History of Art and Visual Culture B.A.

Information and Policies

Introduction

The history of art and visual culture (HAVC) curriculum guides students in acquiring skill in critical thinking about art and visual culture, leading to a bachelor of arts (B.A.) degree. The lower-division HAVC courses numbered 10-85, intended for general education students and prospective majors, provide an introduction to the field of visual culture according to geographic areas and visual traditions within those areas. Upper-division HAVC courses numbered 100-189 cover a broad range of issues in various aspects of world cultures from earliest times to the present. The most advanced HAVC courses, numbered in the 190-191 series, are taught in seminar format. Students also have the opportunity to take independent study courses and write senior theses.

Program Learning Outcomes

Graduates from the history of art and visual culture B.A. program will have demonstrated the following:

Program Learning Outcome (PLO) 1: Breadth of Knowledge

1a. Develop knowledge and understanding of diverse visual creations in different social and cultural contexts and/or historical periods.

1b. Develop knowledge of modes of production as well as technical and physical properties of the architecture, objects, images, and material cultures studied.

PLO 2: Analysis and Interpretation

2a. Conduct visual analysis proficiently using culturally and historically appropriate terms.

2b. Contextualize, evaluate, and/or explain visual, material, and historical cultural forms and values.

PLO 3: Research and Critique/Contextualization

3a. Formulate research questions and conduct research based on knowledge and critical evaluation of primary and secondary sources (archival, library, and/or field research) relevant to the discipline.

3b. Develop original interpretations and thesis statements based on factual evidence and critical argumentation.

3c. Identify and analyze dynamics of injustice, inequity, and other issues of critical/political concern that determine the production, reception, and continued legacy of visual, material, architectural, or spatial forms.

PLO 4: Critical Thinking and Reading

4a. Recognize, interpret, contextualize, and critically analyze different scholarly arguments, debates, and/or primary source materials.

4b. Consult and synthesize relevant literature in history of art, visual culture, and other disciplines to present independent analysis.

PLO 5: Written Communication

5a. Write clear, concise prose to present visual and historical analysis and interpretation.

5b. Formulate, present, and support strong, cohesive arguments in writing.

5c. Apply scholarly methods of citation, formatting, etc.

Academic Advising for the Program

Undergraduate Advisor

The undergraduate advisor offers specific information about navigating through the program and the curriculum and assists students with academic planning, requirements, policies and procedures, learning support, scholarships, and enrichment opportunities. Please contact the HAVC undergraduate advisor at havc@ucsc.edu.

Faculty Advisors

Faculty are the best resource for learning about the philosophies and foundations of history of art and visual culture. Faculty advisors can work individually with students to develop a specific course of study, recommend additional courses of interest, and discuss long-term career goals including education beyond the baccalaureate. A faculty advisor is selected by the student within one quarter of declaring the major or minor. Students choose a faculty advisor who specializes in their field of interest within HAVC.

Getting Started in the Major: Frosh

The HAVC major is not highly sequential or course intensive. Although it is advisable to begin taking courses toward the major in the first year, it is not required.

Lower-Division Coursework

It is recommended that students begin by taking four lower-division HAVC courses, each from a different geographic region. Students are encouraged to consult with the HAVC undergraduate advisor to develop a plan of study.

Languages

Though not required, all majors are encouraged to study at least one foreign language. Graduate programs in visual culture, art history, and other related disciplines generally require competence in one or more languages beyond English. Students are encouraged to consult with their faculty advisor to discuss an appropriate course of language study.

Transfer Information and Policy

Transfer Admission Screening Policy

Students may pursue the HAVC major even if they did not list it on their application. Students planning to apply in this major are not required to complete specific major preparation courses for consideration of admission to UC Santa Cruz. This is true for both fall and winter quarter transfer students. Students are, however, encouraged to complete some of their lower-division history of art and visual culture requirements prior to transfer. Refer to the ASSIST articulation agreements at www.assist.org for approved lower-division courses offered at California community colleges. Transfer credit for courses from four-year institutions or for community college courses not included in the ASSIST system is evaluated on a case-by-case basis. Please visit the Transfer Credit page of the HAVC website for instructions.

