rococo_realism

Hi, all. Does anyone know of any good terminal M.A. programs? Or, better yet, programs that do have doctorate degrees, but where it's acceptable to get the M.A., and perhaps do the Ph.D. somewhere down the line? Thanks.

Hey, thanks for that! I can use it to look at my areas.

^ I thought that's what you meant about the humanities seeming like the ugly, prodigal stepchild begging for more money (read:costly) when they're not. I was adding that I believe that the federal government and academic institutions don't mind footing the large bills for STEM fields, because they see them (said bills) as worthwhile expenditures.

Do you mean that we don't cost the (American) federal government as much as STEM fields? Because I don't think that, when it comes to STEM, costs matter very much. There are many think pieces (I hate that therm) on why science should be the big national investment. Basically, I think that society is more than willing to invest in the sciences.

I think that if you've composed papers in your field or areas of interest, you could submit one of those papers. Naturally, the paper should be substantial (at least 10 pp), and should demonstrate your research, analytical, and close reading skills. And polish/revise it and have colleagues and the professor for whom you wrote it read over the paper. Also, and maybe I'm just uninformed, but haven't many programs' deadlines passed already?

Duly noted!

And I echo you: thanks again, echo! Galloway is the youngest theorist I've encountered. THANK YOU for the Nagi recommendation; it's definitely going to come in handy! Those others are on the list, too. I'm so excited to start reading! This is "theory summer" for me.

I think I'll mention this again for the record: my undergraduate degree is in English, but I'm going to be applying to Art History programs next year. I'm going to be using this summer to compose a journal-length essay, and theory figures greatly into my (pending) argument. I just think that English majors tend to have the best knowledge of a wide array of theory. Everyone has given great (and useful) advice, of course, and I just wanted to note this, though. circlewave. that's a good idea! I think that I'll probably buy a good journal to track my ideas and reactions. And Bleep_Bloop, I feel the same way: laying the foundation with canonical theorists and then moving on to newer ones. echo449, thank you for that link; it's an interesting read! And thanks for that list. I looked up Lauren Berlant's Cruel Optimism, and must read it sometime. Maybe I'll throw it onto my summer reading list. (Which, fyi, is proliferating!) I'm going to be ordering some books soon, so yay for that.

Thanks, all! You've all offered advice that I can use. One general takeaway is that I should read about the theory/theorists in addition to reading the primary texts themselves. I like that, because the theory anthology we used in my undergraduate program had introductions that gave a cursory overview of theories before the actual writings themselves. (e.g. an intro to deconstructionism before Lyotard's "The Postmodern Condition.") Basically, I need to find more thorough secondary sources along with the primary sources. After all, I'll be reading actual books this time around. I have some colleagues who are applying to various programs, as well. Maybe I can get them to read some theories, too, by cajoling them with good chocolate or some other decadent treat. Reading the theories several times with different objectives is also a good idea! And, empress-marmot, I try to incorporate irreverence into much of my academic life. For example, I find this hilarious: Thanks, everyone! If you have other suggestions or insights, don't hesitate to include them. And FYI, some of the names include Marx, Barthes, Jameson, and Foucault.

Hello, all. I need your advice about getting through some dense theoretical works. Some context: I'm embarking on a fun, but rigorous, independent research project over the summer. My objectives are threefold: 1) It'll help sharpen my analytical skills for the GRE later this summer, 2) I'll be studying something I've always wanted to study, and 3) It'll acclimate me to the rigors of graduate-level research by getting an early running start on my topic of interest. FYI, I'm applying to Art History programs, and I know that I could have posted this there, but my undergraduate degree is in English, and I know that those of us in English read an ample amount of critical theory. (And I trust a lot of the advice I see dished out in this forum. ) I have to start reading a bunch of critical work before I get to the fun part, which involves looking through catalogues and prints! So...how do you all go about extracting the big ideas from theorists? How do you cull various key words and such from the theorists you use? I find that I wander to Netflix when things get too...exciting? Your help is much appreciated!

Oh, that has to be the most adorable gif I've ever seen!

I've been doing just that--looking at museum peoples' LinkedIn profiles. What I'm gathering is what you've suggested here: they have degree in a very vast array of disciplines. (But mostly in the humanities--even many admin people!) I must say, that's reassuring. I'm interested in all kinds of work in museums, from registrar work to event planning. I'm not as picky as some people are. I just love that world! I've identified three, THREE, professors at various universities who started with BAs in English (as I have), and minors in art history (ditto)--all of whom have moved on to get graduate degrees in Art History. *Very* comforting. I'm thinking of contacting them; I probably won't be applying to their programs, so there's not much at stake. Maybe they can give specific advice. Yes, it does seem that art history programs are, strangely enough, funded better than museum studies ones. And as I've noted above, I've figured out that degrees in the museum world vary tremendously, which is great. I do feel that an Art History MA would give me the opportunity to bring some of my art historical interests to future jobs. I'm glad that my enthusiasm is showing. I'm hoping that'll give me the momentum to get through this whole upcoming admissions season! Yes, I could definitely tweak my film papers to focus more on visual analysis. (Mis en scene, talking about composition, depth, etc. etc.) Here's where I could run into some problems: admissions committees could think, "Why the hell is he applying to an art history program rather than a film studies one?" I think that I should just revise one of those papers, but I don't know... I'll look into it. Thank you all for being so helpful! I really appreciate it!

Did you all read the comments in that first one? So typical...

