BA (Hons) History of Art

In this module we will engage critically with traditional readings of the Italian Renaissance and more recent approaches to this extraordinary period of artistic creativity. Alongside great altarpieces and fresco cycles by famed artists such as Leonardo and Titian we will analyse works created by women, cheap paintings made for ordinary consumers by anonymous artisans, household goods, and simple objects imbued with intense spiritual power. The seismic religious changes of the period will be analysed. So too will the major significance of new maritime routes that connected Europe with Africa, Asia and the Americas. We will consider the profound impact of knowledge of the wider world, and interactions with people of different faiths and ethnicities, on the visual and material culture of the Renaissance.

This module option is part of our compulsory Themes in European Art 1450-1700 module. This particular module option is subject to availability in any given year.

In this module you’ll examine European Art during a period of transformative change. You’ll consider the sweeping political and social movements of the time - and their impact on art. You’ll explore the British Empire, the French Revolution and the drive for European political reform. You’ll learn about the rise of artistic exhibitions and the beginnings of the print trade. You’ll consider the emergence of a ‘public’ for art and the birth of art criticism. And you’ll examine a range of genres, from portraiture and tomb sculpture to comic art.

How did the First World War transform European culture? How did artists, architects and designers embrace new technologies, materials and new ways of thinking? And how did changing views on gender and sexuality influence art and architecture? In this module you’ll examine how emerging modernist culture was expressed. You’ll look at forms like paintings, buildings, magazines, film and exhibitions. And you’ll study artists like Charlotte Perriand, Varvara Setpanova, Wells Coates and Marcel Breuer.

In this module, you’ll be spending a week in Paris, one of the world’s most famous cities for art. You’ll gain core analytical skills and fresh insights for your History of Art degree. You’ll explore the city’s rich range of architecture, and its renowned galleries, museums and temporary exhibitions. You’ll benefit from the input of expert staff on guided visits, while having the freedom to explore sites and galleries independently, absorbing the city’s extraordinary paintings, sculptures and buildings.

This field work trip ordinarily runs in Paris. It is possible that circumstances may arise in any given year that could change the destination of the field work trip.

In this module, you’ll explore Oxford’s famous buildings first-hand. You’ll gain valuable analytical skills for studying the History of Art, as you explore the buildings in their social, environmental and architectural contexts. You’ll benefit from studying buildings directly, and visiting their sites. You’ll visit a diverse range of buildings in Oxford, from the renowned Oxford colleges to the Bodleian Library and the Sheldonian Theatre.

This module offers you the opportunity to apply and practise your art historical skills within a professional and practical context. You will have the opportunity to undertake a work placement or work-related project and to evaluate and reflect critically upon this experience.

This module gives you the chance to do independent study on a topic that fascinates you. You’ll have the support of our expert History of Art staff, while having the freedom to design your own topic alone or in a small group. Whether you’re responding to a current art exhibition, or a pressing issue in art history and criticism, you’ll shape your project around your passions and gain key research skills for your future career.

This module offers the opportunity to study abroad, experience a new culture, and apply your skills in different contexts to enhance your employability. It will help you develop self-management, cross-cultural communication, and interpersonal skills.

You’ll receive support to secure a place at a partner institution abroad, where you can choose modules related to your degree or explore new areas that complement your studies.

Studying at an international university will help you enhance your interpersonal skills through cross-cultural communication with students and tutors, allowing you to build lasting relationships. You'll also improve your study skills by focusing on your chosen areas of interest, gaining valuable international experience that will strengthen your CV.

This year abroad module lasts for one academic year and is taken after the conclusion of your second year of study, once you’ve completed all your level 5 studies. Your year abroad is not credit-bearing.

This module focuses on different approaches and methodologies that have been applied to the study of visual culture. Topics covered may include: biography, gender, queer theory, decolonisation, affect theory and material culture studies. Students will be introduced to some new methodologies, and are encouraged to reflect on occasions when they have previously encountered methodological approaches on the course.

This module in your final semester teaches you about the wide range of non-specialist applications of the art historical skills and knowledge you will have developed up to this point. It is focussed on a range of engagement applications that put art history into the public domain. You will study ways that professionals in the commercial and non-profit sectors communicate about art and its history to audiences outside academia or the museum sectors. It will introduce you to the wide variety of ways in which you might apply your skills and knowledge of art history.

The aim of this module is to give you an opportunity to carry out a critical examination, through research and extended written work, of a theme or issue relevant to both your subjects as a combined honours student. The topic is selected by you in consultation with staff in History of Art and in your other subject.

If you are taking this module you must also register for the interdisciplinary dissertation in your other field. This module gives you the opportunity to apply, at the highest undergraduate level, the skills of researching, analysing and communicating developed in the level four, five and six modules in the investigation of a topic of your own choosing. It also allows you to carry out your own exploration of synergies between your two subjects.

Do you dream of curating your own exhibition? Do you want to explore career options you didn’t know existed? In this module, you’ll gain direct and expert experience in curating displays and exhibitions of historic and contemporary art. You’ll learn the core issues in curating exhibitions, and explore themes such as:

• theories of curating
• curating contemporary art
• curating historic exhibitions.

You’ll also look at the practical side of curation, including:

• proposals
• loans
• funding
• displays
• lighting
• layout
• catalogues
• interpretation.

This module gives you the opportunity to conduct an advanced level exploration of a subject not directly covered by the History of Art syllabus. In doing so, you’ll develop skills in independent research and analysis.

You might choose to explore a response to a current exhibition, or investigate an issue in the field of art history or criticism. Alternatively, you might select a specialist topic related to another module, or connected to ongoing staff research. The topic will be a substantial one and you will design and carry out your study under the guidance and supervision of one or more members of the History of Art staff.

The aim of this module is to give you the opportunity to study a specialised topic, and enable you to deepen your understanding of art-historical knowledge and methods.

The topics will be closely related to staff research interests, and will foster a familiarity with current research and a critical awareness of recent scholarship in the area under study. Your research skills, including an evaluative appreciation of source materials and their uses, will be developed.

You have the opportunity to apply, at the highest undergraduate level, the skills you developed in the first year and second year modules, and at the same time you'll develop your skills further through the concentrated study of a specialised topic.

The aim of this second module is to give you the another opportunity to study a specialised topic, and enable you to deepen your understanding of art-historical knowledge and methods.

The topics will be closely related to staff research interests, and will foster a familiarity with current research and a critical awareness of recent scholarship in the area under study. Your research skills, including an evaluative appreciation of source materials and their uses, will be developed.

You have the opportunity to apply, at the highest undergraduate level, the skills you developed in the first year and second year modules, and at the same time you'll develop your skills further through the concentrated study of a specialised topic.

The aim of this module is to give you an opportunity to carry out a critical examination, through research and extended written work, of a theme or issue relevant to both your subjects as a combined honours student. The topic is selected by you in consultation with staff in History of Art and in your other subject.

If you are taking this module you must also register for the interdisciplinary dissertation in your other field. This module gives you the opportunity to apply, at the highest undergraduate level, the skills of researching, analysing and communicating developed in the level four, five and six modules in the investigation of a topic of your own choosing. It also allows you to carry out your own exploration of synergies between your two subjects.