AH40600

Learning Outcomes:

The primary objectives of the Methods of Art History module include: selection of a topic for the MA thesis; introduction to research methodologies appropriate for advanced art-historical research; presentation skills; preparation of a research proposal; discussion about the process and experience of advanced research. The module will be assessed via an oral presentation on a proposed research topic, and the submission of a formal research proposal which provides the framework for the dissertation. In addition, you will be expected to prepare readings and assignments for each seminar.

Indicative Module Content:

Week 1: Introduction: Orientation and review of syllabus

Week 2: The Discipline of Art History
UCD Library: databases, search engines

Week 3: Approaches in Architectural History
Managing images

Week 4: Art History and Visual Culture
Choosing a research topic

Week 5: Aesthetics
Formulating research topics/reading critically

Week 6: Methodologies of Art History 1
Writing a literature review

Week 7: Methodologies of Art History 2
The writing process/structuring your thesis

Week 9: Methodologies of Art History 3
Organising sources, references, and bibliographies

Week 10: Methodologies of Art History 4

Week 11: Methodologies of Art History 5

Week 12: Research Ethics

UNESCO highlights a set of key competencies that support individuals in their development and support society in achieving the UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). UCD has adapted these competencies and is combining them with others to form a general framework of learning competencies. This module will help you develop the competencies below to the levels specified. 

The United Nations identified seventeen Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) as core to the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, and UCD contributes in general to SDG 4 Quality Education. Further SDGs explored within this module if relevant are listed below. A scale of 1 - 5 indicates the extent to which the SDG is covered.


 

Student Effort Hours:

Approaches to Teaching and Learning:

The key teaching and learning approaches used are based on the critical analysis of art historical methodologies in a seminar-based class. Students are required to contribute to discussion based on a weekly reading assignment. From Week 6, students are required to individually lead a seminar based on an assigned reading through a formal presentation.

Requirements, Exclusions and Recommendations

Not applicable to this module.

Module Requisites and Incompatibles

Not applicable to this module.
 

Assessment Strategy

As part of UCD's student support, under the Additional Consideration policy, extensions may be available for the following assessments in the module: Assignment (including essay/poster), Portfolio, Reflective Assignment, Report(s), and Individual Project.

 

Please see Student Jargon Buster for more information about remediation types and timing. 

Feedback Strategy/Strategies

• Feedback individually to students, post-assessment

How will my Feedback be Delivered?

Individual feedback on Research Exercise (due in Week 5) and Literature Review (due in week 10) will allow students the opportunity to gauge their understanding of the module outcomes in advance of the class presentation on their research topic (due in Week 14).

ART HISTORY METHODS
Adams, Laurie S. Methodologies of Art: An Introduction. Oxford: Westview Press, 2002.
Broude, Norma and Gerrard, M.D. (eds.), The Expanding Discourse: Feminism and Art History. New York: Harper and Row, 1992.
Carrier, David. Principles of Art History Writing. Philadelphia: Pennsylvania State University Press, 1991.
Anne D’Alleva, Methods and Theories of Art History. London: Laurence King, 2005.
Edwards, Steve, ed. Art and Its Histories: A Reader. New Haven: Yale University Press, 1999.
Elkins, James. The Domain of Images. Ithaca: Cornell University Press, 1999.
Elkins, James. Visual Studies: A Skeptical Introduction. New York: Routledge, 2003.
Evans, Jessica and Stuart Hall, eds. Visual culture: the reader. London: Sage, 1999.
Fernie, Eric, ed. Art History and Its Methods. London: Phaidon, 1996.
Gombrich, Ernst H. Reflections on the History of Art: Views and Reviews. Oxford: Phaidon, 1987.
Harris, Jonathan. The New Art History: A Critical Introduction. New York/London: Routledge, 2001.
Harris, Jonathan. Art History. The Key Concepts. London: Routledge, 2006.
Hatt, M. & Klonk, C. Art History: A Critical Introduction to its Methods, Manchester University Press, 2006.
Holly, Michael Ann. Panofsky and the Foundations of Art History. Ithaca: Cornell University Press, 1984.
Moxey, Keith. The Practice of Theory: Poststructuralism, Cultural Politics, and Art History. Ithaca: Cornell University Press, 1994.
Nelson, Robert S., and Richard Shiff, eds. Critical Terms for Art History. Chicago: University Of Chicago Press, 2003.
Neill, Alex and Aaron Ridley, eds. The Philosophy of Art: Readings Ancient and Modern. Boston: McGraw-Hill, 1995.
Pacht, Otto. The Practice of Art History: Reflections on Method. London: Harvey Miller Publishers, 1999.
Pollock, Griselda. Vision and Difference: Femininity, Feminism, and Histories of Art. New York/London: Routledge, 1988.
Preziosi, Donald. Rethinking Art History: Meditations on a Coy Science. New Haven: Yale University Press, 1989.
Preziosi, Donald, ed. The Art of Art History: A Critical Anthology. Oxford: Oxford University Press, 1998.
Rose, Gillian. Visual Methodologies: An Introduction to the Interpretation of Visual Materials. London: Sage, 2001.
Shone, Richard and Stonard, John-Paul, The Books that Shaped Art History, London: Thames and Hudson, 2013.

THESIS WRITING
Booth, Wayne C., Gregory G. Colomb, and Joseph M. Williams. The Craft of Research. Chicago: University of Chicago Press, 1995.
Murray, Rowena. How to Write a Thesis. Maidenhead: Open University Press, 2006.

Last Edited: 6 May 2025

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