Yes, I mentioned that in my original post; museum studies or arts administration is actually ideal, but I'm trying to cast a wide net. I feel that a research-heavy MA might appeal to museums and other cultural institutions later. The paper is kind of in the works now, which basically means that I'm selecting topics that interest me. Thanks for your response!

I did quite well in my art history courses. In fact, I even won the College of Liberal Arts award in art history, which was pretty cool. And, fortunately, I still chat with my two art history professors. (I went to a regional campus of one of my state university systems, so our art history department consisted of two professors.) Honestly, I'm not interested in teaching art history the university level; I want to work for a museum or some other cultural institution. I've done an internship with a museum, and I currently work at that same museum. (Though, not because of my internship. I had volunteered there some years ago, and they thought of me after I finished the internship and offered me an attendant/receptionist job a few hours a week.) I think that I can impress upon the committee how fervent my desire to be in the art world is. As far as my interests? They're pretty diverse. As my user name suggests, I have a fascination with the Rococo period. So appropriate that it kind of coincided with the reign of Louis XV and a relatively peaceful period for France. I'm also interested in pretty much all American art, depictions of domestic life in 17th-19th century England (this ties into some of my literary interests), black American art, and the emergence of the modern city--the latter of which I studied in a class of the same name. Obviously, I need to start contacting POIs and researching dominant areas in the field. I'm really considering writing a new paper in art history. It'll not only give me a chance to explore an area of interest, but it'll also let me indulge my nerdiness even more! We shall see... Your last full paragraph is, in a nutshell, on what I should be concentrating. I'm definitely studying for the verbal section big time. (The English major in me is a little preoccupied with that particular part.) Thank you so much! That's comforting--that so many others majored in fields far more disparate than English! And as I told brown_eyed_girl, I'm really considering writing a new paper on the topic of my choice. I'll have to prep for that; the rules of writing for the art history academe are a bit different than the ones for English. I alluded to this above, but some of my art history interests intermingle with my English ones. I did extensive summer research on women's fashion and its implications in 18th century English Lit. I won an academic prize for a paper I wrote on the subject, too, which was exciting. Hopefully that'll mean something. Thank you oh-so-much! If either of you have any other advice, feel free to share!

Um, hon? French is never boring! I'm not attending any grad programs this fall, but I will be getting a Professional Writing certificate beginning this fall, so I'll be prepping for that. (And taking the GRE...and tutoring...and getting ready for application season next year... )

...but I do have a minor in art history! I was wondering if any of you have any advice for someone who might possibly be considering an MA in art history. I'm also considering museum studies, which is far more interdisciplinary, but I want to keep my options open. I'm in the English-rhetoric-film-area, so I obviously have textual analytical abilities, but how would I parlay that to an art history program? That is, how would I convince an adcomm that I belong in its program over those who not only majored in art history, but are also published/have specializations/etc.? I just feel that my minor probably didn't prepare me for an art history grad program. For example, I didn't write a major paper in any of my art history courses. (Well, there's the one I wrote on the Arch of Constantine, but that's nowhere near my research area of interest.) Any advice?

A few shows: 1) The Golden Girls (yesterday, today, tomorrow), Designing Women, and Any Day Now, an awesome show about two best friends--one black, one white-who go through life together in the South. It mainly takes place in the present (1998-2002), but it also features flashbacks to the 60s. Love it.

Oh my goodness! I tried to up-vote this, but I accidentally clicked down. Sorry about that! I did up-vote your other comment,though.

Ha! I was the one teasing, really.

You're teasing me?

You two are so right on. It wasn't until I was about 4/5 through university that I realized that, while I do enjoy literary analysis, I was intrigued by different types of writing: professional writing and rhet/comp. I realized that there are many sub-disciplines filed under the rubric of English, and I started (and still am) exploring those areas. As you say, mollifiedmolloy, technical writing is growing,and I think that many English majors would not only be good at it, but they'd quite enjoy it, as well. I find that many English departments have a very old-fashioned, "art for art's sake" mentality that is not only a little pernicious in today's academic climate, but also rigid. On her blog, an old professor of mine penned an essay about how our department resembled the one that one of her colleagues experienced...in the '60s! She also remarked that writing, which is one of the most practical, employable skills, is where it's at. Sure, there's literary criticism/analysis, but she was talking about professional/expository/creative writing. (She is a creative writing professor.) She meant that, for departments to grow, they need to change with the times. Students are just not taken by simply writing what many see as glorified book reports; they want to create and/or "sell" their writing to prospective employers. (She also remarked that our department has a disproportionately large amount of professors who teach literature, but that's something else again.) Bottom line: English departments need to be poised to change with the times. Reading canonical works is great and all, and should be a part of the curriculum, but let's grow, shall we? I hope that this makes any sense! (Just finished working two jobs...)

Hmm..I didn't quite consider that. You're right, of course. Like you, I'm sure that some of my interests will expose a little of my rainbow lining anyway. It is a personal statement, after all.

Thanks, bgt28, for starting this thread. Like you, I'm black and queer, and those two identity markers have been on my mind as I put together my portfolio. I just feel that, if I mention my queerness, it might bias the admissions committees against me. On the other hand, I don't want it to make them think, "Hmm, queer? Black? Check, check!" Ha! Love it!

Not ranty at all! I'll certainly check out College Composition and Communication. I'm actually happy that you brought up the idea of considering what's going on in the field rather than looking through dense, academic tomes. (Like I was considering.) As far as the Rhetorical Tradition, feel free to elaborate. (In either a PM or right here.) Thanks! Thanks for the reading suggestions! So many of my undergrad professors used to stress key terms when doing this type of research, and I always just shrugged. :/ Feel free to explain your "interrogative style."