Art History

Program Objectives

The Art History program at The American University of Rome provides a rigorous education focused on Western and neighboring visual cultures. The program stimulates the acquisition of knowledge and encourages critical thinking skills, creativity and cross-cultural understanding.

The international faculty of active scholars instructs small classes, many on-site in Rome and around Europe. Through interactive teaching and personal supervision we aim to develop each student’s intellectual potential and life-long engagement with cultural heritage and to foster the skills neces­sary for the modern workplace.

The Art History program will develop in students majoring in art history:

• Perceptual analysis of the visual arts.
• The ability to situate a work of art in its historical and cultural context.
• Critical method and research skills for historically informed reception.
• Effective oral and written communication skills within the context of the disciplines of Art History and the
• Humanities.

The Bachelor of Arts in Art History requires successful completion of 120 credits made up of a 41-credit General Education requirement, a 60-credit major and 19 credits of free electives. Stu­dents must achieve a cumulative grade point average of no less than 2.0 on a 4.0 scale, and earn at least a C grade (2.0) in all core requirements (24 credits).

Art History majors are also required to complete a second year of Italian language (in addition to General Education requirements) or demonstrate an equivalent proficiency.

The 60-credit major comprises 24 credits of core courses, which are focused on the Western art tradition, 18 credits of Art History electives and 18 credits of Humanities and Professional Goals electives in which students broaden their perspective by making connections to other disciplines. The Humanities and Professional Goals electives may be focused into one of four concentrations:

• Theory of Conservation and Restoration
• Visual Arts Administration
• Heritage Management
• Film Studies

Unless otherwise stated in the course syllabus, students are responsible for all entrance fees to museums, art galleries and archeological sites.

University are reviewed by the Admissions Committee. Students are selected without regard to age, race, sex, creed, national or ethnic origin or handicap. Requests for financial aid do not affect decisions on admission.

AUR requires a minimum high school GPA of 2.5 and, for American students, a combined SAT total score of 1500 or 21 on the ACT. However each applicant is reviewed individually. Leadership, motivation, academic improvement, the level of the high school program’s difficulty, involvement in activities and potential for growth are important considerations in the application review process.

 Transfer students are welcome at AUR. It is expected that transfer applicants will have a minimum GPA of 2.5 in academic courses completed.

A TOEFL score or another English language proficiency exam is required for applicants whose native language is not English

The Art History program at The American University of Rome provides a rigorous education focused on Western and neighboring visual cultures. The program stimulates the acquisition of knowledge and encourages critical thinking skills, creativity and cross-cultural understanding. The University’s international faculty of active scholars instructs small classes, many on-site in Rome and around Europe. Through interactive teaching and personal supervision the faculty develop each student’s intellectual potential and life-long engagement with cultural heritage and foster the skills necessary for the modern workplace.

Program Objectives

Students majoring in Art History will develop:

• Perceptual analysis of the visual arts.
• The ability to situate a work of art in its historical and cultural context.
• Critical method and research skills for historically informed reception.
• Effective oral and written communication skills within the context of the disciplines of Art History and the Humanities.

The Bachelor of Arts in Art History requires successful completion of 120 credits made up of a 40-credit General Education requirement, a 36 to 42 credit major and 38 to 44 credits of free electives. Students must achieve a cumulative grade point average of no less than 2.00 on a 4.00 scale, and earn at least a C grade (2.00) in all core requirements (21 credits). The major comprises core courses which emphasize the Western art tradition and Art History electives which may focus on Art Business.

Requirements for the Degree

B. General Education

1. Foundational Skills: First Year Seminar; Writing Skills; Quantitative and Scientific Reasoning; Italian language; IT skills; Information Literacy; Oral Presentation Skills
2. The Individual in a Multicultural Society; Three courses from a list in the Catalog
3. United States Government and Society; One course from a list in the Catalog
4. Roma Caput Mundi; One course from a list in the Catalog

C. Core Courses

• Arts of Antiquity
• Arts of Renaissance and Baroque
• Arts of Modernity
• Art for Art’s Sake: Seminar on Methodology
• An upper-level Art History course from section A (list in Catalog)
• An upper-level Art History course from section B (list in Catalog)
• Capstone Experience (Seminar)
• Capstone Experience (Thesis)

Tuition for the 2011-2012 academic year is € 13,940

Additional fees and expenses include optional housing, optional meal plan, local transportation, books and supplies, health insurance (for non-EU students), and other miscellaneous fees.