Course Requirements

Student Organizations and Participation

ORIENTATION

The Department organizes two orientation events in the early weeks of the fall term that new students are expected to attend: an introductory "tea" where all new graduate students are introduced to the department and a tour of the Harvard University Art Museums.

REGISTRATION

In the fall term, a few days before the beginning of classes, students must complete a formal registration procedure. Visit the Graduate School of Arts and Sciences for more information.

COURSE WORK

requirements for satisfactory progress

COURSE REQUIREMENTS

A total of 16 half-courses are required for academic residence.

1 half-course must be History of Art and Architecture 310.

At least 9 half-courses must be chosen from the offerings of the History of Art and Architecture Department.

Students must take one course in at least three fields of art/architectural history other than their own. For students in Western art, one of those courses must be in Asian, African, Native American, or Islamic art. For students in Asian, African, or Islamic art, one of the required courses must be in Western art. Non field-specific courses may be taken in place of one of the three field requirements. In non field-specific courses, a topic should be studied which promotes extra diversification methodologically and geographically.

Students may wish to develop a minor field in which a cluster of three courses must be taken. In that case, the regular field distribution requirement is waived, but one course outside the double fields is required to ensure breadth. A non-Western course must be taken if a Western field is both the primary and minor field and a Western course must be taken if a non-Western field is both the primary and minor field. As above, in non field-specific courses, a topic should be studied which promotes extra diversification methodologically and geographically.

If a course falls between two fields, it is important to specify the field, and to clarify the arrangement with the DGS during the term the course is taken.

Field distribution and 200-level course requirements may be fulfilled by the same course, but may not be counted twice towards the 16.

5 half-courses, in addition to HAA310, must be primarily for graduates at the 200-level or the equivalent (e.g. 100 level seminars); partial credit may be given for graduate-level courses from other institutions, in which the student participated while enrolled in HAA.

2 half-courses may be in any language(s) appropriate for your field of research.

Graduates enrolled in undergraduate lecture courses will not be required to fulfill additional requirements. The examination of graduates enrolled in undergraduate lecture courses will be of the same format as those for the undergraduates, but it may be tailored to graduate level, as long as this does not lead to a quantitative increase. For example: when the examination consists of a written exam, a separate set of questions might be designed for the graduate students; or the questions might be the same, but the results judged by higher standards. Graduate students can request a course upgrade. For this, they will need the consent of the teaching faculty member and the approval of the DGS.

Variation in course requirements will be considered only through written request to the department after consultation with the director of graduate studies and a faculty adviser.

CREDIT FOR COURSES TAKEN ELSEWHERE

HAA does not give credit for courses taken elsewhere, before coming to Harvard. Only in exceptional cases can the department depart from the rule. This requires: first, the consent of the intended thesis supervisor; second, the approval of the DGS to submit the request to the Faculty; third, the approval of the Faculty. The student must successfully complete two terms of course work in the Department before applying for such credit; no credit for coursework will be granted if there are any incomplete grades. The Department may allow credit for less than the requested amount, according to the Faculty's assessment of the student's progress. The appropriate petition form may be obtained from the Department Administrator.

FIELD DISTRIBUTION

The Department currently offers instruction in the following broad fields of the history of art and architecture:

• Ancient East Asian
• Medieval/Byzantine Islamic
• South Asian African
• Renaissance and Baroque (fifteenth through eighteenth centuries)
• Modern (nineteenth and twentieth centuries)

The graduate curriculum is designed to ensure breadth across the discipline, both in terms of field distribution and methodology. Students must take one course in at least three fields of art and/or architectural history other than their own. For students in Western art, one of those courses must be in Asian, African, Native American, or Islamic art. For students in Asian, African, or Islamic art, one of the required courses must be in Western art. Non-field-specific courses such as HAA201, "The Study of Architectural History: Issues and Methodology," or HAA206, "Science and the Practice of Art History," may be taken in place of one of the three field requirements. In non-field-specific courses, a topic should be studied which promotes extra diversification methodologically and geographically.

Students may instead wish to develop a minor field in which a cluster of three courses must be taken. In that case, the regular field distribution requirement is waived, but one course outside the double fields is required to ensure breadth. As above, in non-field-specific courses, a topic should be studied which promotes extra diversification methodologically and geographically.

If a course falls between two fields, it is important to specify the field, and to clarify the arrangement with the DGS during the term the course is taken. In such cases the requirement may be considered as fulfilled if the main paper assignment is in the field of the requirement; individual cases are to be presented to the DGS in consultation with the instructor, and when relevant with the adviser. It is the student's responsibility to clarify such special arrangements with the DGS.

On the basis of course work done at their undergraduate institution, students may petition to have one of the three distribution requirements waived. Following discussion with the Graduate Adviser, and only upon her or his recommendation, the student should submit a petition to the faculty documenting the previous course work in the field. Ordinarily this will be two courses at the undergraduate level. Should a distribution requirement be waived, the total number of courses required for the degree is not altered. This is the only context in which undergraduate courses are considered.

STUDENT ORGANIZATIONS AND PARTICIPATION

A History of Art and Architecture Student Association exists to organize guest lecture series, colloquia, receptions, and other social events related to the life of the institution, for which funding is made available by the Department. Two students serve as directors of the Association each year.

A graduate student-faculty committee composed of four students, the Chairman, the Director of Graduate Studies, and two other faculty members meets regularly to discuss issues of common concern. In addition to its role as liaison between students and faculty, it serves as a panel to which students may appeal faculty decisions or departmental policy.

Students regularly participate on all departmental search committees and contribute to the overall decision-making process.