by Fiona Gillespie, Level 1 student, Art History and History
As a first year student at the University of Lincoln I have found that taking the integrated Art History and History programme has enabled me to begin to understand the way artworks, movements and styles have shaped past societies and cultures. This joint honours programme brings together two humanities subjects and, since September, has enabled me to develop my skills as an historical researcher, for example through visual analysis in seminars and through presentations to small groups. It has also allowed me to improve my skills as an art historian through really interesting courses such as ‘A World History of Art and Architecture’. The Art History side of the course offers a variety of specialised topics from oriental architecture to Greek Antiquity and even Gothic revival architecture, to name but a few. The Art History lecturers have been very informative and engaging, and have included discussions of interpretations of visual forms of evidence such as paintings, architecture, and material culture.
In my first semester on this course I studied four different modules: A World History of Art and Architecture, Visual and Material Culture, Critical Thinking and Writing, and the Medieval World. ‘A World History of Art and Architecture’ has been the most interesting module for me which is principally taught by Dr Laura Fernandez-Gonzalez. The topics are discussed in a very engaging and interesting way as the lectures are filled with examples and case studies in order to further illustrate the topic and themes the lecture is addressing. Personally, my favourite topic has been ancient Egyptian architecture, in which we discussed the great pyramids, the Mastaba tombs, and much more. Within this module we have covered a large number of time periods which has guaranteed there is something to interest everyone.
This joint honours degree is perfect for those with academic historical interests, but who also seek a bit more of a creative experience and a deeper cultural understanding of the artistic world. If you have a particular artistic period you aspire to learn more about, I can wholeheartedly say that you will not only have the opportunity to study it here but also that the Programme Leader, Dr Michele Vescovi, and the other art history lecturers will do all they can to help further any interest you have.