A student may transfer up to three lower-division and two upper-division art history courses toward the major. HAVC majors must take a minimum of eight regularly scheduled HAVC courses. Please keep in mind that the lower-division courses required for the HAVC major must each satisfy a different geographic region.

Prospective students are also encouraged to complete the California General Education Transfer Curriculum (Cal-GETC) or to complete UC Santa Cruz general education requirements before matriculation.

Getting Started in the Major: Transfer Students

Students seeking to declare the HAVC major should consult with the undergraduate advisor for assistance with academic planning. Please email havc@ucsc.edu.

Major Qualification Policy and Declaration Process

Major Qualification

To be eligible to declare the major, students must pass two lower-division HAVC courses, each from a different geographic region listed below:

• HAVC courses 10-19: Africa and its Diaspora

• HAVC courses 20-29: Asia and its Diaspora

• HAVC courses 30-49: Europe and the Americas

• HAVC courses 50-59: Mediterranean

• HAVC courses 60-69: Native Americas

• HAVC courses 70-79: Oceania and its Diaspora

HAVC 80 may be used to fulfill a lower-division requirement for one of the following geographic regions: 10s (Africa), 60s (Native Americas), or 70s (Oceania).

Upper-division HAVC courses may also be used to meet the major qualification criteria, as long as the lower- and upper-division courses cover two different geographic regions.

How to Declare a Major

Petition to declare your major as soon as you have met qualification requirements and/or reach your declaration deadline quarter, whichever comes first.

Step 1: Log into MyUCSC and click the link to submit the Petition for Major/Minor.

• If you are not logged into MyUCSC prior to clicking the petition link, you will need to navigate to your Student Homepage and select the Undergraduate Student eForms tile > Petition for Major/Minor to access the form.

Step 2: Schedule an advising appointment with the undergraduate advisor to develop an academic plan and review important information. This step is required to successfully declare. Please schedule an appointment via Navigate Slug Success.

Appeal Process

The HAVC Department makes every effort to support students in declaring their major. Students who have reached their declaration deadline quarter but have not met major qualification requirements should submit the Petition for Major/Minor eForm. A major declaration petition by a student who does not meet major qualification requirements serves as an appeal. The result will be approval, denial, or the setting of conditions that must be resolved within at most one more enrolled quarter. This will be determined by a departmental review of the student’s individual context and potential for success in the major and will involve direct communication with the student.

Letter Grade Policy

Only courses completed with grades of C or better (or Pass) may be used to satisfy major requirements. Courses in which students receive a grade of C-, D+, D, D- or F cannot be used to satisfy major requirements. The HAVC major does not impose any limits on selecting the Pass/No Pass grading option to fulfill major requirements, but the university has an overall limit on how many courses can be taken Pass/No Pass. Please consult with the Office of the Registrar regarding those limits.

Course Substitution Policy

For the major, a student may transfer up to three lower-division and up to two upper-division art history courses taken from other institutions. Please visit the Transfer Credit page of the HAVC website for for further details.

Study Abroad

UC Santa Cruz Global Learning provides excellent opportunities to take courses related to history of art and visual culture in a range of locations. The department strongly encourages students to take advantage of these educational opportunities. Students who wish to petition for credit toward HAVC major requirements for courses taken abroad must petition for transfer credit upon their return (courses do not automatically satisfy major requirements). Petitions are evaluated on a case-by-case basis. Please visit the Transfer Credit page of the HAVC website for instructions.

Honors

Honors and Highest Honors in the Major

Honors in the major are awarded to graduating seniors who have earned a 3.70 to 3.89 grade point average (GPA) in all upper-division HAVC courses completed at UCSC. Highest honors in the major are awarded to graduating seniors who have earned a 3.90 GPA or above in all upper-division HAVC courses completed at UCSC. For students in the curation, heritage, and museums (CHM) concentration, non-HAVC courses satisfying major requirements are also included in the GPA calculation. To be eligible for honors consideration, no more than two of the courses that meet these criteria may be taken Pass/No Pass.

