Get a UCSC General Catalog (available on-line at: http://reg.ucsc.edu/catalog/) from the Bay Tree Bookstore; go online to read the campus handbook The Navigator: Undergraduate Handbook of Academic & Student Affairs. The web address is: http://reg.ucsc.edu/Navigator. Also check out the on-line Schedule of Classes at: https://pisa.ucsc.edu/prd/sr0060/. Read these materials thoroughly, they are full of valuable information. Pay attention to requirements and deadlines as you are ultimately responsible for making sure you adhere to University policy.
(2)
Come by the History of Art and Visual Culture (HAVC) Office for information and materials on the major and minor (available on-line at: http://havc.ucsc.edu). You must declare a major by the deadline in the second quarter of your junior year, at the latest. You will need to consult the department to find out whether you can transfer courses taken at other colleges to fulfill requirements for the HAVC major—bring your transcript(s) when you meet with an adviser.
(3)
Get in the habit of consulting with your faculty adviser and other faculty in HAVC and other programs, too. If you are unsure about appropriate courses to take, consult a faculty member. The HAVC faculty directory is posted in the glass case across from the HAVC Office.
(4)
Show up for the first day of class or you will be dropped! If you must miss the first class, you must contact the instructor before the first class meeting in order to hold your place (instructors are not compelled to do this). Be sure to check your enrollment each quarter to make sure you’re registered in the correct courses by the deadline.
(5)
Buy your books prior to the first day of class. There is almost always an assignment the first day. Many courses have readers (selected articles bound in book format; not usually available until the class meets) or a series of short books rather than textbooks. Read the syllabus carefully and make sure you can attend all scheduled exams and required activities (e.g. field trips, film screenings, etc.). Mark the due dates for papers, exams, and assignments on your calendar.
(6)
Sit in the front rows of the classroom and participate in discussion (in class and in section). Get to know the instructor and your TA if there is one. You may want letters of recommendation to apply to EAP or graduate school so having a good rapport with your instructor and TA is important.
(7)
Become familiar with the locations of computer services and labs on campus. Check The Navigator for information on how to set up an account to use University computer services.
(8)
Get to know the campus libraries. Go on a scheduled library tour. Learn how to access MELVYL (computerized catalog) for research projects. In addition to using MELVYLfor general use, learn to use CURRENT CONTENTS (magazines) and ART INDEX. Don’t limit yourself to computer databases as they generally go back only 15 years. Learn to use the reference areas, especially hard-bound art indexes on Tables 5 & 6, and general humanities indexes on Table 4. The reference area also has databases on CD-ROM. Become familiar with the slide library (first floor, McHenry Library).
(9)
Graduate programs usually have a language requirement. In fact, most art history graduate programs require German and/or French at the MA level so it’s a good idea to start taking your languages here. If you plan to go to graduate school, be sure to meet with your HAVC faculty adviser as soon as possible. Other campus resources: other faculty and TAs; SAA/EOP Graduate Information Program; Career, Internship, and Student Employment Sevices. There is also information on graduate programs in the HAVC Office. Ask to see the directory of MA and PhD Programs in Art and History of Art and Visual Culture.
(10)
There’s a big difference between the quarter and semester systems. It’s important to take no more than the standard workload (three five-credit courses) during your first quarter because it goes by so fast that you’ll be through it before you realize that there may not be enough time to do all the work. In fact, many faculty give midterms or have papers due as early as the third week of class. It’s not a good idea to take three HAVC courses in your first quarter (or any other quarter unless you absolutely must).
Colleges and some majors offer partial credit courses which can’t be counted towards the HAVC major, but may help you complete the total credits (180) necessary to graduate. This is a good way to increase your course load without adding another full-credit course. Check these courses out, there are interesting topics to explore.
(11)
Your professor isn’t going to give you a narrative account of subject matter, rather you will get a critical account and do critical writing, too. You might want to take introductory courses that include current theories, e.g., a course in cultural anthropology that includes theories such as orientalism, feminist theory, Marxist theory, etc. HAVC “10” courses provide this type of foundation, too.
(12)
Get to know other students in your HAVC courses. Form study groups to share insights, perspectives, and approaches to the course material.
(13)
All students should have a writing or style manual such as
• Kate Turabian, A Manual for Writers of Term Papers, Theses, and Dissertations
• Strunk and White, The Elements of Style
• Blanche Ellsworth and John A. Higgins, English Simplified
(14)
Read some books as preparation in the summer before coming to UCSC. Choose from among the following as your inclination leads you:
• Michael Baxandall, Painting and Experience in 15th-century Italy: A Primer on the Social History of Pictorial Style
• John Berger, Ways of Seeing
• Norma Broude and Mary D. Garrard, eds., The Expanding Discourse: Feminism and Art History
• Terry Eagleton, Literary Theory
• Diana L. Eck, Darsan: Seeing the Divine Image in India (2nd edition, revised & enlarged)
• Hal Foster, ed., The Anti-Aesthetic
• John D. La Plante, Asian Art (3rd edition)
• Sally Price, Primitive Art in Civilized Places
• Arnold Rubin; Zena Pearlstone, ed., Art as Technology: The Arts of Africa, Oceania, Native Americas, Southern California
(15)
Don’t be afraid to ask for help. There are many resources available: faculty, your college, HAVC staff, TAs, various campus support services, writing tutors, other students, etc.
(16)
Review your student file with the HAVC Office to make sure you understand how you will fulfill the major requirements. If you have taken art history courses elsewhere, you must petition the HAVC Department to count those courses towards the major. This is independent of the evaluation in the admissions process. Check with your college to be sure you have met campus requirements, too.
(17)
You are required to do a graduation progress check with the HAVC Department before the fifth week of the third quarter of your junior year. If you have a problem in your program of study you will need to consult with a faculty adviser before enrolling for the first quarter of the senior year.
(18)
If you are interested in internships, EAP (UC study-abroad program) and other study-abroad programs, the UC/DC program (UC campus in Washington DC), inter-campus exchange programs (at other UC campuses) or domestic exchange programs (at the Universities of New Hampshire or New Mexico), etc., be sure to check the materials in the HAVC Office and posted on the bulletin board outside the office.
