Honour School of History of Art

Differences from 2017/18 to 2021/22

A

  • 1. The examination in the School of History of Art shall be under the supervision of the Board of the Faculty of History.

  • 2. No candidate shall be admitted to the examination in this school unless he or she has passed or been exempted from the First Public Examination.

  • 3. The Board of the Faculty of History shall, by notice from time to time, make regulations respecting the examination.

  • 4. The Board of the Faculty of History may include in the examination, either as necessary or optional, other subjects which they may deem suitable to be studied in connection with History of Art.

B

The History Board shall issue annually the Handbook for the Honour School of History of Art by Monday of first week of the first Michaelmas Full Term of candidates' work for the Honour School.

All candidates are required to offer Subjects I, II, III, IV, V, and VI below.

I. Approaches to the History of Art

II. A Further Subject in Art History

Any one of the Further Subjects listed below, as specified for the Honour School of History:

  • 1. Anglo-Saxon Archaeology c. 600-750: Society and economy in the Early Christian Period

  • 2. The Carolingian Renaissance

  • 3. Northern European Portraiture 1400–1800

  • 4. Culture and Society in Early Renaissance Italy 1290-1348

  • 5. Flanders and Italy in the Quattrocento 1420-1480

  • 6. Court Culture and Art in Early Modern Europe

  • 7. Intellect and Culture in Victorian Britain

III. Classical, Pre-Modern or Non-Western Art Option

Any one of the options below:

  • 1. Greek Art and Archaeology c.500-300 bc (as specified for the Honour School of Literae Humaniores, Greek and Roman Archaeology).

  • 2. Art under the Roman Empire ad 14-337 (as specified for the Honour School of Literae Humaniores, Greek and Roman Archaeology).

  • 3. Hellenistic Art and Archaeology, 330-30 BC.

  • 4. Byzantine Art: the transition from Antiquity to the Middle Ages, ad 500-1100.

  • 5. Gothic Art through Medieval Eyes.

  • 6. Encountering South Asian Sculpture

  • 7. American Art

  • 8. Art in China since 1911.

    9. Understanding Museums and Collections (as specified for the Honour School of Archaeology and Anthropology), if not taken under IV below.

    10. Egyptian Art and Architecture (as specified for the Honour School of Oriental Studies, Egyptology and Ancient Near Eastern Studies with Archaeology and Anthropology).

    11. Visual Culture in Contemporary East Asia.

    12. Latin American Cinema (as specified for the Honour School of Modern Languages, Special Subjects)

    13. Topics in Islamic Art

  •  

    14. Cross-cultural Dialogues: Art, Politics and Belief in Medieval Iberia

IV. Modern Art Option

Any one of the options below:

  • 1. Literature and the Visual Arts in France (as specified for the Honour School of Modern Languages, Special Subjects).

  • 2. German Expressionism in literature and the visual arts (as specified for the Honour School of Modern Languages, Special Subjects).

  • 3. European Cinema (as specified for the Honour School of Modern Languages, Special Subjects).

  • 4. ModernismHistory and AfterTheory of Visual Culture since 1900 (as specified for the Final Examination in Fine Art; paper on the history and theory of visual culture since 1900 (Modernism and After)).

  • 5. Understanding Museums and Collections (as specified for the Honour School of Archaeology and Anthropology), if not taken under III above.

  • 6. The Experience of Modernity: Visual Culture, 1880-1925

  • 7. American Art, if not taken under III above.

  • 8. Art in China since 1911, if not taken under III above.

  • 9. Visual Culture in Contemporary East Asia, if not taken under III above. 

  • 10. Inventing Photography: A History of Origins

  • 11. Latin American Cinema (as specified for the Honour School of Modern Languages, Special Subjects)

In the case of Modern Art options 1-3 above, the relevant regulation for the Honour School of Modern Languages, XII Special Subjects, Section B, is modified (modification in italics) for History of Art students to read: An essay or portfolio of essays (the number of essays to be shown in parentheses) aggregating to about 6,000 words and not exceeding 8,000 words, to be submitted by handuploaded to the ExaminationUniversity Schools,approved Highonline Street,assessment Oxfordplatform by noon on the Monday of tenth week of the Hilary Term in the year prior to examination (i.e. the student's second year of study), together with a statement certifying that the essay(s) are the candidate's own work and that they have not already been submitted, either wholly or substantially, for a degree in this university or elsewhere.

In the case of Modern Art option 4, History of Art students are assessed based on anthree examinationessays takenof inno more than 2,500 words each (including footnotes) on aspects of the history and theory of visual culture since 1900 to be submitted using the University approved online assessment platform by noon on Friday of Week 9 of the Michaelmas Term of their final year. One essay must be submitted not later than noon on the Friday of the ninth week of the Michaelmas Full Term in the academic year preceding the examination, one essay must be submitted not later than noon on the Friday of the ninth week of the Hilary Full Term in the academic year preceding the examination, and one essay must be submitted not later than noon on the Friday of the ninth week of the Trinity Full Term in the academic year preceding the examination.

