2026-2027 Course Catalog

Source: https://catalog.illinois.edu/undergraduate/las/art-history-balas/ Parent: https://catalog.illinois.edu/undergraduate/

for the degree of Bachelor of Arts in Liberal Arts & Sciences in Art History

The Program in Art History is unique at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign. Though housed in the School of Art and Design in the College of Fine and Applied Arts, the Program in Art History offers a Bachelor of Arts in Liberal Arts & Sciences degree in Art History from the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences. The College of Liberal Arts and Sciences administers admission to the major in Art History; however, the Program in Art History advises all Art History majors.

The curriculum in Art History requires 120 credit hours and offers a broad historical and cultural education related to the visual and build world. The curriculum provides sound preparation for the graduate study required for museum work or teaching at the college level.

Departmental distinction: To be eligible for distinction, a student must earn a high grade point average and complete at least 4 semester hours of independent research to write a senior research paper. See the undergraduate adviser for details.

for the degree of Bachelor of Arts in Liberal Arts & Sciences in Art History

Graduation Requirements

Minimum hours required for graduation: 120 hours.

University Requirements

Minimum of 40 hours of upper-division coursework, generally at the 300- or 400-level. These hours can be drawn from all elements of the degree.  Students should consult their academic advisor for additional guidance in fulfilling this requirement.

The university and residency requirements can be found in the Student Code (§ 3-801) and in the Academic Catalog.

General Education Requirements

Follows the campus General Education (Gen Ed) requirements. Some Gen Ed requirements may be met by courses required and/or electives in the program.

Course List

 | Code | Title | Hours |

| --- | --- | --- | | Composition I | | 4-6 | | Advanced Composition | | 3 | | Humanities & the Arts (6 hours) | | 6 | | fulfilled by ARTH 110 and any other course approved as Humanities & the Arts | | | | Natural Sciences & Technology (6 hours) | | 6 | | Social & Behavioral Sciences (6 hours) | | 6 | | Cultural Studies: Non-Western Cultures (1 course) | | 3 | | Cultural Studies: US Minority Cultures (1 course) | | 3 | | Cultural Studies: Western/Comparative Cultures (1 course) | | 3 | | fulfilled by ARTH 110 | | | | Quantitative Reasoning (2 courses, at least one course must be Quantitative Reasoning I) | | 6-10 | | Language Requirement (Completion of the fourth semester or equivalent of a language other than English is required) | | 0-20 |

Course List

 | Code | Title | Hours |

| --- | --- | --- | | Orientation and Professional Development | | | | LAS 101 | Design Your First Year Experience | 1 | | OR | | | | LAS 100 & LAS 101 | Success in LAS for International Students and Design Your First Year Experience | 3 | | OR | | | | LAS 102 | Transfer Advantage | 1 | | Total Hours | | 1 or 3 |

