ART-MIN - Art History (Minor)

How to Declare the Minor

Upon declaring the minor, students must select a faculty advisor with whom they plan their course of study and electives. A proposed course of study must be approved by the advisor and placed in the student's departmental file.

Minors are required to attend an orientation session presented by the professional staff of the Art and Architecture Library, which introduces the tools of research and reference available on campus or through the Internet. This requirement should be completed no later than the quarter following the minor declaration.

Only one class may be taken for credit outside of the Stanford campus; this includes courses taken in the Overseas Studies Program.

The department expects undergraduate minors in the program to be able to demonstrate the following learning outcomes. These learning outcomes are used in evaluating students and the department's undergraduate program.

Students in historical studies are expected to demonstrate:

1. knowledge and awareness of art and/or film terminology and concepts;

2. ability to develop effective and nuanced lines of interpretation;

3. improved critical thinking skills using primary and secondary source materials;

4. improvement in analytical writing skills and close reading skills;

5. ability to form and validate their own and others' opinions through knowledge of artistic movements and sociohistorical events.

Students in creative art are expected to demonstrate:

1. enhanced awareness of the role of art in intellectual and cultural life;

2. problem solving skills to organize, analyze and interpret visual information;


3. mastery of techniques and materials of a discipline with awareness of historical and current practices;

4. selection of materials, processes, form, and content to achieve poetic and expressive relationships to artistic media;

5. ability to apply critical analysis to the student’s own work and the work of others;

6. effective techniques for the preparation and presentation of work consistent with professional practices in the field.