
IDEAs in Action General Education logo IDEAs in Action Gen Ed: FC-AESTH or FC-PAST.
Making Connections Gen Ed: VP, NA.  
Grading Status: Letter grade.  
ARTH 583.  Theories of Modern Art.  3 Credits.  

Required preparation, any intermediate art history course or permission of the instructor. A study of theoretical issues central to the understanding of trends in modern art (e.g., modernism, the avant-garde, formalism originality).

Rules & Requirements  
Grading Status: Letter grade.  
ARTH 586.  Cultural Politics in Contemporary Art.  3 Credits.  

Permission of the instructor. This course will examine strategies of critique in contemporary art. Organized thematically, it focuses on the tactics employed by artists who address political, social, or cultural issues through their work.

Rules & Requirements  
Grading Status: Letter grade.  
IDEAs in Action General Education logoARTH 588.  Current Issues in Art.  3 Credits.  

Addresses select issues that have gained or re-gained prominence in today's art world, for example globalization, training, the market, and the nature of the "contemporary."

Rules & Requirements  
IDEAs in Action General Education logo IDEAs in Action Gen Ed: FC-AESTH.
Making Connections Gen Ed: VP, NA.  
Grading Status: Letter grade.  
IDEAs in Action General Education logoARTH 592.  History and Theory of Museums.  3 Credits.  

Required preparation, any intermediate art history course or permission of the instructor. Provides an historical overview of museums. Serves as an introduction to many of the theoretical issues museums face including: ethics, audiences, the role of museums in society, exhibiting dilemmas.

Rules & Requirements  
IDEAs in Action General Education logo IDEAs in Action Gen Ed: FC-AESTH or FC-PAST.
Grading Status: Letter grade.  
IDEAs in Action General Education logoARTH 595.  Experience in Research.  1-3 Credits.  

Required preparation, one 100-level art history course and one 200- to 399-level art history course. An experiential learning opportunity in independent and original research on a topic or in a field of the student's choosing under the close direction of a faculty supervisor.

Rules & Requirements  
IDEAs in Action General Education logo IDEAs in Action Gen Ed: RESEARCH.
Making Connections Gen Ed: VP, EE- Mentored Research.  
Repeat Rules: May be repeated for credit. 6 total credits. 2 total completions.  
Grading Status: Letter grade.  
IDEAs in Action General Education logoARTH 691H.  Honors in Art History.  3 Credits.  

Permission of the instructor. Independent research directed by a faculty member leading to an honors thesis.

Rules & Requirements  
IDEAs in Action General Education logo IDEAs in Action Gen Ed: RESEARCH.
Making Connections Gen Ed: EE- Mentored Research.  
Grading Status: Letter grade.  
IDEAs in Action General Education logoARTH 692H.  Honors in Art History.  3 Credits.  

Permission of the instructor. Independent research directed by a faculty member leading to an honors thesis.

Rules & Requirements  
IDEAs in Action General Education logo IDEAs in Action Gen Ed: RESEARCH.
Making Connections Gen Ed: EE- Mentored Research.  
Grading Status: Letter grade.  

Graduate-level Courses

In the seminars listed, the topics for study change from year to year depending upon the professor conducting the course. Architecture, sculpture, painting, or a combination of these may be the subject. Consult the department schedule for details on specific courses in any given semester.

ARTH 750.  Advanced Readings Topics in the History of Art.  1-3 Credits.  
Rules & Requirements  
Repeat Rules: May be repeated for credit; may be repeated in the same term for different topics; 9 total credits. 3 total completions.  
Grading Status: Letter grade.  
ARTH 751.  Gender and Visual Culture.  3 Credits.  
Rules & Requirements  
Grading Status: Letter grade.  
Same as: WGST 751.  
ARTH 755.  Museum Studies Apprenticeship.  3 Credits.  

Provides experience in some aspect of museum work: curatorial, educational, collections management, exhibition design, administration. Requires a minimum of 90 hours and will have an academic component.

