Program Description

Visual culture, as a contemporary academic field evolving from the historical study of art, investigates the production, form, and reception of images past and present. It incorporates the painting, sculpture, and architecture conventionally defined by art history, but it extends throughout the fields of visual imagery beyond the cultural boundaries formerly drawn by academic tradition. The history of art and visual culture program at UCSC directs its cultural and historical investigation across a wide variety of representations in the cultures of Africa, the Americas, Asia, Europe, and the Pacific Islands, from masks and mountains to mass media.

Students of visual culture at UC Santa Cruz encounter complex questions raised from a variety of viewpoints. Foremost among these are questions about the social, economic, religious, and psychological influences on those who produce visual images as well as on those who view them. Also considered is how images form beliefs and values, taking into account the issues of gender, sexuality, ethnicity, race, and class. Questions of theory and methodology are addressed throughout the range of courses, although some courses emphasize these more than others.

The history of art and visual culture curriculum guides students in acquiring skill in critical thinking about visual culture. Courses are organized in four levels, with each level providing a progressively sophisticated study of materials and problems. The lower-division courses, numbered 1–99 and intended for general education students and prospective majors, provide an introduction to the field of visual culture according to geographic areas and visual traditions within those areas. Upper-division courses, numbered 101–149, cover a broad range of issues in various aspects of world culture from earliest times to the present. Advanced courses, numbered 150–189, focus on selected fields, topics, and methods. The most advanced courses, numbered 190 and 191, are taught in seminar format. Each student majoring or minoring in visual culture devises an individual study plan with a faculty adviser.

Declaring the Major

Prospective majors must complete two of the lower-division 10-series courses in history of art and visual culture before declaring the major. All students considering this major should consult with a member of the faculty as soon as possible. Students must complete the work sheet for declaring the major in preparation for a meeting with an adviser to finalize the Proposed Study Plan and Declaration of Major/Minor petition form.

Lower-Division Requirements

Five courses, as follows:

• courses 10D, 10E, and either 10F or 10G
• two courses selected from the following:
  additional 10-series courses
  80-series courses
  visual practice courses: Art 20–30, 70; Theater Arts 14, 18; Science Communication 104A, 104B, 106A, 107, 109, 110
  (transfer courses—a total of 9 or 10 quarter credits)
  (Up to two upper-division history of art and visual culture courses may be substituted with prior approval of a faculty adviser.)

Upper-Division Requirements

Ten 5-credit courses, as follows:

• nine upper-division history of art and visual culture courses:
  course 100A recommended during sophomore or junior year
  courses 101–149: four courses recommended
  courses 150–189: two courses required
  courses 190–191: two courses required, one of which must satisfy the senior comprehensive requirement (see below)
  In courses 101–191, a student must study with four different faculty members to ensure methodological and theoretical diversity as well as to study visual cultures in a variety of historical eras and cultural settings (refer to the course descriptions).
  
• tenth course: one course from another discipline, approved by a faculty adviser. The course taken outside of the History of Art and Visual Culture Department to fulfill the upper-division major requirement should complement a student’s history of art and visual culture program focus. Courses from the following departments are especially relevant: American studies, anthropology, film and digital media, history, history of consciousness, Latin American and Latino studies, literature, theater arts, and women’s studies. Courses from other departments may be considered.

Comprehensive Requirement

One of the two seminars, 190–191, taken to meet the requirements for the major must be taken in the senior year to fulfill the senior comprehensive requirement. Within the context of an advanced seminar, this course provides supervised, culminatory work leading to the completion of a major coherent project that meets the standards of the senior level of achievement in the history of art and visual culture. Students whose performance is outstanding are eligible for Honors. Students taking the course for Pass/No Pass who do not pass will receive a “fail” (F)

Concentration in Religion and Visual Culture

This program is for students who wish to pursue the study of religion in conjunction with studies of visual culture. It consists of an individually planned sequence of courses, including a core set of lower-division courses (1–99), to provide grounding in issues, methods, and a general history of visual culture; upper-division courses (100–199) from within the department; and at least four upper-division courses from other departments that focus on the study of religion.

A student enters the concentration by petitioning the History of Art and Visual Culture Department and proposing, in consultation with the primary adviser, a sequence of upper-division courses to fulfill the religion and visual culture concentration requirements. Ordinarily, students complete two lower-division courses in history of art and visual culture before declaring the major.

Requirements

Fourteen courses are required: four lower-division and six upper-division courses from within the department and four relevant upper-division courses from other departments.

Lower-Division Courses

• Courses 10D, 10E, and either 10F or 10G
• One course selected from the following: additional 10-series courses, 80-series courses, or Art 20–30
  (A lower-division course from another department or an upper-division history of art and visual culture course may be substituted with prior approval of a faculty adviser.)

Upper-Division Courses

• Six upper-division history of art and visual culture courses (course 100A, two numbered 101–149, two numbered 150–189, and one in the senior year numbered 190 or 191).
• Four upper-division courses in the study of religion from programs on campus such as anthropology, history, literature, and philosophy. (A current list of courses on campus that focus on the study of religion is maintained by the History of Art and Visual Culture Department Office.)
• Students must include at least two seminars in their program; at least one should be taken in the History of Art and Visual Culture Department in the senior year specifically to fulfill the senior comprehensive requirement.

Double Majors

History of art and visual culture may be studied as part of a double major. A student must fulfill all of the requirements for both majors.

Minor Requirements

Nine courses, as follows:

• lower-division: three courses (10D, 10E, and either 10F or 10G);
• upper-division: six courses planned in consultation with a faculty adviser (one history of art and visual culture 80-series course may be substituted for one upper-division course).

Transfer Students

A student may transfer up to five art history courses toward the major, only two of which may be upper division. Upper-division transfer credit must be approved by the student’s faculty adviser. Transfer students are invited to contact the History of Art and Visual Culture Department before enrolling at UCSC.

Study Abroad

The University of California’s Education Abroad Program (EAP) operates in countries throughout the world and serves over 750 upper-division students from the nine UC campuses annually. Students may receive transfer credit for a maximum of three upper-division art history courses taken through the EAP program. Credit for courses taken at other institutions is given only with permission of the student’s adviser. It is strongly suggested that students consult with a faculty member about their course of study before going abroad in order to avoid any confusion about these transfer credits.

Recommendations for Students Who Plan Graduate Study

There are many graduate programs of visual culture that lead to the M.A. and Ph.D. in fields such as art history, cultural history, semiotics, rhetoric, history of religions, comparative arts, theory and criticism of art, and so forth. Most graduate programs require a reading knowledge of one or two languages other than English. Students who are contemplating graduate study should consult with their adviser as early as possible in their undergraduate career.