Social History of Art (Taught)

The MA Social History of Art will equip you with a deep subject knowledge of the history of artistic practices in the broadest sense, grounded in fundamental questions about why this study matters in the world today. You’ll build the research, analytical, critical and communication skills to succeed in a variety of careers.

The emphasis of the course is on social and political approaches to art history, whether looking at the most recent and contemporary, or in the study of the deeper roots of the cultures we inhabit. From Medieval and Renaissance art to live practices now, from the study of our most local environments to the arts of Africa, Asia and beyond, we approach art as central to the production and reproduction of our shared and different social worlds.

Building on over 70 years of teaching in the field of art history, we have an international reputation for innovative, critically engaged and globally conscious approaches to the discipline. This course has well-established strengths in areas including:

• feminist and gender studies

• the relations between art and capitalism

• the legacies and critiques of colonialism

• Jewish studies

• climate and environment.

We offer an exceptional range of choice in the areas you can specialise in, and the knowledge you build throughout core and optional modules leads to a major independent research project.

On this course you'll benefit from studying in a research-intensive Russell Group university, where art historians study alongside fine artists and others studying galleries, museums and heritage.

Across the areas we teach, we attend critically to the institutions and spaces in which art is encountered. We’re able to draw on professional collaborations and long-standing expertise among many of our staff who have worked in major museums, galleries and arts and cultural organisations, locally, nationally, and internationally.

Specialist facilities
You’ll be based within a purpose-built space that includes studios and a gallery alongside seminar rooms, and a shared student common room, which is often used for film screenings, talks and other events.

In addition to the wide range of museums and galleries in the city and beyond, the University campus features:

• The Stanley & Audrey Burton Gallery

• Treasures of the Brotherton Gallery

• Museum of the History of Science, Technology and Medicine

• Marks & Spencer Company Archive

• International Textile Collection

• Public art trail

• Project Space – a multi-purpose space in the School designed for the development of curatorial practice and visiting exhibitions.

The University Library offers online books, journals and databases, has a wealth of archive material in its Special Collections, including manuscript, archive and early printed material, and provides a range of spaces for individual study or group work. You’ll also benefit from access to Box of Broadcasts, an archive of over 2 million TV and radio broadcasts.