Rules & Requirements  
Requisites: Prerequisite, ARTH 551 or ARTH 592; permission of the instructor for students lacking the prerequisite.  
Repeat Rules: May be repeated for credit.   
Grading Status: Letter grade.  
ARTH 763.  Medieval Studies.  3 Credits.  
Rules & Requirements  
Grading Status: Letter grade.  
ARTH 777.  Colonialism and European Visual Culture, 1800-1990.  3 Credits.  

Considers the role of visual representation in the construction of European empire and its associated knowledges from the Napoleonic expedition to Egypt to debates over primitivism in the 1980s.

Rules & Requirements  
Grading Status: Letter grade.  
Same as: HIST 777.  
ARTH 794.  Greek Topography.  3 Credits.  

Study of chief archaeological sites of Greece and of existing buildings and monuments. Attention to the problems of excavation and the role of the sites in Greek history.

Rules & Requirements  
Grading Status: Letter grade.  
Same as: CLAR 794.  
ARTH 798.  Roman Topography.  3 Credits.  
Rules & Requirements  
Grading Status: Letter grade.  
Same as: CLAR 798.  
ARTH 850.  Methods in Art Historical Research.  3 Credits.  

This course introduces students to a variety of historical and contemporary methods for the interpretation of visual culture.

Rules & Requirements  
Grading Status: Letter grade.  
ARTH 851.  alt-Methods: Digital Art History.  3 Credits.  

This course introduces students to current digital art history projects and practices as well as methods for approaching art historical research in new ways.

Rules & Requirements  
Grading Status: Letter grade.  
ARTH 852.  Professional Development.  1-3 Credits.  

This course focuses attention on the variety of ways in which scholars in the arts disseminate their research and market themselves. Students will analyze and participate in various weekly writing and oral exercises, but will focus on one specific genre for their semester long project.

Rules & Requirements  
Grading Status: Letter grade.  
ARTH 910.  Seminar in Architecture.  3 Credits.  
Rules & Requirements  
Grading Status: Letter grade.  
ARTH 950.  Problems in the the History of Art.  3 Credits.  
Rules & Requirements  
Repeat Rules: May be repeated for credit; may be repeated in the same term for different topics; 9 total credits. 3 total completions.  
Grading Status: Letter grade.  
ARTH 952.  Seminar in Museum Studies.  3 Credits.  
Rules & Requirements  
Grading Status: Letter grade.  
ARTH 957.  Seminar in African Art.  3 Credits.  
Rules & Requirements  
Grading Status: Letter grade.  
ARTH 958.  Seminar in Contemporary Global Arts.  3 Credits.  

This seminar examines contemporary artistic production that engages, questions, and challenges the narratives of culture and art that privilege Europe and America as the models for understanding cultural production.

Rules & Requirements  
Repeat Rules: May be repeated for credit.   
Grading Status: Letter grade.  
ARTH 959.  Seminar in Latin American Art.  3 Credits.  

This seminar investigates topics in the history of colonial and modern Latin American Art.

Rules & Requirements  
Repeat Rules: May be repeated for credit.   
Grading Status: Letter grade.  
ARTH 961.  Seminar in Medieval Art.  3 Credits.  
Rules & Requirements  
Grading Status: Letter grade.  
ARTH 968.  Tudor and Jacobean Portraits: A Theoretical and Practical Investigation.  3 Credits.  

This course involves close and critical examination of a select body of extant portraits from the Tudor and Jacobean periods in English history (1485-1625) in the collection of the North Carolina Museum of Art. Students taking this unit will play an active role in researching these relatively unstudied works of art.

Rules & Requirements  
Grading Status: Letter grade.  
ARTH 971.  Seminar in Renaissance Art.  3 Credits.  
Rules & Requirements  
Grading Status: Letter grade.  
ARTH 972.  Seminar in Baroque Art.  3 Credits.  
Rules & Requirements  
Grading Status: Letter grade.  
ARTH 980.  Seminar in Modern Art.  3 Credits.  
Rules & Requirements  
Grading Status: Letter grade.  
ARTH 981.  Seminar in Nineteenth-Century Art.  3 Credits.  
Rules & Requirements  
Grading Status: Letter grade.  
ARTH 982.  Seminar in American Art.  3 Credits.  
Rules & Requirements  
Grading Status: Letter grade.  
ARTH 983.  Mexico City: 1890-1950.  3 Credits.  

