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The discipline of art and architectural history examines visual culture and the built environment within their social and historical contexts. The History of Art and Architecture major at the University provides students with a solid foundation in the history of western art and architecture from the ancient world to the present, as well as a background in non-Western artistic traditions. Students learn not only how to analyze works of art as objects or monuments in their own right, but also to understand and interpret them in relation to the historical circumstances, endeavors, and conflicts of the culture and region in which they were made.

Courses cover major fields of western European art and architecture: Ancient Greek and Roman, Medieval, Renaissance, and the seventeenth through twenty-first centuries. Courses are also offered in American, Asian, and Islamic Art; occasional undergraduate seminars address various topics. With the instructor’s consent, qualified undergraduates may enroll in graduate research seminars.