College of Visual and Performing Arts
Ph.D. in Fine Arts. Major: Art
Program title: Critical Studies and Artistic Practice
Texas Tech University’s Fine Arts Doctoral major in Art, “Critical Studies and Artistic Practice,” examines diverse discourses in the visual arts, exploring their trans-disciplinary margins as well as their disciplinary strengths. It considers the political, economic, and aesthetic matrices in which the arts are embedded. It provides knowledge, intellectual strategies, and critical skills that facilitate scholarly achievement at the highest level, innovative contributions to knowledge, and a variety of professional activities in the arts.
Our students undertake research topics that require coursework and independent study in a variety of disciplines. Recent examples include a student who maps out educational, sociological, artistic, and administrative issues involved in creating a women’s art forum and workshop on a Native American reservation. This student’s background incorporates a BFA in Studio Art and Master’s in Education; doctoral coursework comprises Art Education and Critical Studies as well as courses in Native American arts, history, language, and anthropology. Another student, with a BA in Art History and a Master’s in Philosophy, explores the historical and current disconnections between the disciplines of art history and philosophical aesthetics, bringing to the fore the questions, subjects, and methods distinctive to each discipline. A third student, who holds the BFA and MFA in Studio Art, employs sociological research and architectural theory in a critical examination of a large contemporary outdoor sculptural installation. For other recent projects, see “FADP Graduates ” at www.fadp.vpa.ttu.edu.
Required for admission: Master’s Degree in Art Education, Art History, Studio Art, or appropriately related field. Applicants should demonstrate high academic performance and intellectual promise. Applicants who have not taken at least 15 hours of art history at the college level, and performed well, may be required to meet that minimum as “leveling” courses which will not count toward the 60-hour minimum in the doctoral degree plan.
Minimum total hours: 60 hours (beyond a 30-hour Master’s) plus tool subject and any required leveling. Transfer credit for relevant graduate hours beyond a 30-hour Master’s will be considered.
Curriculum:
I. Fine Arts Core (15 hours; required of all students). Upon
the completion of the Fine Arts Core, students take the Fine Arts Core Exam.
Students may choose five of the following:
| Music 5310 and 5314 | |
| Theatre 5310 and 5314 | |
| Philosophy 5310 and 5314 |
II. Tool subject (3 – 8 hours). For this purpose, a
“tool” assists the student in research. For investigations involving
art history or criticism, foreign languages are generally required. For other
research topics, the tool might consist of courses in statistics, web site development,
or the like.
III. Courses in Major (45 hours minimum).
A. Critical Studies and Artistic Practice Core (12 hours; required of all students)
| 0 to 6 hours may be chosen from Critical Studies courses, (see below) | |
| ART 5340 Transdisciplinary Approaches to Issues in the Arts (may be repeated) | |
| ART 5105 Organizing Public Forums About Art | |
| ART 5100 Advanced Art Unit |
B. Individualized Coursework. (A minimum of 36 hours including
12 hours of dissertation.) Ordinarily students take a minimum of 4 courses in
one block and 3 from another, chosen to support the dissertation and with the
consent of the Advisor. The following courses are approved for the program;
others may be acceptable with the consent of the advisor.
List of approved courses; see note below regarding expanding your program beyond this list.
Critical Studies in the Arts and Humanities Courses
| ART 5309 Theories of Contemporary Art | |
| ART 5316 Art Theory and Criticism | |
| ART 5363 Research Methods in the Visual Arts | |
| ART 5364 Feminist Research Methodologies in Visual Studies | |
| ENGL 5342 Critical Methods | |
| ENGL 5343 Studies in Literary Criticism | |
| CMLL 5329 Studies in Literary Criticism and Theory | |
| WS 5310 Feminist Thought and Theory |
Histories of the Arts courses
| ART 5309 Theories of Contemporary Art | |
| ART 5311 Art of Classical Antiquity | |
| ART 5315 Arts of the Indian Americas | |
| ART 5316 Art Theory and Criticism | |
| ART 5317 Renaissance and Baroque Art | |
| ART 5319 20th Century Visual Arts, including Latin American | |
| ART 7000 Research | |
| And upper level courses in the history of art, with consent of instructor |
Art Education courses
| ART 5360 Seminar in Art Education | |
| ART 5361 Critical Pedagogy in the Visual Arts | |
| ART 5362 Historical Survey of the Teaching of Art | |
| ART 5363 Research Methods in the Visual Arts | |
| ART 5364 Feminist Research Methodologies in Visual Studies | |
| ART 5366 Instructional Technology in the Visual Arts | |
| ART 7000 Research |
Museum Studies courses
| MUSM 5321 Musicology | |
| MUSM 5326 Museum Administration | |
| MUSM 5333 Museum Education |
Arts Administration courses
| LAW 6050 Museum and Art Law | |
| THA 5312 Theatre Management | |
| THA 5316 Promotion in the Arts | |
| THA 5317 Funding of the Arts | |
| THA 5318 Advocacy for the Arts |
Note: Advisors will consider approving courses in Studio Art, Theatre, Music, or other fields, if they are appropriate to the student’s research topic. In addition, approval by the MFA Coordinator, School of Art, or the course instructor is required for studio art courses taken as part of the doctoral degree plan.
Upon the completion of coursework, students must pass a Qualifying Exam.
A dissertation proposal must be presented to and approved by the student’s Dissertation Committee.
A dissertation is required (minimum 12 hours).
For further information on examinations and dissertations, see
www.fadp.vpa.ttu.edu
For application information, contact
Graduate Coordinator (Ph.D.)
School of Art
Texas Tech University
Lubbock, TX 79409-2081
806-742-3826
PhD.art@ttu.edu
Last Revision: March 2006