History of Art with Italian (BA) (Full-Time, 2021 Entry)
This course is closed
for Clearing 2024
This course is closed for Clearing 2022
If you would like to study at Warwick, there are other courses available for 2025 entry.
UCAS Code
V3R3
Qualification
Bachelor of Arts (BA)
Duration
3 years full-time
Start Date
27 September 2021
Department of Study
History of Art Department
Location of Study
University of Warwick
Art history is the study of creative activities in the visual arts and built environment. It involves perspectives from archaeology, faith and gender studies, cultural anthropology and visual perception. It will develop your skills in visual and critical analysis, evaluation of a range of sources, presentation and written communication, and will prepare you to thrive in the modern workplace in the art world and beyond.
Course overview
This degree provides an opportunity to develop a broad understanding of art history, alongside a good understanding of Italian art and culture. You’ll develop your ability to research and analyse text and images from different viewpoints, equipping you for careers that require an ability to think analytically, to present ideas with clarity, and to communicate effectively with others.
Your home department will be History of Art, with some modules taught by the School of Modern Languages and Cultures. You’ll study a rich and varied range of art history, from the present day to the Middle Ages, with a particular focus on Italian art and culture alongside integrated Italian language classes. You’ll be taught by research-active academic staff in small-sized classes to ensure close supervision and support throughout your degree.
Course structure
You can choose your own route through the degree, supported by core modules that establish the essential framework of the course. There is an increasing amount of choice from the first year onwards, and you choose the subject of your dissertation, under expert guidance.
In the first year you will take four core modules and one short module in History of Art. During the second year you are required to take two core modules plus one module in the Italian department and one long-view module in History of Art. In the final year you will take two core modules plus one special subject in History of Art and one module in the Italian department.
Class sizes are typically 10-14 people. You will have on average 10 hours of contact time (including lectures, seminars, field trips and tutorials) and around 27 hours of independent study per week. We provide written feedback on essays with the option of tutorials to discuss them further, and one-to-one tutorials during the preparation of your dissertation.
How will I learn?
Modules are taught either through weekly lectures combined with seminars, or through small-group seminars alone. The fundamental importance of the direct experience of works of art is emphasised at every stage of your degree. Seminars in galleries and museums, or site visits to key monuments and buildings, are integrated into modules. You can also study a studio-based Practical Art module in your second year.
How will I be assessed?
Most modules have 50% coursework and 50% examinations but this varies between modules. Your second and final year contribute 50% each towards your final mark.
Study abroad
In your second year, you will spend the autumn term in Venice, where you’ll study the city's art and culture at first hand with our team of Renaissance and Contemporary specialists. You will be based at a study centre close to the Grand Canal, which provides a focus for our teaching and research activities in the city. As part of all of our courses you have the opportunity to study abroad for a year with one of our partner institutions, or with the University of Monash in Australia. The Study Abroad Team based in the Office for Global Engagement offers support for these activities, and the Department's dedicated Study Abroad Co-ordinator can provide more specific information and assistance.
General entry requirements
A level:
- ABB
- You will also need a foreign language (modern or ancient) at GCSE grade C/grade 5
IB:
- 34
BTEC:
We welcome applications from students taking BTEC qualifications, either alone or in combination with A levels. Our typical BTEC offers are as follows:
- BTEC Level 3 Extended Certificate plus 2 A levels: D plus AB
- BTEC Level 3 National Diploma plus 1 A level: DD plus A
- BTEC Level 3 National Extended Diploma: D*DD
- You will also need a foreign language (modern or ancient) at GCSE grade C/grade 5
Additional requirements:
You will also need to meet our English Language requirements.
International Students
We welcome applications from students with other internationally recognised qualifications.
Find out more about international entry requirements.
Contextual data and differential offers
Warwick may make differential offers to students in a number of circumstances. These include students participating in the Realising Opportunities programme, or who meet two of the contextual data criteria. Differential offers will be one or two grades below Warwick’s standard offer (to a minimum of BBB).
Warwick International Foundation Programme (IFP)
All students who successfully complete the Warwick IFP and apply to Warwick through UCAS will receive a guaranteed conditional offer for a related undergraduate programme (selected courses only).
Find out more about standard offers and conditions for the IFP.
Taking a gap year
Applications for deferred entry welcomed.
