ACADEMIC REGULATIONS AND REQUIREMENTS 

General Requirements for the Degree
To qualify for the Master of Arts degree in art history, candidates complete a minimum of eleven courses for graduate credit plus two winter study periods, the latter consisting of a GP Study Trip in the first year (ARTH 51) and preparation of a Draft Qualifying Paper in the second (ARTH 52). Students must also demonstrate reading proficiency in two foreign languages, one of which will be German. At the end of the second year, students present a shortened version of the Qualifying Paper in the annual Graduate Symposium. They deposit copies of the Symposium paper, augmented with scholarly apparatus and illustrations, in the Williams College Archives and the Clark Library.

At least seven of the eleven courses must be graduate seminars. Included in this number are two required of all students: ARTH 504, “Methods of Art History and Criticism,” to be taken during the first semester; and ARTH 509, “Graduate Student Symposium,” to be taken during the fourth semester.

With permission of the Director, up to four undergraduate courses in fields pertinent to their course of study at the 200-, 300-, or 400-level may be taken for graduate credit, with the understanding that research papers submitted in such courses meet a standard commensurate with those prepared for graduate seminars. Students who wish to take undergraduate courses for graduate credit must receive permission of the instructor. In the case of undergraduate lecture courses, students should register for them as ARTH 597 (in the fall) or ARTH 598 (in the spring). With the permission of the Director, one course in studio art may be included among the four.

Beyond the two required seminars, students must fulfill a distribution requirement by the end of their course of study. At least one course must be taken in four of six areas:

(1) East Asian, Indian, Islamic art
(2) Ancient Near Eastern, Egyptian, Greek, and Roman art
(3) Early Christian, Byzantine, and Western Medieval art to 1400
(4) Western art, 1400 to 1780
(5) Western art, 1780 to present
(6) Arts of Africa, Oceania, and the Americas (Pre-Hispanic or Native American cultures)

With the approval of the Director, a thematic or non-period specific course may apply toward the distribution requirement, provided the student works substantially and primarily on a topic that satisfies the requirement.

Private Tutorial
In addition to the regularly offered seminars and classes, students may apply to take courses designated as “Private Tutorials” (ARTH 595 in the fall semester, ARTH 596 in the spring). Students wishing to register for a private tutorial should submit a petition to the Director describing the substance of the project and the nature of the work to be submitted for evaluation, including a bibliography. The petition should be co-signed by the student and by the faculty instructor. Up to two private tutorials may be accepted for credit. Of the minimum requirement of eleven courses, the combined number of private tutorials and undergraduate courses applied to the degree may not exceed four.

The Qualifying Paper
The Qualifying Paper will normally take the form of a revision of a seminar or private tutorial paper produced in one of the previous three semesters, expanded and refined so that it would meet the standard for publication. The student must submit the topic of the Qualifying Paper in writing to the Director by the final day of classes of the third semester of study. Before submitting the topic, the student must obtain the seminar instructor/private tutorial supervisor’s agreement to supervise the Qualifying Paper.

No later than the first day of class of the Spring semester students submit three copies of a Draft Qualifying Paper, including illustrations, to the Director, the Associate Director, and to the faculty supervisor or third reader. Although a draft, the paper should be brought to a high level of completion. The Draft Qualifying Paper should not exceed 8,000 words, including footnotes and bibliography.

Within four weeks of submitting their Draft Qualifying Paper, students will meet with their readers for a Qualifying Paper Discussion (QPD), at which time they will discuss revisions and modifications as appropriate. Students then submit the final version of the Qualifying Paper to the faculty supervisor and the Program Director within 6 weeks of the QPD.

The Graduate Symposium
All students participating in the Symposium will be assigned an ad hoc committee to advise them in preparing their presentation. Each ad hoc committee will include (but is not limited to) the Director of the Graduate Program, one additional faculty mentor, one first-year graduate student, and one second-year graduate student. The first and third dry runs will be presented to the ad hoc committee. The second dry run will be presented to (and only to) the other second-year students in a Dry Run Workshop scheduled by the GP. Speakers must bring copies of their paper to each dry run. To meet the time limit of twenty minutes, the text, excluding footnotes, should not exceed 2,800 words. Students must submit the text of the final talk, augmented with notes, bibliography, list of illustrations, and a 250-word abstract, in hard and electronic copy to the Program for placement in the College Archives and the Clark Library.

Languages
The Graduate Program’s degree requirements include reading competence in two languages, other than English, of high scholarly and academic relevance to the history of art. One of the two languages must be German. Many students select French as their second language. The Program offers dedicated courses in reading French and German for art history. With permission from the Director or Associate Director, it is possible to substitute another language for French. For other languages taught at Williams see the Course Catalog, although please note that students may face difficulty juggling undergraduate and graduate schedules.

Incoming students’ language preparation is assessed through exams administered at the outset of the semester. The scores attained determine a student’s placement within the two-semester French/three-semester German sequence. If students have already completed extensive language study and attain a minimum score of 700 on the placement exam, they are exempted from the requirement. With a score between 500 and 700, they are placed into the graduate course of readings in art history, French 512 /German 513. With a score below 500, they enroll in French 511, offered in the fall for the graduate students / the appropriate one of two semesters of German study (511 and 512) before advancing to the reading course. In the case of languages other than French, arrangements will be made on an individual basis.

Returning second-year students who have completed GERM 511-512 have the option of taking a non-standardized two-hour reading exam in German as an alternative to GERM 513. This option is intended for students who, following completing GERM 512, are able to enhance their German reading skills over the summer following their first year. Should a student not pass the translation exam, s/he must register for GERM 513.

To satisfy the language requirement for the degree, a student must either score 700 or better on the SAT II reading examination in the chosen languages upon matriculation or complete with a grade of B- or better the advanced course or courses (GERM 513, RLFR 512, or the equivalent in an approved alternative language).

Grades and Academic Standing

The Program uses the following grading system (numerical equivalent in computing grade averages):

A+ = truly exceptional (4.33)
A = outstanding (4.00)
A- = excellent (3.67)
B+ = good (3.33)
B = satisfactory (3.00)
B- = barely adequate (2.67)
C = inadequate (0)
E = failing (0)

Any course in which the student receives a grade below B- will not be accepted for graduate credit.

Letter grades are used in all seminars except ARTH 509. In language courses letter grades are kept on record in the Graduate Program Office but are converted to Pass/Fail on the Williams transcript and are not averaged in with other grades. Winter Study courses (ARTH 51 and 52), and the Graduate Student Symposium (ARTH 509) are graded on a Pass/Fail basis. At the end of the first year, each student’s record will be reviewed by the Director of the GP. Those whose average for the first two semesters is less than B (3.00) may be asked to resign from the Program. Deadlines for course work are set by the instructor. If a student seeks and receives an extension that results in a semester grade of “Incomplete,” the work necessary to convert that “Incomplete” must be handed in by the instructor’s revised deadline, which will be no later than the Monday following the first full week of the next semester’s classes. Extensions beyond this second Monday will be solely at the discretion of the Program Director (in consultation with the instructor).

A student who resigns from the Graduate Program may, after an agreed upon term of not less than one year, submit a petition for re-admission to the Director. Such a petition must include evidence that deficiencies have been remedied and that the student is capable of completing the course of study for the degree without further interruption.

It is expected that the requirements for the degree will be completed within four semesters of residence. In no instance will credit be given for coursework done prior to matriculation in the Graduate Program.

The Program is full-time and does not normally admit students on a part-time basis.

Revised June 2009