New Major in Art History

Beginning in the fall semester of 2010, the College’s school of arts will be offering a major in art history. The new major, the first for the College’s fine arts department, will examine art and architecture created from the ancient to the contemporary worlds within broad historical and cultural contexts.

Art history majors will be required to take courses in both the earlier (Medieval and Renaissance) and later (Baroque and Modern) periods, as well as courses in World Arts and art history methodologies. Electives ranging from ancient to American art can also be structured to emphasize museum studies and to take advantage of the numerous opportunities for internships in the New York area. Majors will study the world-class architecture, galleries, libraries and museums in New York City. The newly introduced course in Monasticism and the Arts, for example, will draw heavily on the collections of the Cloisters, just as the course in the New York City Skyscraper focuses on buildings in midtown and downtown Manhattan.

Dr. Mark A. Pottinger, chair of the fine arts department, is enthusiastic about the new program. “The art history major at Manhattan College addresses the creative energy that is found among students who want to live and study in New York City, known throughout the world as a major center for art and culture.” He says, “As an art history major, you will not only study the artists and museums that define art in New York and throughout the world but you will also come to articulate how visual culture in general informs and challenges our own hopes and immediate desires.”

The College is expanding its full-time fine arts faculty to meet the new demands on the department. Dr. Po Yin Auyeung, who holds her doctorate from the Graduate Center of the City University of New York, specializes in modern art history and Asian art. Dr. Daniel Savoy, a renaissance specialist who recently completed his doctorate at the Institute for Fine Arts, New York University, will join the department in the fall.  Dr. Richard Emmerson, dean of the school of arts, is also a specialist in medieval art history and will be teaching in the department.  

Emmerson points to Manhattan College’s long legacy of liberal arts education.“ The addition of an Art History major to a College with such a rich heritage of liberal arts education was an easy and logical decision.” He says, “Manhattan will draw on both its own faculty and the knowledge and creativity of New York City to provide a top notch curriculum.” The fine arts department also offers minors in art history, digital media art, and music, along with courses required of all students to fulfill the College’s core requirements.

 

College Hosts 28th Annual Engineering Awareness Program

Manhattan College’s Engineering Awareness Program, which aims to introduce high school students to potential careers in the various fields of engineering, will be held for the 29th straight year in July. The program is designed for minority and female high school students in science, engineering and SAT preparation at no cost to the students and is co-sponsored by the Metropolitan Section of the American Society of Civil Engineers and the ACE Mentorship Program of New York, as well as individual corporate sponsors. It is meant to introduce students to a wide range of engineering-related career options, with some emphasis on civil engineering. Read.