Permission of the instructor. This course examines the visual culture of Mexico City between 1890 and 1950. It also considers works by artists outside of Mexico who were associated and inspired by cultural production here.

Rules & Requirements  
Grading Status: Letter grade.  
ARTH 984.  Seminar in Contemporary Art.  3 Credits.  

Addresses select topics and theoretical issues relevant to contemporary art.

Rules & Requirements  
Repeat Rules: May be repeated for credit.   
Grading Status: Letter grade.  
ARTH 985.  Fashioning Power.  3 Credits.  

This graduate seminar focuses on fashion (clothing, accessories, style, performance) as the central cultural component for examining power in society.

Rules & Requirements  
Grading Status: Letter grade.  
ARTH 987.  Seminar in African American Art.  3 Credits.  

Advanced standing in art history or permission of the instructor. Explores current debates crucial to the study of African American art. Emphasis on the variety of theories and methods central to the field.

Rules & Requirements  
Repeat Rules: May be repeated for credit.   
Grading Status: Letter grade.  
ARTH 991.  Graduate Writing Seminar.  3 Credits.  

Devoted to structuring an argument, assessing primary and secondary sources, and conducting a sustained writing exercise. The goal of the Graduate Writing Seminar is to produce a prospectus of the thesis by the end of the third semester. For Art History graduate students only.

Rules & Requirements  
Grading Status: Letter grade.  
ARTH 993.  Master's Research and Thesis.  3 Credits.  
Rules & Requirements  
Repeat Rules: May be repeated for credit.   
ARTH 994.  Doctoral Research and Dissertation.  3 Credits.  
Rules & Requirements  
Repeat Rules: May be repeated for credit.   

ARTS (Studio Art Courses)

Advanced Undergraduate and Graduate-level Courses

ARTS 402.  Advanced Painting Projects.  3 Credits.  

This course focuses on the historically rich practice of painting, and is designed to guide the advanced painting student through the research, conceptual, aesthetic, and technical components of a comprehensive studio practice, and developing and maintaining a studio work ethic.

Rules & Requirements  
Requisites: Prerequisite, ARTS 302, 322, or 352; permission of the instructor for students lacking the prerequisite.  
Repeat Rules: May be repeated for credit. 6 total credits. 2 total completions.  
Grading Status: Letter grade.  
IDEAs in Action General Education logoARTS 409.  Art and Science: Merging Printmaking and Biology.  3 Credits.  

This class explores the intersection of two disciplines, art and science. Research skills intrinsic to both include curiosity, close observation, experimentation, and visual analysis. Organized around printmaking projects informed by specific topics in biology, students adapt theory and practical skills from both disciplines to create artworks using several printmaking techniques. Permission of the instructors. Honors version available.

Rules & Requirements  
IDEAs in Action General Education logo IDEAs in Action Gen Ed: FC-CREATE, HI-PERFORM.
Making Connections Gen Ed: VP, EE- Performing Arts.  
Requisites: Prerequisites, a 200-level BIOL course or a 200-level ARTS course, and permission of the instructor; Corequisite, BIOL 409L.  
Grading Status: Letter grade.  
IDEAs in Action General Education logoARTS 410.  Public Art.  3 Credits.  

This studio class explores public art from historical and critical perspective. Students will propose and create works of public art. Opportunities to implement projects will be explored through the Department of Art and other resources.

Rules & Requirements  
IDEAs in Action General Education logo IDEAs in Action Gen Ed: FC-AESTH or FC-CREATE.
Requisites: Prerequisite, ARTS 302, 303, or 305; permission of the instructor for students lacking the prerequisite.  
Grading Status: Letter grade.  
ARTS 413.  Advanced Ceramic Projects.  3 Credits.  

Continuation of ARTS 313. May be repeated for credit.

Rules & Requirements  
Requisites: Prerequisite, ARTS 313; permission of the instructor for students lacking the prerequisite.  
Repeat Rules: May be repeated for credit. 6 total credits. 2 total completions.  
Grading Status: Letter grade.  
ARTS 415.  Conceptual-Experimental Photography.  3 Credits.  