Interviews
We do not typically interview applicants. Offers are made based on your UCAS form which includes predicted and actual grades, your personal statement and school reference.
Year One
Introduction to Art History: Classicism and the Arts of Christianity
You will have the opportunity to carry out a historical survey of Western art, concentrating on Late Antique, Medieval and Renaissance art. You will learn skills and techniques that will allow you to describe accurately what you see, in terms of how an object is made, as well as its form and iconography. These core skills will form your foundation for later modules.
Introduction to Art History: The Natural World and the Arts of Modernity
You will study a thematic approach to the history of Western art, stimulating comparisons across time and space and exploring a wide spectrum of images and ideas, including those related to architecture and the applied arts. You will acquire introductory analytical and communication skills required for a good understanding of the field, including areas which will be useful for the study of later modules.
History of Art and Interpretation
In this module, you will enhance your awareness of the relationship between art and its historical and physical contexts, and of approaches to the work of art which can help you understand them. You will consider works of art in context at Waddesdon Manor and at other collections. You will learn the techniques and practices of interpretation which will be useful for later modules.
Modern Italian Language for Beginners
Would you like the challenge of learning a new language at university? This foundation module for absolute beginners combines the acquisition of core language skills with knowledge of broader aspects of Italian culture, equipping you with the tools to engage with a wide range of relevant, contemporary topics in Italian. Opportunities to practise your Italian vary from role play to quizzes, working both individually and in your group. Successful completion will mean you are able to hold a conversation in Italian, read newspapers and get the gist of TV and radio programmes in Italian.
OR
Modern Italian Language 1 (Intermediate)
Do you need to consolidate and expand your competence in Italian while enjoying talking about culture and society? If so, this is the module for you. You’ll be given opportunities to revise fundamental grammar and vocabulary before acquiring more complex grammatical constructions, including through translation. We will integrate cultural topics with your linguistic studies, so you have the chance to explore areas such as tourism, the arts, the environment and Italian traditions. You will have opportunities for individual and group presentations and to engage in activities that integrate the skills of listening, reading, writing and speaking. By the end of your course, you’ll be expected to be able to write competently in several registers, using appropriate styles and terminology, and to converse in Italian to a good standard.
OR
Modern Italian Language 1 (Advanced)
Would you like to use your Italian A level (or equivalent) language skills creatively? This module will develop your linguistic and intercultural competence in Italian by means of advanced activities, including creative writing, translation, debates, presentations and drama. You will explore linguistic structures using resources in a variety of media and engage with authentic and sophisticated texts to compare cultural systems and express your opinion critically and creatively. In translation, you will experiment with different genres, registers and styles to enhance your cultural appreciation of Italian. Finally, you will have opportunities to explore cultural subjects and lead group discussions.
Year Two
Exhibiting the Contemporary (taught in Venice)
You will consider the importance of exhibitions for the interpretation of contemporary art and architecture. Based in Venice, you will study current exhibitions both within and outside the frame of the Biennale, in conjunction with texts on contemporary exhibition-making, curating, and museum and exhibition history.
Venice: Rise and Myth (taught in Venice)
You will examine the art and architecture of Venice in the light of its unique physical, political and cultural location. You will study key examples of architecture, painting and sculpture in the light of their commissioning, manufacture, consumption and subsequent critical fortune.
Modern Italian Language 2
This module will extend and refine your competence in Italian. With an emphasis on the key skills of reading, listening, speaking and writing, you will consolidate your proficiency in both new and familiar grammatical and linguistic structures, and expand the range and sophistication of your vocabulary and use of register in spoken and written discourse. In addition to classroom exercises, advanced discursive written work and oral projects, you will also be directed to appropriate activities for self-study.
OR
Modern Italian Language 3
On this module, you will develop your translation, writing and oral communication skills to advanced level. You will engage in translation as a practical skill, working to produce translations of literary, journalistic and academic texts with a focus on conveying nuances of meaning and culturally specific terms. You will develop greater fluency in different writing styles and genres. Oral sessions will increase your familiarity with more sophisticated registers of spoken Italian and raise your awareness of recent developments in Italian society so that you can discuss aspects of contemporary Italy in relation to your personal experiences.
