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ARTHIST

Art History

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The department at a glance

All recorded grades
average GPA
A / AB grades
letter grades

How grades break down

Grades over time

Red: department · Gray: UW–Madison

About these statistics

GPA and percentages are weighted by recorded letter grades. UW comparisons use the same terms. Cross-listed courses count once within this department and once across UW; department totals should not be added together. Grade counts are not unique students. Offering counts reflect captured records, not a complete historical schedule.

Spring 2027

Recorded this term
courses with offerings
instructors recorded

Grades have not been recorded for this term. Historical results remain in the overview above.

Across course levels

Recorded this term

No released grades for this term.

Recorded offerings over time

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35 courses

Introduction to Afro-American Art surveys the historical evolution of African American art from its African heritage through the creativity of the 1970s.

Offering recorded · Spring 2027 · Sources

Past student reviews · Anthony Black

The course required one midterm with slide identification, three short reading summaries, and two longer analysis papers. While the midterm demanded memorization, the papers were short and manageable, and some students found the reading responses time-consuming.

historical GPA · grades

Fall 2022–Spring 2026

Graduate course exploring variable topics in Visual Culture with analytic attention to gender, sexuality, and race.

Offering recorded · Spring 2027 · Sources

historical GPA · grades

Spring 2024–Spring 2026 · limited sample

Introduces the interdisciplinary field of material culture studies for students interested in careers in museums, galleries, historical societies, historic preservation, and academia.

Offering recorded · Spring 2027 · Sources

Past student reviews · Ann Smart Martin

Grading standards were inconsistent, with some assignments described as harshly graded while others were not.

historical GPA · grades

Fall 2022–Spring 2026

Dimensions of Material Culture introduces the interdisciplinary field of material culture studies for students interested in careers in museums, galleries, historical societies, historic preservation, and academia.

Offering recorded · Spring 2027 · Sources

historical GPA · grades

Spring 2026–Spring 2026 · limited sample

Introduction to world art using a thematic approach, covering diverse media, time spans, and cultural origins.

Offering recorded · Spring 2027 · Sources

Past student reviews · Anna Campbell

Weekly workload included roughly three assignments, which were manageable if students paid attention to lectures.

historical GPA · grades

Fall 2022–Spring 2026

Examines cultural representations of health, sex, disease, medicine, and death across various art forms, emphasizing how race, gender, and disability shape depictions of the body from ancient times to the present.

Offering recorded · Spring 2027 · Sources

historical GPA · grades

Spring 2023–Spring 2026

Survey of European and Mediterranean art before the Renaissance, linking canonical works and material culture to context and art history skills.

Offering recorded · Spring 2027 · Sources

Past student reviews · Thomas Dale

Exams were reported as difficult to study for, specifically demanding the memorization of close to 100 pieces of art.

historical GPA · grades

Spring 2023–Spring 2025

Topics in Art History surveys the arts or visual culture of varying geographical regions, time periods, or cultures depending on the selected topic.

Offering recorded · Spring 2027 · Sources

historical GPA · grades

Fall 2022–Spring 2026

ITALIAN RENAISSANCE ART covers painting, sculpture, and architecture.

Offering recorded · Spring 2027 · Sources

historical GPA · grades

Spring 2024–Spring 2024 · limited sample

Topics in Asian Art examines special topics related to Asian art across South, East, Southeast, and Central Asia.

Offering recorded · Spring 2027 · Sources

historical GPA · grades

Spring 2023–Fall 2025 · limited sample

Analysis of Frank Lloyd Wright's architecture and writings.

Offering recorded · Spring 2027 · Sources

historical GPA · grades

Fall 2023–Spring 2026 · limited sample

Proseminar on special advanced topics in Art History, taught in a seminar-style format with varying media, geography, culture, and time frame.

Offering recorded · Spring 2027 · Sources

historical GPA · grades

Spring 2023–Fall 2025 · limited sample

Advanced seminar on 20th Century European Art History.

Offering recorded · Spring 2027 · Sources

historical GPA · grades

Spring 2023–Spring 2024 · limited sample

Special Topics in Art History covers varying subjects across media, geography, culture, and time frames.

Offering recorded · Spring 2027 · Sources

historical GPA · grades

Fall 2024–Fall 2025 · limited sample

Seminar on special topics in art history; topics vary by media, geography, culture, and time frame.

Offering recorded · Spring 2027 · Sources

historical GPA · grades

Fall 2023–Fall 2024 · limited sample

Historical overview of the built environment of Asian cities from antiquity to the present, exploring their architectural and urban legacy in social and historical context across diverse regions.

Offering recorded · Spring 2027 · Sources

historical GPA · grades

Fall 2023–Fall 2025 · limited sample

Studies visual cultures of India across art, photography, cinema, architecture, and urban planning, examining themes like sexuality, patronage, modernism, and nationalism.

Offering recorded · Spring 2027 · Sources

historical GPA · grades

Spring 2024–Spring 2026 · limited sample

Explores the art and archaeology of ancient Italy, the Roman Republic, and the Roman Empire from the Iron Age to Late Antiquity.

Offering recorded · Spring 2027 · Sources

Past student reviews · William Aylward

Grades were based solely on four exams, but the instructor provided detailed study guides well in advance and explicitly stated what to expect, making preparation straightforward.

historical GPA · grades

Spring 2023–Spring 2026