Off-Campus Course Substitution Policy

Department Policy on Transferring Art History classes from Study Abroad/Off-campus study programs for Majors and Minors (not transfer students to Hope College) 

Starting for courses taken Fall 2020 

Please email Dr. Kraus (kraus@hope.edu) and Dr. Heath (heath@hope.edu) with any questions regarding this policy or the art history program more broadly. 

Guiding principles

The Department of Art and Art History recognizes that travel to major cities, museums and cultural monuments is essential to the study of art history, and is strongly encouraged. However, the art history curriculum has been specifically designed to address, in sequence, the essential academic skills of critical reading and writing, which are tailored to the discipline-specific contours of art historical analysis. Therefore, any art history course presented from a study abroad/off-campus program for a major/minor substitution must be commensurate with the academic work described in the art history objectives stated by the department.

Policy

• The department will not pre-approve any course for major/minor substitution. 
• A student may petition for a major/minor substitution of an art history only after the course has been completed. The student must submit the course syllabus, with evidence of the completed work that is commensurate with the art history level for which the petition is being made. 
• 3 credit art history courses taken abroad, if approved, will either transfer as 4 credits to Hope or the 4th credit requirement for majors/minors will be waived. 
• The decision of whether the completed work was commensurate is up to the discretion of the art history faculty. 
• Students wishing to petition for major/minor substitution of an art history course taken in a study abroad/off-campus program must fill out the substitution form. 
• ART 111 (Introduction to Art History) must be taken in the Department of Art and Art History. 
• This policy does not apply to the Paris May-term program

Art History Objectives

100-Level Objectives

• Practice looking at works of art and asking fundamental questions about form and content 
• Understand the cultural, artistic and theoretical context in which works of art were produced 
• Develop critical thinking skills about works of art 
• Engage with works of art from a wide range of the world’s cultures, past and present 
• Adapt strategies for reading primary sources about works of art
• Incorporate discipline-specific vocabulary into writing and speaking about art 
• Write argumentative, thesis-driven papers about works of art 
• Bring together in writing ideas/information/viewpoints from multiple sources 
• Introduce and practice basic research methods

Assignments

• 5–7 pages in the form of a research paper, that has a bibliography of at least 5 scholarly sources 
• Worksheets with prompts for looking and critical analysis 
• Oral or written formal analysis, including in-class writing, reading responses, or forum posts 
• Quizzes and exams with essay questions, text analysis, vocab and content questions

200-Level Objectives

• Learn the major monuments, methods, and critical issues of the major periods in art history 
• Incorporate discipline vocabulary into writing and speaking about art 
• Practice formal analysis and object-specific looking exercises 
• Develop critical reading of scholarly, discipline-specific readings 
• Adapt strategies for reading primary sources about works of art 
• Write analytically in response to scholarly readings 
• Develop higher-level research, writing and oral presentation skills in the discipline 
• Write thesis-driven, argumentative papers 
• Practice draft revision

Assignments

• Exams and quizzes with essay questions, text analysis, vocab and content questions 
• Oral or written formal analysis, including in-class writing, reading responses, or forum posts 
• Multiple-draft, thesis driven research paper(s). 
• Other forms of professional/historical writing, such as individuals or group projects also encouraged, such as curated projects, catalog writing, historically-based dialogues, etc., and can be part of the aggregate writing goals if they are thesis-driven and argumentative