Graduate Program in Renaissance Art


Santa Maria Novella

Graduate Program Intro

Semester Breakdown
Candidates complete 30 graduate credits in three semesters. The first fall semester courses are taken on Syracuse University’s home campus in Syracuse, New York. Courses in the following spring and fall semesters are taken at Syracuse University in Florence. All courses require extensive readings (of both primary and secondary sources), oral presentations, and written work. Candidates must achieve at least a B average in each semester’s coursework in order to remain in the program.

1. Fall Semester at Syracuse University in New York
Candidates enroll in three courses counting for 12 graduate credits taught by members of the departments of Fine Arts and of History:

• Seminar in Renaissance Art
(HOA 620, studies of European art in the 15th and 16th centuries)
taught by Program Director Gary Radke

• Readings and Research in European History
(HST 735, examination of primary historical documentation)
taught by Professor Dennis Romano

• Literature of Art Criticism
(HOA 656, leading trends in art criticism from the sixteenth to the early twentieth century) taught by Professor Mary Warner Marien, Director of Graduate Studies in the Department of Fine Arts

Students also enroll in Italian classes appropriate to their level of proficiency.

2. Spring Semester at Syracuse University in Florence
The spring semester curriculum in Florence takes full advantage of the area’s artistic, cultural, and archival resources. Candidates enroll in four courses counting for a total of 12 graduate credits taught by members of the permanent faculty at Syracuse University in Florence:

• Seminar in Renaissance Art
(HOA 620, the interpretation and use of sources and documents)
taught by Professor Rab Hatfield

• Seminar in Florentine Art
(HOA 621, focus on the contexts and audiences of Renaissance art)
taught by Professor Molly Bourne

• Seminar in History of Art Conservation
(HOA 645), taught by Professors Ezio Buzzegoli and Diane Kunzelman

• Readings and Research: European History
(HST735.2) taught by Professor Matteo Duni

At the beginning of the spring semester candidates choose an advanced research topic that serves as the unifying theme of the final symposium that takes place at the end of the fall semester. The students themselves identify a topic broad enough to accommodate all candidates in the group, yet sufficiently limited to assure focus and coherence. During the spring semester students begin research on individual topics related to the symposium theme and continue to meet with the Symposium Committee through mid-June.

During the summer months, students are expected to make significant progress on their research but need not remain in Florence.

3. Fall Semester at Syracuse University in Florence
Specialized research and the writing of the symposium papers occupies the third and final semester. Students register for the Seminar in Arts and Ideas (HOA635, Graduate Symposium), taught by members of the Symposium Committee, counting for 6 graduate credits.

In mid-October, students submit their MA papers to the Evaluating Committee (the Symposium Committee and the Program Director) for approval. In order to qualify for public presentation, papers must demonstrate clear argumentation, coherence, and originality. Usually on the first Friday in December students present their results formally at the annual public Symposium.

Once the final version of these papers has been approved by the Evaluating Committee, the Director of Graduate Studies at Syracuse University certifies to the Graduate School that the students have met all requirements for the Master of Arts degree in art history.

Students with unacceptable papers have the opportunity to complete their degree on the home campus.