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[papergreen]

I'm in the beginning stages of thinking about going to grad school, and I'm trying to figure out how to do research into graduate programs. My academic interests, so far, are in art, film, and popular culture, post-WWII. Which I know is incredibly vague. Specifically I'm interested in the way that art movements shape (and are shaped by) their

Comments

[muse_10]

What sort of program are you in now? That might impact the type of methodology you are comfortable with or prefer to use in your research. I second art history programs with a strong modern/postmodern/contemporary faculty. A lot of art history departments are very interdisciplinary, encouraging collaboration with other departments that complement your interests. You can also look at programs with a strong visual culture component. I don't know much about it, but there's one at Rochester. And definitely go shopping for advisers in journals.

[papergreen]

i've been out of school for a few years now, but my undergrad degree was in "individualized studies" at a school that really emphasizes its interdisciplinary approach, with a nominal backbone in "the great books". basically, you could study any amount of disparate subjects that you could tie together using plato's "republic

[muse_10]

First, I agree with all of what fullofpink says. With your background, I'd say that you may be comfortable with philosophy, but your interests seem to call for a more historical/cultural approach, so I still recommend art history. Like has been said, today's art history isn't the art history of Vasari, focusing the lives of artists. You'll find the kind of research you want to do will be very welcome in the right departments. Keep searching for the right faculty; it'll be well worth the effort. I don't think you will feel restricted by the field, but then again I may have personal bias

[papergreen]

thank you, this is the kind of help i was looing for.

[endxgame]

Cultural studies or Theory and Criticism type programs sound like they might be a good fit as well. History of Consciousness and UCSC and similar programs would probably be worth looking into. Also try French Language departments.

I don't know if you'll find a lot of history programs will meet your exact needs but there are surely some.

[greekdaph]

This--and fullofpink's thoughts above--is really great advice. Papergreen, none of your grad advisors are going to force you to hew closely to the interests you express in your SOP; on the contrary, they're going to want you to take a variety of different courses and to see how your interests develop. You may end up pursuing something close to what you articulate in your SOP, or you may end up doing something radically different. The SOP is a bit like playing dress-up, like trying on for size the kind of work you'll do in grad school. Everyone knows it's artificial, and perhaps precocious in its ambition, but it's a useful exercise nonetheless