Ways into advanced art history: museums, research and critique

About this course

This workshop and seminar course examines European museums from the Enlightenment to the present, including how curatorial decisions, institutional structures and exhibitions shape interpretations of art. Participants work with museum collections, catalogue information and academic approaches to research, applying ideas through guided activities and personal projects. Sessions combine discussion of assigned readings with lecture material and practical workshop tasks. The course concludes with a research portfolio and a short spoken or written analysis of a selected artwork.

What you'll learn

• Analyse how museum curation and display influence the interpretation of artworks.
• Use museum collections, catalogue information and relevant terminology in art historical research.
• Apply different art historical approaches when developing an interpretation of an artwork.
• Produce a research portfolio and a short analysis based on research into a specific work.

Is this course right for you?

The course welcomes learners at all levels but is not introductory in approach. It is intended for people with some previous art historical study and those pursuing serious personal, professional or academic work in the subject. Participants should be prepared to read and respond to academic writing, contribute to group discussions and complete weekly work outside class.

• Requires regular participation in group discussions.
• Includes complex concepts and academic readings.
• Requires approximately 1–2 hours of reading and research each week outside class.
• Includes a final presentation of an artwork analysis in speech and/or writing.

Before you go

• Weekly assigned readings and research are required outside class. Required readings are provided in print and can be accessed through Google Classroom if a learner is absent.
• Access to Google Classroom is required for course communication and participation.
• A notebook may be useful.
• Learners may wish to purchase books from any reading list provided in class.