About the Division
The Art History and Critical Studies Division is integral to NSCAD’s studio-based programs in art, craft and design. Courses in art history, English, film history and theory, art education and critical studies serve as both program requirements and general academic electives. Ranging from introductory surveys to senior seminars, these courses bring together students from all divisions, fostering a cross-disciplinary flow of ideas and interaction.
Enhanced by its setting within an art school, the division also offers a Bachelor of Arts, Major in Art History program within a unique interdisciplinary environment. Though it emphasizes Western art, craft, design and architecture from the 19th century onward, the program also provides opportunities to study non-Western art, and to engage in critical discourses surrounding the social production and reception of art. Students in all NSCAD degree programs may also take a minor in art history.
Bachelor of Arts Major in Art History (Non-Studio Transfer)
You will enter the Major in Art History after completing a suggested one year (30 NSCAD credits) of social sciences and humanities courses at another university or college. NSCAD University offers courses in art and film history, critical studies, English literature, Queer studies, material studies, and art education, which all contribute to a strong art history degree. You will gain knowledge and expertise through courses ranging from Ancient, Medieval, Renaissance, Baroque, to Canadian modern art theory and criticism.
For more information or to apply please click here
Proposal Forms
The Division of Art History and Critical Studies offers students the opportunity to work on independent projects outside of the classroom setting. The four options are Art History Research Internship (AHIS 4600-1) , Art History Independent Study (AHIS 4700-1), Film History Independent Study (FHIS 4200-1X) and Critical Studies Independent Study (CSTU 4100-1). Please click on the form titles to download the application forms. For additional information please speak with Dr. Marylin McKay, Division Chair.
Postdoctoral Fellowship
Saara Liinamaa completed her PhD, Experiments in Urban 
Knowledge: Contemporary Art as Urban Research, in Social and Political Thought at York University, Toronto. Her training in art history, urban studies and social theory pushes her research in a number of different directions, with recent research projects on topics such as: ‘big picture’ photographs of environmental degradation in public galleries and museums; the cultivation of creative citizenship through urban art practices and cultural policy; and, rural art interventions in Canada. She publishes regularly on contemporary art and photography, and recent publications include "Creating a Scene in Contemporary Canadian Art: All Citizens and Practices of Rural Intervention" in All Citizens (Conundrum Press) and "The Artist as Urban Researcher: Research, Representation and Image-Relations in the City" in Cartographies of Place (McGill-Queen’s; forthcoming). She is a member of the editorial collective Public Access that produces the art and culture journal Public, and has worked with a number of different arts organizations.
Saara has been awarded a Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council of Canada (SSHRC) Postdoctoral Fellowship at NSCAD to study the changing landscape of university research and collaboration and is under the supervision of NSCAD Professor Dr. Bruce Barber. This postdoctoral project will examine the social and educational implications of the recently championed "Imagination Age" and the prioritization of creativity as a political, economic and cultural asset, starting with the important example of the independent art and design university in Canada.
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