Date of Award

5-2026

Document Type

Thesis

Degree Name

Master of Arts in Art History and Visual Culture

Department

Art

First Advisor

Caroline Paganussi

Second Advisor

Deborah Hutton

Third Advisor

Piper Hutson

Abstract

Art history as a field has inherent biases that are primarily rooted in Western traditions. A majority of the content which students are exposed to focuses on regions such as Europe and the Americas, with less focus on Africa, Asia, and the Pacific. The purpose of this thesis project is to develop a secondary school curriculum that approaches art history from a world perspective to foster students’ sense of cultural awareness and empathy, as well as the development of skills such as critical thinking and visual literacy. Students will leave this course with a greater understanding of art from various cultures and regions around the world, as well as the ways in which western culture was created and how it has influenced the world of art.

Research Highlights

The Problem: Traditional secondary art history curricula, such as the College Board AP Art History course, are primarily rooted in Western traditions and emphasize the arts of Europe and the Americas while neglecting regions such as Africa, Asia, and the Pacific. 

The Method: The researcher developed a year-long, non-honors course titled "An Introduction to World Art History" for high school students using a dual chronological and thematic structural approach informed by decolonial theory and critical discourse analysis. 

Quantitative Finding: The curriculum's final list of figures, determined through AI technology to ensure equitable representation, consists of a breakdown of 49% Western works versus 51% from regions including Africa, Asia, the Pacific, and Latin America. 

Qualitative Finding: The research identifies that shifting to a global perspective fosters cultural awareness, empathy, visual literacy, and critical thinking; addresses the "Western-centric" bias that frames non-Western art as "exotic"; and bridges the gap between students' education and an increasingly globalized world.

Creative Commons License

Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International License
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International License

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