Art and Design History and Theory
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Contact Us
thinkparsons@newschool.edu
212.229.5150
Program Contact
Rory O'Dea, Dean and Associate Professor of Contemporary Art and Design
The School of Art and Design History and Theory (ADHT) offers a comprehensive array of courses in design studies, fashion studies, media and visual culture studies, spatial design studies, design and art history and criticism, writing, and research methods. A number of these courses form part of the core curriculum for all Parsons undergraduate students. The school also offers electives and University Lecture courses that are open to undergraduate students in all colleges of The New School.
Courses at ADHT educate Parsons and New School students in visual literacy, research methods, writing skills, and critical analysis, and provide them with a systematic understanding of how design, art, and visual culture operate in various geographical and historical contexts. This helps students develop the intellectual rigor necessary to become the next generation of professionals in the creative industries. Using multidisciplinary approaches, students learn to consider problems from multiple perspectives and frame questions about the meaning, function, and critical and creative potential of design and art.
Highlights
New York City Connections
Draw on the resources of The Metropolitan Museum of Art, The Museum of Modern Art, Cooper Hewitt, Smithsonian Design Museum, and other cultural institutions that make NYC a global design and art destination.
Subject Areas
Explore courses in a variety of areas such as art and design histories, design studies, fashion studies, spatial design studies, media and visual culture studies.
Curriculum
The curriculum includes courses for ADHT students in the BFA Design History and Practice, the MA Fashion Studies, and the MA History of Design and Curatorial Studies programs as well as required core courses for all Parsons students from their freshman to their senior year, as required by their degree program. The curriculum also offers a broad range of electives which cover a multitude of subject areas. Students can pursue subject area interests through their choice of elective courses.
