Melissa Karlin

History of Art

“The History of Art department gave me the freedom to choose a topic that intrigued me and appealed to my creative and analytical interests; to choose a subject that I was passionate about. The tutors were beyond helpful: extremely nice but, at the same time, they challenged me”

Melissa Karlin discovered Oxford Brookes when looking for a university where she could combine her love of film and art history. She chose the University for its specialist art history lectures, the resources of Oxford and its close links to London. She also wanted her degree to culminate in a dissertation to enable her to pursue her own specific areas of interest.

I began my university career at a school in California studying film and television. While there, I took a few art history and cultural courses and found that I would like to pursue art history as well as film. Since the school did not offer what I wanted, I looked elsewhere to the UK, where I discovered Oxford Brookes. I wanted to prove that one could discuss the classical arts and film in tandem and the course at Oxford Brookes provided a dissertation option where I believe I was able to do that.

The History of Art department gave me the freedom to choose a topic that intrigued me and appealed to my creative and analytical interests; to choose a subject that I was passionate about. The tutors were beyond helpful: extremely nice but, at the same time, they challenged me. As an American studying abroad I found the British University system daunting at first, but the instruction I received from the faculty was clear and direct. I learned a lot about taking initiative through the History osf Art department, especially when it came to writing an academic paper.

My time at Oxford Brookes studying History of Art has encouraged me to continue to study Art History. I was an intern at The Six Points Fellowship as well as a volunteer educator at the Fowler Museum at UCLA and am now studying in London for my Masters in Creative and Cultural Industries.