Art & Archaeology, Art History Concentration (B.A.)

Our courses are designed to provide you with an understanding of visual culture and the analytical skills necessary to discuss the complex modes of artistic expression across the ages.

Because information is frequently communicated through visual images, learning to read art as a context to past and current cultures gives you a deeper understanding of the world. Hood's art history courses will introduce you to art and visual culture from prehistoric cave painting to postmodern performance and installation art.

As an art history major, you will join a dynamic program that offers a variety of approaches, including the study of thematic development, theory, criticism, media and techniques. 

Thanks to Hood's location near Washington, D.C., and Baltimore, as well as our faculty's close ties with major museums in the area, art history students have a wealth of unique opportunities. Poring over medieval manuscripts with a curator at the Walters Art Museum, examining Renaissance masterpieces with conservators at the National Gallery of Art, discussing contemporary sculpture with staff in the boardroom of the Smithsonian's Hirshhorn Museum or even watching as an exhibition takes place in the Smithsonian's Freer/Sackler Galleries have all been part of a Hood art history education.

Students majoring in one of the humanities—history, literature, foreign languages, philosophy or religion—will find that the art history minor complements and enhances their area of study. The minor is also worthwhile for students considering careers in arts administration, conservation, interior design and similar fields. The required courses offer both chronological breadth and the opportunity to study a period in depth

Important note: Hood College is transitioning to new core requirements and Program Transfer Guides are unavailable at this time. In the meantime, please visit Art & Archaeology, Art History Concentration (B.A.) to review more information about the major. If you would like to map out your major, follow this link: Major Maps. If you would like to see single-course equivalencies, you can do so here.