Who is this course for?
The course is ideal for students of all ages wanting to build on their previous experience of art history as well as mid-career professionals wanting to boost their knowledge of specialist subject areas. Prior study at Certificate level is recommended.
What will I be studying?
The Diploma is divided into three termly units taught via remote delivery. Students are expected to attend all of the scheduled teaching sessions throughout the year.
Unit 1: Visual Culture of Renaissance Italy (core unit)
This unit will focus on the visual culture of Italy in the 1500s to 1600s. Topics to be covered include the shift from the Gothic to Renaissance; court cultures across Italy (including Urbino, Milan, Mantua, Rimini and Ferrara); Medici patronage in Florence and Rome and the Papacy until 1527; the art and architecture of Venice, and thematic or media-focussed lectures on topics including classical mythology and portraiture. Major artworks will be discussed within the wider context of material culture in Italy.
Unit 2: International Baroque (core unit)
The shift from Renaissance to Baroque will be examined in this module, asking questions concerning what the “Baroque” is, in terms of style, periodisation and theory; how the Baroque manifested itself in visual culture, and where, how and why it spread internationally. It will start with the Italian Baroque, linking in with the previous unit, then other European countries, and finally examining its global reach. The intermedial essence of the Baroque will be explored and identified in each of these cases, in particular how it was used rhetorically to shape ideas and persuade viewers of religious and political points of view.
Unit 3: Visual Cultures of Central Europe: Germany, Hungary and Poland, 1400 – 1800
The region often described as ‘Central Europe’ includes, among others, the territories of present-day Germany, Hungary and Poland. In the past, this cultural region has often been overlooked in international art historical studies. This unit seeks to initiate fresh discussion of this neglected area, bringing to bear a range of current art historical thinking. It will equip students with the skills and methodology needed to write their own analyses of Central European art and architecture, framing these within a wider European context whilst also understanding the distinctive features of artistic activity in Germany, Hungary and Poland.
What can I go on to do?
The Institute offers two 60 credit complementary one-year Diploma courses in History of Art which are taught and awarded at second year undergraduate level (FHEQ 5). The Diplomas will be taught in alternating years and can be studied independently of each other, and in any order.
Undergraduate Diploma in History of Art: British Visual Culture
The Undergraduate Diploma in History of Art: British Visual Culture is planned for 2024-25 and will include core units on “British Art in a Global Context: the long seventeenth century” (unit 1) and “The eighteenth century: the ‘Golden Age’ of British Art?” (unit 2).
Students who have successfully completed the Undergraduate Diploma in History of Art: Renaissance and Baroque (60 credits at FHEQ level 5) and the Undergraduate Diploma in History of Art: British Visual Culture (60 credits at FHEQ level 5) can apply to be awarded the Undergraduate Diploma of Higher Education in History of Art (120 credits at FHEQ level 5).
Undergraduate Advanced Diploma in Research Theory and Practice
Students who have successfully completed an Undergraduate Diploma in History of Art course might be interested in progressing their Diploma studies by applying to join the Undergraduate Advanced Diploma in Research Theory and Practice (60 credits at FHEQ level 6) which offers a History of Art strand. Students on this course will have the opportunity to work closely and collaboratively with qualified researchers in their field and will be introduced to a research community where they will begin to forge an identity as a researcher in their own right.
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 Diploma level course is suitable for those that have successfully completed the Certificate level course or who have comparable knowledge and experience at FHEQ level 4 or equivalent. 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)