Course List

 | Code | Title | Hours |

| --- | --- | --- | | Major Core Requirements and Electives | | | | 1 course in studio art (ARTS), graphic design (ARTD) or industrial design (ARTD) | | 3 | | 1 foundational gateway course at the 100-level: | | 3 | | ARTH 110 | Introduction to the History of Art and Visual Culture | | | Three (3) Supporting Courses in the Humanities offered by LAS: | | 9 | | These courses must be approved by the Art History advisor and be outside the field of art history with the goal of enhancing the student’s understanding of the cultural context within which works of art and architecture have been created. | | | | Please note: this is not a complete list of approved courses as individual student interests may guide supplemental courses in any number of directions. To ensure students take appropriate courses, all supplemental Humanities hours must be approved by the BALAS advisor. | | | | AFRO 212 | Introduction to African American Theatre | | | AFRO 227 | Studies in Black Television | | | AFRO 228 | Hip Hop Music: History and Culture | | | AFRO 243 | Pan Africanism | | | AFRO 259 | Early African American Literature and Culture | | | or AFRO 260 | Modern African American Literature and Culture | | | AFRO 382 | African Amer Families in Film | | | AFRO 400 | African Diasporic Thought in the Caribbean | | | AFST 222 | Introduction to Modern Africa | | | ANTH 250 | The World Through Museums | | | ANTH 364 | Performing 'America' | | | ANTH 462 | Museum Theory and Practice | | | AAS 200 | U.S. Race and Empire | | | AAS 211 | Asian Americans and the Arts | | | AAS 246 | Asian American Youth in Film | | | AAS 275 | The Politics of Fashion | | | AAS 300 | Theories of Race, Gender, and Sexuality | | | AAS 315 | War, Memory, and Cinema | | | CLCV 206 | Classical Allusions in Cinema | | | CLCV 240 | Gender & Sexuality in Greco-Roman Antiquity | | | ENGL 202 | Medieval Literature and Culture | | | ENGL 204 | Renaissance Literature and Culture | | | ENGL 206 | Enlightenment Literature and Culture | | | ENGL 207 | Romantic Literature and Culture | | | ENGL 208 | Victorian Literature and Culture | | | ENGL 209 | Early British Literature and Culture | | | or ENGL 210 | Modern British Literature and Culture | | | ENGL 211 | Introduction to Modern African Literature | | | ENGL 213 | Modernist Literature and Culture | | | ENGL 224 | Latina/o Popular Culture | | | ENGL 253 | Topics in Literature and New Media | | | ENGL 255 | Early American Literature and Culture | | | ENGL 273 | American Cinema, 1950-2000 | | | ENGL 285 | Postcolonial Literature in English | | | HIST 200 | Intro Hist Interpretation | | | HIST 202 | American Environmental History | | | HIST 203 | Reacting to the Past | | | HIST 205 | Lived Experience in Latin America | | | HIST 211 | History of Southern Africa | | | HIST 212 | History of Eastern Africa | | | HIST 220 | Traditional China | | | HIST 221 | Modern China | | | HIST 227 | Modern Japanese History | | | HIST 258 | 20thC World to Midcentury | | | HIST 259 | 20thC World from Midcentury | | | HIST 260 | History of Russia | | | HIST 270 | United States History to 1815 | | | HIST 271 | Nineteenth Century America | | | HIST 272 | Twentieth Century America | | | HIST 274 | US Foreign Relations Since 1917 | | | HIST 279 | Mexican-American History | | | HIST 281 | Constructing Race in America | | | HIST 285 | US Gender History to 1877 | | | HIST 287 | African-American Women | | | HIST 310 | Global Capitalism in History | | | HIST 312 | Immigrant America | | | HIST 345 | Medieval Civilization | | | HIST 347 | Protestant & Catholic Refs | | | HIST 349 | Age of Revolution, 1775-1815 | | | HIST 350 | 19thC Romanticism & Politics | | | HIST 352 | Europe in the World | | | HIST 354 | Twentieth Century Europe | | | HIST 357 | Modern France | | | HIST 370 | Colonial America | | | HIST 373 | Origins of the Civil War | | | HIST 374 | Civil War and Reconstruction | | | HIST 379 | Latina/os and the City | | | HIST 380 | US in an Age of Empire | | | HIST 420 | China Under the Qing Dynasty | | | HIST 425 | Classical Chinese Thought | | | HIST 459 | Postcolonial/Queer | | | HIST 462 | Soviet Union Since 1917 | | | HIST 476 | History of the American West | | | ITAL 406 | Italian Culture and Globalization | | | LLS 259 | Latina/o Anthropology | | | LLS 458 | Latina/o Performance | | | LLS 460 | Critical Ethnic Studies | | | LLS 465 | Race, Sex, and Deviance | | | LLS 473 | Immigration, Health & Society | | | PHIL 411 | Nineteenth Century Philosophy | | | PHIL 412 | Classical Modern Philosophers | | | PHIL 414 | Major Recent Philosophers | | | Six (6) 200-400 level courses in Art History, offered in the School of Art & Design | | 18 | | (Though students must take a total of 6 courses, some may count toward the fulfillment of more than one area and period requirement. For instance, a course in 20th century African art could count as a class covering both Africa and the Middle East and material after 1700.) | | | | Students must take at least one course in three of the following areas: 1) Africa and the Middle East; 2) Asia; 3) the Americas; 4) Europe | | | | With an advisor’s approval, up to 6 credit hours of courses in the history of architecture or landscape architecture at the 200-400 level may be taken towards the fulfillment of these required hours | | | | At least one course must cover material before 1700 | | | | At least one course must cover material after 1700 | | | | Other courses may be approved in consultation with the advisor. | | | | 1. Africa and the Middle East | | | | ARTH 219 | Islamic Gardens & Architecture | | | ARTH 220 | African Arts and Architecture | | | ARTH 310 | African Art and Society I | | | ARTH 312 | Central African Art | | | ARTH 313 | Modern and Contemp African Art | | | ARTH 410 | West African Art and Ideas | | | ARTH 413 | Sacred African Diaspora Arts | | | 2. Asia | | | | ARTH 212 | East Asian Art History | | | ARTH 214 | Art in China | | | ARTH 320 | Sacred Sites in Japan | | | ARTH 402 | Ways of Seeing in Edo Japan | | | ARTH 403 | Word and Image in Chinese Art | | | ARTH 404 | China through Film | | | 3. The Americas | | | | ARTH 242 | Art Since 1940 | | | ARTH 250 | American Art | | | ARTH 260 | Graffiti and Murals | | | ARTH 342 | Arts of Colonial Latin America | | | ARTH 343 | Arts of Modern Latin America | | | 4. Europe | | | | ARTH 215 | Greek Art | | | ARTH 218 | Ancient Greek Sanctuaries | | | ARTH 222 | Medieval Art | | | ARTH 230 | Italian Renaissance Art | | | ARTH 231 | Northern Renaissance Art | | | ARTH 235 | Art, Power and Culture in 17th-Century Europe | | | ARTH 241 | Modern Art, 1880-1940 | | | ARTH 242 | Art Since 1940 | | | ARTH 344 | Spanish Modern Art | | | ARTH 415 | The Archaeology of Greece | | | ARTH 416 | The Archaeology of Italy | | | ARTH 423 | Romanesque Art | | | ARTH 424 | Gothic Art | | | ARTH 430 | Topics: Italian Art 1300-1500 | | | ARTH 431 | Topics: Northern Art 1300-1500 | | | ARTH 432 | Sixteenth-Century Italian Art | | | ARTH 433 | Fifteenth-Century Italian Art | | | ARTH 435 | Italian Baroque Art | | | ARTH 436 | 17th-Century Dutch & Flemish Art | | | ARTH 440 | Romantic Art | | | ARTH 443 | The Russian Avant-Garde: Revolutionary Forms and Socialist Norms | | | ARTH 445 | European Art Between the Wars | | | ARTH 447 | France and Its Others | | | At least one course must cover material before 1700 | | | | ARTH 215 | Greek Art | | | ARTH 218 | Ancient Greek Sanctuaries | | | ARTH 222 | Medieval Art | | | ARTH 230 | Italian Renaissance Art | | | ARTH 231 | Northern Renaissance Art | | | ARTH 235 | Art, Power and Culture in 17th-Century Europe | | | ARTH 342 | Arts of Colonial Latin America | | | ARTH 360 | Women and the Visual Arts | | | ARTH 415 | The Archaeology of Greece | | | ARTH 416 | The Archaeology of Italy | | | ARTH 423 | Romanesque Art | | | ARTH 424 | Gothic Art | | | ARTH 430 | Topics: Italian Art 1300-1500 | | | ARTH 431 | Topics: Northern Art 1300-1500 | | | ARTH 432 | Sixteenth-Century Italian Art | | | ARTH 433 | Fifteenth-Century Italian Art | | | ARTH 435 | Italian Baroque Art | | | ARTH 436 | 17th-Century Dutch & Flemish Art | | | ARCH 412 | Medieval Architecture | | | ARCH 414 | | | | At least one course must cover material after 1700 | | | | ARTH 211 | Design History Survey | | | ARTH 240 | Art of the Nineteenth Century | | | ARTH 241 | Modern Art, 1880-1940 | | | ARTH 242 | Art Since 1940 | | | ARTH 257 | History of Photography | | | ARTH 260 | Graffiti and Murals | | | ARTH 300 | Art Criticism and Writing | | | ARTH 343 | Arts of Modern Latin America | | | ARTH 344 | Spanish Modern Art | | | ARTH 345 | Realism to Postimpressionism | | | ARTH 350 | American Art 1750-1900 | | | ARTH 351 | Early American Modernism | | | ARTH 361 | Contemporary Art | | | ARTH 440 | Romantic Art | | | ARTH 443 | The Russian Avant-Garde: Revolutionary Forms and Socialist Norms | | | ARTH 445 | European Art Between the Wars | | | ARTH 447 | France and Its Others | | | ARTH 450 | Institutional Critique | | | ARCH 415 | Modernity’s Mirror: Nineteenth-Century Architecture 1750-1900 | | | ARCH 416 | The Architecture of the United States, c.1650 to Present | | | ARCH 417 | Modern and Contemporary Global Architecture | | | ARTH 495 | Undergraduate Seminar in Art History (3 hours, completed twice) | 6 |

