Who is this course for?
The course is open to anyone with an interest in the subject area, and no previous experience is necessary.
What will I be studying ?
The Certificate is divided into three termly units, each consisting of three day schools at the Institute of Continuing Education and one site visit per termly unit. Classes are held in the unique setting of Madingley Hall, a Tudor mansion complete with original features, including early modern portraits, tapestries and murals, and set within gardens landscaped by Capability Brown. The Certificate modules will make the most of relevant objects in Cambridge’s exceptionally rich museum and college collections.
Students are expected to attend all of the day schools and site visits throughout the year. The day school and field trip dates are given below.
Unit 1: Classical and Early Christian Art
This unit looks at the painting, sculpture, architecture (including the classical Orders) and applied arts of the Greeks and Romans. These diverse arts will be put into their social and historical contexts and will include visits to the Museum of Classical Archaeology and the Fitzwilliam Museum in Cambridge. The impact of Christianity on art and architecture will then be explored, in particular in relation to the Emperor Constantine and the period 330-1000 that saw the rise of several new styles including Byzantine and Anglo-Saxon across different art forms including illuminated manuscripts, ecclesiastical and monastic architecture.
Day schools are on Saturdays at the Institute of Continuing Education on the following 3 dates: 19th October, 9th November and 7th December 2019. The date for the site visit is on 23 November 2019.
Unit 2: The Medieval World
This unit traces the rise of Romanesque and Gothic art and architecture and its artistic influences, including its associated sculptural decorations, the rich resources of painting and other crafts such as metalwork, embroidery and ivory carving. The period 1000 to 1530 saw an international flowering of all the arts of painting, sculpture and architecture as well as new and original art forms such as narrative stained glass.
Day schools are on Saturdays at the Institute of Continuing Education on the following 3 dates: 25th January, 15th February and 14th March 2020. The date for the site visit is 29 February 2020.
Unit 3: Renaissance to Baroque
This unit will examine the revival of interest in classical culture that constituted the Renaissance in Italy and other parts of Europe from the fifteenth to seventeenth centuries. This altered the very way in which people saw themselves and their place in the universe and, in turn, had a profound effect on the art, architecture and sculpture of the period. The unit will then explore the period of the High Renaissance to Baroque and what the “Baroque” was in terms of style and periodisation.
Day schools are on Saturdays at the Institute of Continuing Education on the following 3 dates: 18th April, 9th May and 30th May 2020 with a field trip on 23rd May 2020.
What can I go on do ?
The Institute offers two 60 credit complementary one year Certificate courses in History of Art which are taught and awarded at first year undergraduate level (FHEQ 4). The Certificates will be taught in alternating years and can be studied independently of each other, and in any order.
Undergraduate Certificate in History of Art: Early Modern to Contemporary(subject to approval)
The Undergraduate Certificate in History of Art: Early Modern to Contemporary (subject to approval) planned for 2020-21 will include units on seventeenth to nineteenth-century British Art; twentieth-century European Art, and Postmodernism and Contemporary Art.
Students who have successfully completed the Undergraduate Certificate in History of Art: Classical to Renaissance (60 credits at FHEQ level 4) and the Undergraduate Certificate in History of Art: Early Modern to Contemporary (60 credits at FHEQ level 4) can apply to be awarded the Undergraduate Certificate of Higher Education in History of Art (120 credits at FHEQ level 4).
Undergraduate Diplomas in History of Art
The Institute also offers 2 part-time Diplomas in History of Art (FHEQ level 5) which will be taught in alternating years. For further details about both courses please visit the History of Art subject page of our website.
Credit awarded by the Institute can also be transferred into the degree programmes of other higher education providers. However the amount of credit which can be transferred into degree programmes varies from institution to institution and is always at the discretion of the receiving institution.
Do I choose Certificate or Diploma level ?
The Certificate and Diploma courses have been designed to provide a progression path for your studies. The Certificate level courses are ideal for those who are new to the History of Art and/or University level study. If you are still unsure which academic level to study please contact the Academic Director in History of Art, Dr Lydia Hamlett (lkh25@cam.ac.uk)
Additional information
Should you need to book accommodation in order to attend the day schools this may be possible at Madingley Hall depending on availability. Please visit the Madingley Hall website or telephone +44(0) 1223 726222. When making a reservation please state that you are a student on an Institute undergraduate award bearing course and the name of the course you are booked onto.
This course will require a minimum number of students in order to run. Applicants for this course will be notified by September 6th 2019 if the course is not going to be running at which point students will be offered a refund of the fees they have paid so far (please see our Cancellation policy).
