Art History programme to join the School of English, Film, Theatre, and Media Studies from 2020
From January 2020, the Art History programme in the Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences will move to sit within the School of English, Film, Theatre, and Media Studies (SEFTMS).
This move follows the completion of a report from a Working Group charged earlier this year to recommend ways to ensure a strong future for Art History at Victoria University of Wellington, following the dissolution of the School of Art History, Classics and Religious Studies (SACR). This Working Group included University staff, external colleagues, and Art History academic staff.
The move to SEFTMS will offer opportunities for greater academic collaborations and other links with some SEFTMS disciplines and will also provide a strong administrative structure for the Programme. A new academic staff member will be recruited for 2020 and curricular changes, especially to Art History’s undergraduate programme, are being considered.
Dean of the Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences Professor Sarah Leggott thanked the Working Group for their detailed and thoughtful recommendations. “Pro Vice-Chancellor Professor Jennifer Windsor and I are very grateful for the expertise and experience that the Group offered, not to mention their commitment to ensuring the future success of Art History at this University. We believe this move to SEFTMS will benefit the Art History programme greatly and look forward to seeing it flourish over the coming years.”
Working Group member and incoming Head of School for SEFTMS Dr Geoff Stahl is pleased about the move. “SEFTMS welcomes the addition of Art History. We look forward to strengthening Art History’s profile, as well as exploring existing intellectual affinities and realising the many potential synergies that will no doubt emerge across the different programmes.”
An implementation process, similar to that used for other SACR programmes last year, will be used to ensure that there is a holistic approach to ensuring a smooth transition for both Art History and SEFTMS.