for the degree of Bachelor of Arts in Liberal Arts & Sciences in Art History

Sample Sequence

This sample sequence is intended to be used only as a guide for degree completion. All students should work individually with their academic advisors to decide the actual course selection and sequence that works best for them based on their academic preparation and goals. Enrichment programming such as study abroad, minors, internships, and so on may impact the structure of this four-year plan. Course availability is not guaranteed during the semester indicated in the sample sequence.

Students must fulfill their Language Other Than English requirement by successfully completing a fourth level of a language other than English. See the corresponding section on the Degree and General Education Requirements page.

Total Hours: 120

for the degree of Bachelor of Arts in Liberal Arts & Sciences in Art History

1. Students will be able to demonstrate familiarity with key artistic monuments and modes of art production from various global contexts.
2. Students will be able to analyze and interpret works of art and architecture situated in a variety of historical and social contexts, and in comparative perspective.
3. Students will be able to use visual and verbal primary sources, secondary sources, and core critical frameworks of art historical analysis to develop and articulate persuasive arguments about works of art and the cultures that produced them.
4. Students will be able to engage with adjacent humanities disciplines in development of an interdisciplinary practice of art history.

for the degree of Bachelor of Arts in Liberal Arts & Sciences in Art History

Art History

Art History information\ Art History faculty

Advising

Academic Advisor: Bryan VanGinhoven\ Advising email: bvanginh@illinois.edu

College of Liberal Arts and Sciences

Overview of College Admissions & Requirements:Liberal Arts & Sciences