Honors in the Senior Comprehensive Requirement

All seniors must complete one HAVC seminar (courses in the 190-191 series) as their “senior exit” course to satisfy the senior comprehensive requirement. Seminars can be taken for senior exit credit only by permission of the instructor. Within the context of this advanced seminar, students will work under the close supervision of their professor to produce a written project that demonstrates a high level of achievement in research, writing, and critical thinking. Students whose performance is outstanding are eligible for honors in the senior comprehensive requirement.

Careers

The preparation students receive from the bachelor of arts (B.A.) degree in HAVC can lead to successful careers in education, law, business, and social services, in addition to more disciplinary-specific careers in museum curating, art restoration, library and information science, heritage studies, design, criticism, arts education and administration, and advanced studies in architecture, visual culture, and art history.

General Major

Course Requirements

The HAVC major requires four lower-division and nine upper-division courses for a total of 13 courses, including the satisfactory completion of the senior comprehensive requirement. Students must take courses in each of the six different geographic regions listed below to ensure cultural, methodological, and disciplinary breadth.

• For course offerings that satisfy specific geographic regional requirements, please see the Course List by Geographic Region.

• For a tentative list of courses offered during the current academic year, please visit the Undergraduate Courses page of the HAVC website.

• For a comprehensive list of all HAVC courses, please see the 'Courses' section of the general catalog.

Lower-Division Courses

Take four lower-division courses, each from a different geographic region listed below:

• HAVC courses 10-19: Africa and its Diaspora

• HAVC courses 20-29: Asia and its Diaspora

• HAVC courses 30-49: Europe and the Americas

• HAVC courses 50-59: Mediterranean

• HAVC courses 60-69: Native Americas

• HAVC courses 70-79: Oceania and its Diaspora

HAVC 80 may be used to fulfill a lower-division requirement for one of the following geographic regions: 10s (Africa), 60s (Native Americas), or 70s (Oceania).

Upper-Division Courses

Take the following course:

HAVC 100A fulfills the Disciplinary Communication (DC) requirement for the HAVC major. Students are recommended to complete this course during winter quarter of their sophomore year. It is a prerequisite for the senior comprehensive requirement. If not completed by winter quarter of their junior year, students may have difficulty enrolling in a seminar to fulfill their senior comprehensive requirement, potentially delaying graduation.

Plus two upper-division geographic regional courses:

Take two upper-division geographic regional courses, one each from the two geographic regions not studied at the lower-division level. These are:

• HAVC courses 110-119: Africa and its Diaspora

• HAVC courses 120-129: Asia and its Diaspora

• HAVC courses 130-149: Europe and the Americas

• HAVC courses 150-159: Mediterranean

• HAVC courses 160-169: Native Americas

• HAVC courses 170-179: Oceania and its Diaspora

Plus five upper-division electives:

These are any HAVC courses numbered 110-191.

The department encourages students to take cross-regional and topical courses. These are HAVC courses numbered 180-189, which can fulfill upper-division major elective requirements but do not fulfill specific regional requirements.

Plus one senior exit seminar:

HAVC seminar courses are numbered 190-191. The senior exit seminar can be taken any quarter in which a student is in senior standing. Seminars can be taken for senior exit credit only by permission of the instructor.

Disciplinary Communication (DC) Requirement

Students of every major must satisfy that major’s upper-division Disciplinary Communication (DC) requirement. Students in HAVC meet the DC requirement by completing:

Comprehensive Requirement

All seniors must complete one HAVC seminar (courses in the 190-191 series) as their “senior exit” course to satisfy the senior comprehensive requirement. Seminars can be taken for senior exit credit only by permission of the instructor. Within the context of this advanced seminar, students will work under the close supervision of their professor to produce a written project that demonstrates a high level of achievement in research, writing, and critical thinking. Students whose performance is outstanding are eligible for honors in the senior comprehensive requirement.

Planners

Academic Planners for this and all majors can be found at programmaps.ucsc.edu.

Please note: HAVC 100A (DC requirement) is only offered in winter quarter. Most lower-division and upper-division HAVC courses carry either the CC, ER or IM GE, and some carry the PE GE.

Concentration in Curation, Heritage, and Museums

This program is for HAVC majors who wish to pursue the study and practice of curation, heritage, and museums. Students will expand on the broad knowledge they gain through the major by means of a variety of historical, theoretical, and practical courses within the domains of curation, museum studies, and critical cultural heritage studies. Students can use the concentration as a launching point toward internships or jobs in museums or cultural heritage institutions or to identify their interests for future graduate study.