Year Three
Practices of Art History
You will examine a range of theoretical approaches from the discipline’s beginning in the early 19th century to contemporary debates. By exploring questions of theory and method, you will develop the skills of critical reading and the evaluation of evidence. You will be encouraged to reflect on your own theoretical allegiances, and to consider how these will shape your dissertation.
Dissertation
Modern Italian Language 3
On this module, you will develop your translation, writing and oral communication skills to advanced level. You will engage in translation as a practical skill, working to produce translations of literary, journalistic and academic texts with a focus on conveying nuances of meaning and culturally specific terms. You will develop greater fluency in different writing styles and genres. Oral sessions will increase your familiarity with more sophisticated registers of spoken Italian and raise your awareness of recent developments in Italian society so that you can discuss aspects of contemporary Italy in relation to your personal experiences.
OR
Modern Italian Language 4
Building on Intermediate year language, you will deepen your writing, speaking and translation skills, paying particular attention to register and style and learning some of the underpinning translation theory. We approach translation not just as a linguistic exercise but as a practical skill, so you will work to produce translations of literary, journalistic and academic texts, and explore techniques for conveying semantic nuances, culturally specific terms and more sophisticated registers of spoken Italian. Both the writing and oral components of the course will raise your awareness of recent developments in Italian society and enable you to discuss relevant aspects of contemporary Italy in relation to your personal experience.
OR
Another approved module in Italian
Examples of optional modules/options for current students
Year One:
- Architecture
- Prints
- Sacred Art
- Sculpture
- Fakes and Forgeries
- Painting Techniques
- Landscape
Year Two:
- Art since the 60s
- Italian City States in the Age of Dante and Petrarch
- A Fine Tomorrow: British Art and Culture in the 1950s
- Practical Art
- Art of the Baroque
- The Renaissance: North and South
- Art and Disruption, 1900 to Present Day
- The Spaces of 17th-century Dutch Painting
- The Aesthetic Movement
Year Three:
- Deconstructing Medieval and Early Modern Buildings
- Colour and its Meaning
- The Thirties: Art and Society in inter-war Britain
- Reality after Film
- Visual Art and Poetry
- Latin-American Modernism: 20th-century Objects, 21st-century Exhibitions
- East Meets West: Visual Arts in Colonial and Post-Colonial India
- Leonardo: Art and Science
Tuition fees
Find out more about fees and funding
Additional course costs
There may be costs associated with other items or services such as academic texts, course notes, and trips associated with your course. Students who choose to complete a work placement or study abroad will pay reduced tuition fees for their third year.
Warwick Undergraduate Global Excellence Scholarship 2021
We believe there should be no barrier to talent. That's why we are committed to offering a scholarship that makes it easier for gifted, ambitious international learners to pursue their academic interests at one of the UK's most prestigious universities. This new scheme will offer international fee-paying students 250 tuition fee discounts ranging from full fees to awards of £13,000 to £2,000 for the full duration of your Undergraduate degree course.
Find out more about the Warwick Undergraduate Global Excellence Scholarship 2021
Your career
Graduates from these courses have gone on to work in a wide range of sectors, including careers in:
- Art galleries
- Museums
- Publishing
- Libraries
- Educational establishments
- Heritage and conservation organisations
- Research
They have pursued careers such as:
- Curators
- Exhibition project co-ordinators
- Journalists
- Newspaper and periodical editors
- Business and financial project management professionals
- Conference and exhibition managers and organisers
- Human resources and industrial relations officers
- Management consultants and business analysts
- Office managers
- Public relations professionals
- Artists
- Authors, writers and translators
Helping you find the right career
Our department has a dedicated professionally qualified Senior Careers Consultant to support you. They offer impartial advice and guidance, together with workshops and events throughout the year. Previous examples of workshops and events include:
- Careers History of Art Alumni workshop
- Discovering Careers in the Creative Industries
- Warwick careers fairs throughout the year
- History of Art – Securing Internships
- Career planning and making applications
"I love the informal atmosphere of the department, the staff are so approachable and helpful.
I like the way that the department organises so many trips to see works of art and buildings, and that we’re in Venice for a whole term so we really get to know the city and feel really connected with the arts found there."
Tatty
BA History of Art
This information is applicable for 2021 entry. Given the interval between the publication of courses and enrolment, some of the information may change. It is important to check our website before you apply. Please read our terms and conditions to find out more.