Undergraduate Bulletin

Spring 2025

Degree Requirements - Art History and Criticism

Requirements for the Major in Art History and Criticism (ARH)

The major in Art History and Criticism (ARH) provides students with the tools to explore how the world has been seen, imagined and constructed in visual images, objects and environments. As we examine how we shape our objects and images, we also look at how we are in turn shaped by them. The major spans a broad spectrum of histories, cultural situations, and methodologies, with a particular focus on modern and contemporary art in a global context, and in relationship with media,
technology and material culture. Art history classes allow students to engage not only a wide range of practices--such as painting, sculpture, public memorial, photography, moving images, sound, and computational media---but also diverse
worldviews from the Ancient Worlds to Italian Renaissance, from 19th-20th century Europe and Americas to present-day East Asia, from New York to West Africa. Our students acquire a historical understanding of intellectual and social issues that shape our own time, and develop skills of observation, interpretation, and communication that will allow them to become active contributors, critics, and creators. Many of our graduates take positions at art institutions or other arts-related businesses and nonprofits, but they also succeed in many other fields that value astute perception and advanced fluency in written, verbal, and visual expression.

The major in Art History and Criticism (ARH) leads to the Bachelor of Arts degree. All courses offered for the major must be passed with a letter grade of C or higher. Transfer students must complete a minimum of 12 credits in section II and III at Stony Brook. In planning coursework, please note that enrollment in any course is contingent on requirements stated in the bulletin, and that upper-level courses often coordinate with specific lower-level prerequisites.

1. Required (3 credits):

2. Foundations (9 credits):

Choose three courses from the following two categories, with at least one course selected from each category :

  • Arts in Historical and Cultural Perspective
  • Media, Art, Culture, and Technology
    • ARH 106 Art and Science
    • ARH 207 Digital Media: History and Theory
    • ARH 208 History of Photography
    • ARH 210 Modern Art and the Moving Image
    • EGL 220 Critical Approaches to the Cinema

3. Advanced (15 credits):

  • ARH 300 Greek Art and Architecture
  • ARH 301 Roman Art and Architecture
  • ARH 302 Ancient Egyptian Art
  • ARH 306 Italian Renaissance Art
  • ARH 308 Writing About Art
  • ARH 315 Art of Spain and Colonial Latin America
  • ARH 316 Italian Baroque Art
  • ARH 317 Islamic Art
  • ARH 322 American Art Since 1947
  • ARH 323 History and Methods of Art History
  • ARH 325 Ancient Middle Eastern Art
  • ARH 326 Arts of Ancient Mesoamerica
  • ARH 328 Exhibiting Africa
  • ARH 329 Arts of the African Diaspora
  • ARH 330 Public Art and Urban Design in New York City
  • ARH 333 Arts for the Public
  • ARH 334 Performance Art I: The European Avant-Garde
  • ARH 336 The Computer and the Arts
  • ARH 344 Performance Art II: World War II to the Present
  • ARH 346 Art and Politics in the Age of Revolution
  • ARH 347 Avant-Garde Art: Realism, Impressionism, Post-Impressionism
  • ARH 348 Contemporary Art
  • ARH 350 Museum Studies
  • ARH 355 Modern and Contemporary Korean Art
  • ARH 390 Topics in European Art
  • ARH 391 Topics in Global Art
  • ARH 392 Topics in Modern Art
  • ARH 393 Topics in Middle Eastern Art
  • ARH 394 Topics in Asian Art
  • ARH 395 Topics in Visual Culture
  • ARH 396 Topics in American Art
  • ARH 397 Topics in Photography
  • ARH 398 Topics in Film and Video Art

4. Required (3 credits):

  • ARH 400 Seminar in Art History and Criticism

5. Electives (9 credits)

Any additional ARH or ARS courses, including those listed above and:

  • ARH 475 Undergraduate Teaching Practicum I
  • ARH 476 Undergraduate Teaching Practicum II
  • ARH 485 Projects in Art History and Criticism in New York City
  • ARH 487 Independent Reading and Research in Art
  • ARH 488 Internship
  • ARH 495 Senior Honors Project in Art History and Criticism
  • Courses from other departments with approval of the Undergraduate Program Director.

6. Upper-Division Writing Requirement:

ARH 308, ARH 400, or any ARH course certified WRTD. The university requires that students demonstrate adequate writing skills in their major. Students should consult with the department advisor to ensure that their plan for completing the Upper-Division Writing Requirement is consistent with university graduation requirements for General Education. Students completing the Stony Brook
Curriculum (SBC) must complete a course that satisfies the "Write Effectively within One's Discipline" (WRTD) learning objective to graduate. The Upper-Division Writing Requirement is consistent in most cases with the SBC learning outcomes for WRTD.

Students should consult with the department advisor to ensure that their plan for completing the Upper Division Writing Requirement is consistent with university graduation requirements for General Education. Students completing the Stony Brook Curriculum (SBC) must complete a course that satisfies the "Write Effectively within One's Discipline" (WRTD) learning objective to graduate. The Upper Division Writing Requirement is consistent in most cases with the SBC learning outcomes for WRTD.

Requirements for the Minor in Art History (ARH)

With the minor in Art History, the student may choose from broad array of foundation courses before moving on to advanced courses. All courses offered for the minor must be passed with a letter grade of C or higher. Completion of the minor
requires 21 credits in art history, of which at least twelve credits must be in upper-division courses. Art History transfer students must take at least 6 upper division ARH credits for the minor at Stony Brook.

1. Three 100- and/or 200-level ARH courses selected from the following (9 credits):

2. Four 300-level and/or 400-level ARH courses selected from the following (12 credits): ARH 300, ARH 301, ARH 302, ARH 306, ARH 308, ARH 315, ARH 316, ARH 317, ARH 322, ARH 323, ARH 325, ARH 326, ARH 328, ARH 329, ARH 330, ARH 333, ARH 334, ARH 336, ARH 344, ARH 346, ARH 347, ARH 348, ARH 350, ARH 355, ARH 390, ARH 391, ARH 392, ARH 393, ARH 394, ARH 395, ARH 396, ARH 397, ARH 398, ARH 400