An advanced photography course for students interested in contemporary photographic practices, critical theory, art history, and experimental processes: theory and practice, formal and conceptual investigations, and historical and contemporary strategies will all be given equal attention.

Rules & Requirements  
Grading Status: Letter grade.  
ARTS 416.  Advanced Video.  3 Credits.  

An introduction to the creative and technical processes in producing video art. Students will shoot and edit their own independent video projects. Some class time will be devoted to viewing video art and other media-based work.

Rules & Requirements  
Requisites: Prerequisite, ARTS 106, ARTS 206; permission of the instructor for students lacking the prerequisite.  
Grading Status: Letter grade.  
ARTS 417.  Advanced Mixed Media Projects.  3 Credits.  

Cultural production and practice, theory, and criticism. Pursuit of individual visual projects, formally and conceptually, through theoretical, poetic, art historical, and autobiographical texts, critiques, collaboration, and discussion using all media.

Rules & Requirements  
Repeat Rules: May be repeated for credit. 6 total credits. 2 total completions.  
Grading Status: Letter grade.  
ARTS 418.  Advanced Printmaking.  3 Credits.  

This course is appropriate for students who have had a minimum of three semesters of prior printmaking experience. Students submit a proposal outlining technical and artistic goals for the semester.

Rules & Requirements  
Requisites: Prerequisites, ARTS 208 and any two of ARTS 238, 338, or 348; permission of the instructor for students lacking the prerequisites.  
Repeat Rules: May be repeated for credit. 6 total credits. 2 total completions.  
Grading Status: Letter grade.  
ARTS 428.  Book Art.  3 Credits.  

Required preparation, one additional two-dimensional studio course (drawing, photography, or printmaking). Defining the book as a "multiple and sequential picture plane," this course considers a range of traditional approaches and conceptual departures of the book as a format for creative expression.

Rules & Requirements  
Making Connections Gen Ed: VP.  
Requisites: Prerequisite, ARTS 102.  
Grading Status: Letter grade.  
IDEAs in Action General Education logoARTS 458.  Photo Printmaking.  3 Credits.  

This course combines a technical approach (making printing matrices using photographic processes) with a conceptual framework (the photographic "voice" and its interpretation in printmaking). Artmaking projects explore salient ideas such as appropriation versus capture, documentation, truth-telling and fabrication, or narrative invention using specific technical processes such as photogravure and cyanotype.

Rules & Requirements  
IDEAs in Action General Education logo IDEAs in Action Gen Ed: HI-PERFORM.
Making Connections Gen Ed: VP, EE- Performing Arts.  
Requisites: Prerequisites, ARTS 105 and 208; permission of the instructor for students lacking the prerequisites.  
Grading Status: Letter grade.  
ARTS 490.  Advanced Special Topics in Studio Art.  3 Credits.  

Required preparation, any intermediate studio art course or permission of the instructor. Advanced consideration of selected topics in studio art.

Rules & Requirements  
Repeat Rules: May be repeated for credit; may be repeated in the same term for different topics; 12 total credits. 4 total completions.  
Grading Status: Letter grade.  
IDEAs in Action General Education logoARTS 493.  Studio Art Practicum or Internship.  3 Credits.  

Required preparation, 15 hours ARTS courses. Allows studio art majors to pursue unpaid practicums or internships for credit. Examples include working as a studio assistant or working in art-related fields, such as galleries, design firms, architectural firms, and nonprofit arts organizations. Work undertaken must comply with Federal criteria governing unpaid internships. Departmental approval required.

Rules & Requirements  
IDEAs in Action General Education logo IDEAs in Action Gen Ed: HI-INTERN.
Making Connections Gen Ed: EE- Academic Internship.  
Grading Status: Letter grade.  
ARTS 515.  Advanced Topics in Photography.  3 Credits.  

May be repeated for credit.

Rules & Requirements  
Requisites: Prerequisite, ARTS 305; permission of the instructor for students lacking the prerequisite.  
Repeat Rules: May be repeated for credit. 6 total credits. 2 total completions.  
Grading Status: Letter grade.  
ARTS 596.  Independent Study in Studio Art.  1-4 Credits.  

Permission of the instructor. For students wishing to pursue additional media or thematic study beyond the advanced level. Students register with section numbers designated for faculty. May be repeated for credit.

