The Undergraduate Program

The goal of the Department is to develop the student's critical understanding of visual culture in both art historical and archaeological contexts. Undergraduates are offered a diverse selection of courses inthe art and archaeology of Africa, the Americas, Asia, and Europe. By taking advantage of the unusual diversity of faculty interests, students can create concentrations in areas not traditionally offered in departments of arthistory and archaeology, such as art and archaeology of Africa, art and archaeology of the Americas, Eastern European art from the Middle Ages to the Present, and Asian Art. Students are encouraged to supplement their art historical and archaeological studies with courses in other fields. Concentrations in Archaeology and Renaissance and Baroque Studies may be pursued in cooperation with other University departments. Close ties between the faculty and the undergraduate community are fostered through directed study courses and undergraduate internships (ARTH 386). Selected students also gain valuable experience as undergraduate tutors for large lecture classes. An honors program in art history and archaeology is available to qualified students.

The location of the University between Washington and Baltimore gives students the opportunity to use some of the finest museum and archival collections in the world for their coursework and independent research. The Department encourages students to hold internships at a number of these institutions. Curator/professors, exhibitions in the Art Gallery at the University of Maryland, interactive technologies, and the extensive use of study collections bring regional and distant museums into the classroom. Archaeological fieldwork affords undergraduates valuable first-hand experience in excavation methods and practice and departmental collections of artifacts from ancient culturesprovide a hands-on encounter within the classroom.

Undergraduates make extensive use of the Art Library located in the Art/Sociology Building. In addition to the University's excellent libraries, students can use the resources of the Library of Congressand other major area archives.