It is an interdisciplinary field, drawing upon philosophy, history, literature, religion, and mythology to examine works of art and their contexts. The history of art provides means to penetrate cultural constructions and their aesthetic and artistic productions. The Division of Art offers a BA in art history with a broad foundation of Western courses. This is supported by a survey for beginning students which also includes non-Western art. Special topics, which permit students to pursue areas not regularly scheduled, include architecture, the history of photography, and non-Western subjects, among others.
Students learn the theories and critical issues of the discipline.
The MA in art history, a thirty-hour program, concentrates upon modern and contemporary issues, theory and criticism. Opportunities for original research, the core of the master's program, are offered in cooperation with research libraries and museums in the Pittsburgh, Washington, DC, and Cleveland areas.