Visual studies Program UCSC

[jayelbe]

Hello all,

I have heard that the U. California at Santa Cruz has started a new PhD program in Visual Studies, I wonder if anybody out there knows anything about it; how it started, why, what exactly is Visual Studies, if it is related to Art History and how?

Many, many questions, hope somebody want to clarify things out for me, I believe it's quite interesting.

Thanks!

[georgica2]

Hello all,

I have heard that the U. California at Santa Cruz has started a new PhD program in Visual Studies, I wonder if anybody out there knows anything about it; how it started, why, what exactly is Visual Studies, if it is related to Art History and how?

Many, many questions, hope somebody want to clarify things out for me, I believe it's quite interesting.

Thanks!

I don't know anything about the UCSC program specifically, but visual studies tends to take a broader approach than art history, encompassing art, architecture, media, film, design, and so on. To oversimplify, it's the study of all things that are looked at, as opposed to art history, which is concerned exclusively with objects/practices that are designated as 'art'. Visual studies is definitely related to art history and a great deal of visual studies people come from art history backgrounds. The program website is http://havc.ucsc.edu/visual_studies_phd -- that will be the best source of information about the program. If you're unsure of whether or not you're a good fit for a visual studies program, I'd suggest contacting the program director or professors there. It's a new program, so I'm sure they're expecting to field a lot of questions from prospective applicants.

[ra4681]

Hello all,

I have heard that the U. California at Santa Cruz has started a new PhD program in Visual Studies, I wonder if anybody out there knows anything about it; how it started, why, what exactly is Visual Studies, if it is related to Art History and how?

Many, many questions, hope somebody want to clarify things out for me, I believe it's quite interesting.

Thanks!

I'm bumping this thread, now two years later, in hopes that a conversation can be re-started. I'm currently on a short wait-list for Fall 2011 and am hoping there's still some hope of getting off of it. Do the two people who posted results mind sharing their intentions on whether or not they are attending? Santa Cruz is my absolute first choice.

[madjack]

I'm bumping this thread, now two years later, in hopes that a conversation can be re-started. I'm currently on a short wait-list for Fall 2011 and am hoping there's still some hope of getting off of it. Do the two people who posted results mind sharing their intentions on whether or not they are attending? Santa Cruz is my absolute first choice.

This thread is a little old, but since no one has replied to your question I figured I could give my impression of the program.

I graduated from UCSC last year with a BA in History of Art and Visual Culture, so I'm somewhat familiar with the professors and the feel of the program (assuming it's anything like the BA program). Some of the visual studies faculty are amazing individuals - Jennifer González and Daniela Sandler especially. If you end up attending, get to know them! If you have any questions about the campus, environment, etc. feel free to ask! Good luck!