By JJ Bowman
News Editor
For some it came just too late. For others it came just in time. And for one person it just finally came. Pepperdine now has an art history major, which comes 12 years after Fine Arts Division Chair Sonia Sorrell began pushing for its inclusion in the Seaver College curriculum.
Ceyda Keyman, a sophomore and the first person to sign up as an art history major, said she is thrilled with the addition.
“It feels a little intimidating, but good,” she said in an e-mail interview. “I am honored to be a representative of a subject matter that I consider my passion.”
The major requires a completion of 40 units, 12 of which come from an outside concentration. Ten art history courses will now be taught in a rotation that allows students the opportunity to take all the classes over a two-year span.
Sorrell, Director of the Frederick R.Weisman Museum Dr. Michael Zakian and Dr. Cindy Colburn will teach the classes. Colburn will cover four classes that span from ancient time through the Renaissance. Sorrell will lecture on non-Western and multicultural arts in America.
Both Sorrell and Zakian said they are excited to tap the area’s variety of artistic resources.
“Los Angeles has such incredible, rich resources,” Zakian said. “We have some of the best museums in the country right here in our backyard.”
Zakian will teach three classes spanning from the Baroque age of the 17th Century through the modern art of today. Although his doctorate is in 20th century art, earlier centuries are crucial to understanding modern works, he said.
Zakian said he hopes to utilize Los Angeles’ cultural centers to “augment the lectures with trips to local museums so students can witness first hand the original works of art hanging in those institutions.”
The Weisman director also said that through his connections in the art community students will have opportunities to tour artists’ studios.
The experience available for students should also return benefits to the Weisman Museum itself, Zakian said. Most universities with art museums work closely with art departments to have students organize exhibitions or do other hands-on work. Zakian said he wants Pepperdine to have similar opportunities available.
Students who graduate with a degree in art history can pursue a variety of fields, Sorrell said. Some choose to work in museums or auction houses while others work as art investors. Corporations, hotels and other organizations typically purchase art with the hope they will see gains in their investments. Art history also gives a solid basis for students interested in pursuing archeology, Sorrell said.
“A good (art) historian looks beyond the surface of a work and they see the cultures in which that work was created,” she said. “A work is more than just color, it also reflects the culture’s religion, politics, economics, philosophy and technology.”
Pepperdine has an art major already, but some students choose to pursue a humanities minor to gain some background in art history.
“I got a humanities minor to go with my art major because I thought it needed more substance,” senior Jessie Abrams said. “Art history is so distinct.”
The major comes too late for Abrams, but she often voiced her support for it.
“I knew it would be fruitless for myself,” she said. “But it is so valuable for people to be able to (pursue the major). For Pepperdine to be a liberal arts school that doesn’t have an art history major — that’s crazy.”
Art history survey courses have been eliminated to make way for more intensive classes. Students are still expected to complete the western heritage general education requirement to gain a basic understanding of art history.
Abrams said art history courses are worth taking for students in other disciplines.
Art in ancient times is not created for the same reasons it is today, she said.
“It used to be a social statement on the rulers. It was more functional than it was entertainment.”
Keyman also believed the major will benefit the entire Pepperdine community.
“(Art history) is probably one of the most interesting cultural subjects one can learn about,” she said. “It furthers one’s thinking, teaches them to value something of substance, and allows them to expand their minds by thinking beyond the norm.”
—Juana Diego contributed to this story
Art History Requirements
MAJOR
40 UNITS
Lower division prerequisites
HUM 111, 112 and 113
Upper division: 28 units (choose 7, one of which must be senior seminar)
ART 422: Ancient Art (4)
ART 424: Classical Art (4)
ART 426: Early Christian and Medieval Art (4)
ART 428: Renaissance Art (4)
ART 430: 17th and 18th Century Art (4)
ART 434: Nineteenth Century Art (4)
ART 436: Modern Art (4)
ART 438: Non-Western Art (4)
ART 440: Multicultural Arts in America (4)
ART 590: Senior Thesis in Art History (4)
Electives: 12 Units
Students will take at least one course from three of the following areas outside of art history: history, literature, philosophy, religion and social science. It is recommended that students take courses appropriate to their area of art history emphasis: Ancient, Classical, Early Christian/Medieval, Renaissance, 17th and 18th century, 19th century, Modern or Multicultural.
Additional Requirements
Art history majors should select German, French or Italian for their language requirement. Students who test out of their foreign language requirement are encouraged to take a 252 course as well as one upper division course in their language of choice.
MINOR
20 UNITS
Same humanities prerequisites, along with a choice of the four upper division classes listed above (16 units) and one elective course (4 units) from the list above. There is no language requirement.
February 06, 2003