V. Special Subject in Art History, consisting of

(a) a paper including compulsory passages and/or images for comment; (b) an extended essay.

Any one of the Special Subjects listed below, as specified for the Honour School of History:

  • 1. Painting and Culture in Ming China.

  • 2. Politics, Art and Culture in the Italian Renaissance: Venice and Florence, c.1475-1525.

    3. The Dutch Golden Age: 1618-1672.

    4. English Architecture 1660-1720.

    5. Art and its Public in France 1815-67.

  • 6. Pop and the Art of the Sixties.

Depending on the availability of teaching resources in the different Faculties, not all of the options listed under II, III, IV and V will be available to all candidates in every year. Candidates should refer to the course handbook for details about availability and registration for individual options.

VI. A thesis from original research

  • 1. Candidates must submit a thesis as part of the fulfilment of their Final Examination.

  • 2. Theses shall normally be written during the Hilary Term of the final year. All theses must be submitted using the University approved online assessment platform not later than noon on Friday of eighth week of the Hilary Term of the academic year in which the candidate is presenting himself or herself for examination.

  • 3. A candidate may submit:

    • (a) any essay or part of any essay which he or she has submitted or intends to submit for any university essay prize; or

    • (b) any other work provided in either case that (i) no thesis will be accepted if it has already been submitted, wholly or substantially, for a final honour school other than one involving Modern History or History of Art, or another degree of this University, or a degree of any other university, and (ii) the candidate submits a statement to that effect, and (iii) the subject is approved by the Chair of the Examiners for the Honour School of History of Art.

  • 4. The provisos in cl. 3 above shall not debar any candidate from submitting work based on a previous submission towards the requirements for a degree of any other university provided that

    • (i) the work is substantially new;

    • (ii) the candidate also submits both the original work itself and a statement specifying the extent of what is new. The examiners shall have sole authority to decide in every case whether proviso (i) has been met.

  • 5. Every candidate except when offering a thesis as defined in cl. 3 (a) must submit a proposed preliminary title to the Department of History of Art, St Ebbes, Oxford together with a typed synopsis of the thesis topic and proposed method of investigation (no more than 250 words) and the written approval of their College History of Art Co-ordinator, not later than Friday of eighth week of Michaelmas Term in the year of the examination. The Chair of Examiners shall give notification whether or not the title is approved by the first Monday of Hilary Full Term of the same year. Any subsequent changes to subject require formal application to the Chair of Examiners by the Friday of Week 4 of the Hilary Term of the final year and subsequent approval. Minor changes to title or subtitle do not need to be submitted.

  • 6. Theses should normally include an investigation of visual and material culture (broadly defined), with references made to relevant images and printed and/or unprinted primary written sources, and must include proper footnotes and a bibliography. They must be the work of the author alone. In all cases, the candidate's Undergraduate Thesis Adviser shall discuss with the candidate the field of study, the sources available, and the methods of presentation. Candidates shall be expected to have attended a class on choosing a thesis topic, led by the Undergraduate Thesis Co-ordinator, and to have discussed their choice of topic with their College History of Art Co-ordinator during the Trinity Term of the year prior to examination and Michaelmas Term of the year of examination. Details of arrangements are given in the course handbook. The Undergraduate Thesis Co-ordinator will appoint an appropriate expert thesis adviser for each candidate. Candidates shall have meetings with their Undergraduate Thesis Adviser lasting no more than five hours in total. These hours of meetings shall be normally distributed as follows: one hour in total in Trinity Term of the year prior to the examination; one hour in total in the Michaelmas Term of the year of examination; three hours in total in Hilary Term of the year of examination. A first draft of the thesis may be commented on, but not corrected in matters of detail and presentation, by the Undergraduate Thesis Adviser.

  • 7. No thesis shall exceed 12,000 words in length (including footnotes, but excluding bibliography, and, in cases for which specific permission has been obtained from the Chair of Examiners, appendices). All theses must be typed or word-processed in double spacing on one side of A4 paper with the notes and references at the foot of each page, with a left-hand margin of one-and-a-half inches and all other margins of at least one inch. The thesis should conform to the standards of academic presentation prescribed in the course handbook. Failure to conform to such standards may incur penalties as outlined in the course handbook.

  • 8. All theses must be submitted electronically not later than noon on Friday of week 8 of the Hilary term of the final year of the Final Honour School using the University approved online submissionassessment systemplatform. Procedures governing this process will be published by the Board. The University's regulations on late submission of work will apply.   

  • 9. Candidates shall not answer in any other paper questions which fall very largely within the scope of their thesis nor choose a Special Subject extended essay topic related to their thesis. Candidates should not choose a thesis that only substantially reworks material studied in the Further Subject in Art History, in the Classical, Pre-Modern or non-Western art option, in the Modern art option, or in the Special Subject, and should demonstrate familiarity with and use of substantially different and additional primary sources and visual material.