Course Requirements

The HAVC major requires four lower-division and nine upper-division courses for a total of 13 courses, including the satisfactory completion of the senior comprehensive requirement. Students must take courses in each of the six different geographic regions listed below to ensure cultural, methodological, and disciplinary breadth.

• For course offerings that satisfy specific geographic regional requirements, please see the Course List by Geographic Region.

• For a tentative list of courses offered during the current academic year, please visit the Undergraduate Courses page of the HAVC website.

• For a comprehensive list of all HAVC courses, please see the 'Courses' section of the general catalog.

In fulfilling the major requirements, students in the concentration must successfully complete four courses from the “Approved Concentration Courses” list below. No more than one of the four courses can be lower-division and at least two of the four courses must be HAVC-sponsored courses. Upper-division concentration courses fulfill elective requirements for the major, or if appropriate, concentration courses can be used to fulfill geographic regional requirements. Students can petition to apply courses that are not on the approved list by submitting a comprehensive syllabus to the HAVC undergraduate advisor by email to havc@ucsc.edu. Approval of petitions will be determined by the amount of relevant course content and assignments.

Lower-Division Courses

Take four lower-division courses, each from a different geographic region listed below:

• HAVC courses 10-19: Africa and its Diaspora

• HAVC courses 20-29: Asia and its Diaspora

• HAVC courses 30-49: Europe and the Americas

• HAVC courses 50-59: Mediterranean

• HAVC courses 60-69: Native Americas

• HAVC courses 70-79: Oceania and its Diaspora

HAVC 80 may be used to fulfill a lower-division requirement for one of the following geographic regions: 10s (Africa), 60s (Native Americas), or 70s (Oceania).

Upper-Division Courses

Take the following course:

HAVC 100A fulfills the Disciplinary Communication (DC) requirement for the HAVC major. Students are recommended to complete this course during winter quarter of their sophomore year. It is a prerequisite for the senior comprehensive requirement. If not completed by winter quarter of their junior year, students may have difficulty enrolling in a seminar to fulfill their senior comprehensive requirement, potentially delaying graduation.

Plus two upper-division geographic regional courses:

Take two upper-division geographic regional courses, one each from the two geographic regions not studied at the lower-division level. These are:

• HAVC courses 110-119: Africa and its Diaspora

• HAVC courses 120-129: Asia and its Diaspora

• HAVC courses 130-149: Europe and the Americas

• HAVC courses 150-159: Mediterranean

• HAVC courses 160-169: Native Americas

• HAVC courses 170-179: Oceania and its Diaspora

Plus five upper-division electives:

These are any HAVC courses numbered 110-191. Students in the concentration should note that courses from the "Approved Concentration Courses" list below will most likely be taken in the process of completing the five upper-division electives.

The department encourages students to take cross-regional and topical courses. These are HAVC courses numbered 180-189, which can fulfill upper-division major elective requirements but do not fulfill specific regional requirements.

Plus one senior exit seminar:

HAVC seminar courses are numbered 190-191. The senior exit seminar can be taken any quarter in which a student is in senior standing. Seminars can be taken for senior exit credit only by permission of the instructor.

Approved Concentration Courses List

Disciplinary Communication (DC) Requirement

Students of every major must satisfy that major’s upper-division Disciplinary Communication (DC) requirement. Students in HAVC meet the DC requirement by completing:

Comprehensive Requirement

All seniors must complete one HAVC seminar (courses in the 190-191 series) as their “senior exit” course to satisfy the senior comprehensive requirement. Seminars can be taken for senior exit credit only by permission of the instructor. Within the context of this advanced seminar, students will work under the close supervision of their professor to produce a written project that demonstrates a high level of achievement in research, writing, and critical thinking. Students whose performance is outstanding are eligible for honors in the senior comprehensive requirement.

Planners

Academic Planners for this and all majors can be found at programmaps.ucsc.edu.

Please note: HAVC 100A (DC requirement) is only offered in winter quarter. Most lower-division and upper-division HAVC courses carry either the CC, ER or IM GE, and some carry the PE GE.