ADVISING
Students are free to select their advisor from the faculty of Art, Art History & Visual Studies. During pre-registration period faculty members will have sign-up sheets posted on their doors so that students can make appointments for advising. The Director of Undergraduate Studies is available for consultation by appointment.
INDEPENDENT STUDY
Independent study provides the ideal opportunity for a student to do an extended research project in a subject of particular interest. Students are encouraged to do independent studies with a faculty member with whom they have previously taken a course. Students doing Independent Studies in Art History are required to write a research paper. Faculty in the Department of Art, Art History & Visual Studies are usually limited to two Independent Study students each semester. A successful Independent Study project can lead to graduation with Distinction in the Major. Students can obtain a W designation for ArtHist 291A or 292A (Research Independent Study). To do so the student must fill out a form
(trinity.duke.edu/uploads/assets/wcoderequest.pdf), get it signed by their advisor and the DUS, and submit it before the end of drop add of the semester of the course.
STUDY ABROAD
Students are encouraged to travel and to take courses abroad. There is no substitute for exposure to the major works of painting, sculpture, and architecture in museums and cities around the world. A wide variety of programs is available for one semester, for the entire academic year, or for the summer only. There is a complete listing of such programs in the Duke Office of Global Education for Undergraduates, which has an extensive file of study opportunities in other countries, including a number of programs that have received “pre-Approved” status. A listing of summer courses can be obtained from the Office of Summer Session in the Bishop’s House.
The Duke University Summer Session and other Duke-sponsored study programs have also offered courses in a variety of countries. In past years, courses for both undergraduates and graduates have been offered in the Netherlands, Flanders (Belgium), Florence, Rome, Paris, Madrid, and Vienna. Whereas students simply receive credit (without a grade) from most study abroad programs, a course sponsored by Duke will be indicated by the grade on their transcript. The latter may be important if students are considering graduate or professional school. Students should note that the Department of Art, Art History & Visual Studies will not give credit to courses taken under the auspices of Study Abroad that are not specifically related to the art and culture of the particular locale where that course is being taught. Courses in Visual Arts will be accepted at the discretion of relevant faculty members. The Study Abroad program provides students with a unique opportunity to examine different cultures, and we as a department encourage students to utilize Study Abroad to gain such exposure.
DUKE IN FLANDERS [link]
The Duke University Department of Art, Art History & Visual Studies and the Office of Study Abroad offers a six-week, two-course program in Ghent (Flanders) and Amsterdam (The Netherlands) in the summer. This program will introduce all participants to a contextual study of Netherlandish art and visual culture from the Early Modern period. Professor Hans J. Van Miegroet, Chair of the Department of Art, Art History & Visual Studies will direct the program.
A maximum of two courses taken away from Duke will count towards any major or minor.
BENENSON PRIZES [link]
Thanks to the generosity of Mr. Edward H. Benenson, a series of prizes for summer research and study are available to undergraduates who are interested in any field of art, music, drama, dance, photography, film making, or creative writing. Since the prizes are designed to broaden the students’ educational and professional objectives, the candidate’s essay on his/her objectives will be a major factor in the selection process. Prizes have been awarded for travel, summer study in established programs, and research, either in the United States or abroad. Students interested in applying for a Benenson Prize must be nominated by their department.
The applications are usually due in late February-early March, and the announcement of the winners is made in April.
Graduation Prizes:
Nancy Kaneb Art History Award
Mary Duke Biddle Foundation Visual Arts Award
Sue and Lee Noel Prize in the Visual Arts