Rules & Requirements  
Repeat Rules: May be repeated for credit. 12 total credits. 4 total completions.  
Grading Status: Letter grade.  
IDEAs in Action General Education logoARTS 657.  Movie Making Machines: Learning About Cinema in the Maker Space.  3 Credits.  

This projects-based seminar will introduce students to the fundamental optical and technological principles of motion pictures. By using the Maker Space to design and fabricate pinhole cameras, zoetropes, and 16mm film strips, students will gain a deep understanding of the material and technological foundations of the cinema, and the operating principles that are behind not only the classic films of Hollywood's past, but the high-definition digital imaging technologies of the present.

Rules & Requirements  
IDEAs in Action General Education logo IDEAs in Action Gen Ed: FC-CREATE.
Requisites: Prerequisite, ARTS 105, 106, 209, or COMM 130; permission of the instructor for students lacking the prerequisite.  
Grading Status: Letter grade.  
Same as: COMM 657.  
ARTS 690.  Advanced Topics in Studio Art.  3 Credits.  

Required preparation, any intermediate studio art course or permission of the instructor. Selected topics in studio art.

Rules & Requirements  
Repeat Rules: May be repeated for credit. 3 total credits. 1 total completions.  
Grading Status: Letter grade.  
IDEAs in Action General Education logoARTS 691H.  Senior Honors Thesis Project in Studio Art.  3 Credits.  

Permission of the department. ARTS 691H is designed to enable studio art majors to pursue serious and substantial work. In addition to working with the instructor of record for ARTS 499/691H, students work under the supervision of an individual thesis advisor and committee.

Rules & Requirements  
IDEAs in Action General Education logo IDEAs in Action Gen Ed: RESEARCH.
Making Connections Gen Ed: EE- Mentored Research.  
Grading Status: Letter grade.  
IDEAs in Action General Education logoARTS 692H.  Senior Honors Thesis Project in Studio Art.  3 Credits.  

ARTS 692H is taught concurrently with and by the instructor for ARTS 500. In addition to the classroom component, students continue to work with an individual thesis advisor and committee. Successful completion of ARTS 692H allows students to graduate with honors or highest honors.

Rules & Requirements  
IDEAs in Action General Education logo IDEAs in Action Gen Ed: RESEARCH.
Making Connections Gen Ed: EE- Mentored Research.  
Requisites: Prerequisite, ARTS 691H.  
Grading Status: Letter grade.  

Graduate-level Courses

ARTS 700.  Graduate Studio Art Seminar.  3 Credits.  

Graduate Studio Art Seminar

Rules & Requirements  
Grading Status: Letter grade.  
ARTS 701.  Teaching Practicum.  3 Credits.  

Teaching Practicum

Rules & Requirements  
Grading Status: Letter grade.  
ARTS 710.  Graduate Studio.  1-21 Credits.  
Rules & Requirements  
Grading Status: Letter grade.  
ARTS 713.  Graduate Sculpture.  1-21 Credits.  
Rules & Requirements  
Grading Status: Letter grade.  
ARTS 718.  Graduate Printmaking.  1-21 Credits.  
Rules & Requirements  
Grading Status: Letter grade.  
ARTS 720.  Qualifying Review.  2 Credits.  

Qualifying Review

Rules & Requirements  
Grading Status: Letter grade.  
ARTS 798.  M.F.A. Graduate Group Critique.  3 Credits.  

M.F.A. candidates meet weekly for organized group analysis and critique of their art work. Each candidate presents work on rotating basis before a panel of faculty and peers.

Rules & Requirements  
Repeat Rules: May be repeated for credit. 12 total credits. 4 total completions.  
Grading Status: Letter grade.  
ARTS 992.  Master's Project in Studio Art.  3 Credits.  

Master's Project in Studio Art

Rules & Requirements  
Repeat Rules: May be repeated for credit.   

Department of Art

Visit Program Website

Chair

Annette Lawrence

Director of Graduate Studies for Studio Art

Hong-An Truong

hatruong@email.unc.edu

Director of Graduate Studies for Art History

Daniel J. Sherman

dsherman@email.unc.edu