Research MA Thesis Art History

Research MA Thesis Art History (GKRMV18002)

Aims

From the course description in Osiris: A RMA thesis is a scholarly text in which you are expected to contribute, on the basis of independent research, to a debate within your discipline. It should be structured around a central research question (set out in the introductory sections) to which it provides an answer (set out in the conclusion). 

Students ec’s for this assignment

30 EC

Teacher effort (hours)

Ca. 1 dcu per thesis

Final product

Thesis

Assessment criteria

See intranet.

Description of the example

In the RMA Art History programme it is good practice to suggest to students who submitted an excellent thesis to rework it for publication. Traditionally, the programme has a link to Simiolus: Netherlands Quarterly for the History of Art, a peer reviewed journal. (The current editor-in-chief, Peter Hecht, was for a long time the coordinator of the RMA Art History programme). Not surprisingly, a number of theses could be published in Simiolus.

A few examples from recent years:

  • Isabel Zinman, 'Pictura Batava': Hadrianus Junius, artists and chorography; published in Simiolus 37 (2013-2014), pp. 204-226
  • Laurens Meerman, The 'uncommonly precious' collection of Pieter de Smeth van Alphen (1753-1809); published as: An unwritten chapter of Dutch collecting history: the painting collection of Pieter de Smeth van Alphen (1753-1809), Simiolus 40 (2018), pp. 18-98
  • Rosalie van Gulick, Humorous Histories. Jan Steen's history paintings in the context of late seventeenth-century Dutch painting and art theory; partly published as: Jan Steen's history paintings and Dutch art theory : comments and corrections by Gerard de Lairesse, Simiolus 39 (2017), pp. 388-399

Simiolus is available through JSTOR.

There are other examples, but published in less prestigious periodicals.

Contact

Programme coordinator: Victor Schmidt, v.m.schmidt@uu.nl.