Art History SIP Information

Kalamazoo College

Art Department

 

 

Tom Rice, Professor

Richard Koenig, Associate Professor and Department Chair

Sarah Lindley, Associate Professor

Christine Hahn, Assistant Professor

Dhera Strauss, Instructor

 

 

 

ART HISTORY AND INTERNSHIP

SIP GUIDELINES

 

A Senior Individualized Project in Art History can be done as either an internship or a research project, both for one unit credit. SIPs are to be upper level work and a faculty member must agree to approve and supervise your project. Students should have considerable experience, equivalent to at least two courses, in the area to be investigated before registering for a SIP.

 

 

REQUIREMENTS FOR REGISTRATION

 

Appropriate course work in art history

Document of Intent

Completed SIP Proposal form and outline—due the quarter before your SIP quarter

SIP contract—due quarter before SIP quarter

 

 

INTERNSHIP SIP

 

Because this is a credit-bearing project, it must have a greater academic focus than a Career Development internship: that is, you should be given a larger share of responsibility, in order to learn as much as possible about a professional situation.

 

 

REQUIREMENTS FOR AN INTERNSHIP SIP

 

  • A brief history and description of the institution in which you worked, including a list of the personnel and the responsibilities of each person.
  • A daily journal of your experiences, to keep a record of your projects, from beginning to end.
  • A notebook containing copies of all the materials on which you worked during your internship.
  • A formal research paper (about 15 pages, with bibliography, notes, etc.) based on something about which you gained first-hand knowledge during your internship, such as a work in the museum's collection or artists represented by the gallery.
  • A reflective essay written after the completion of your internship. This serves as the senior connections essay.

 

The Career Development Office will give you access to its files so that you may check possibilities, but it is not responsible for finding your placement. You will need to begin this process before Study Abroad, especially if you choose the extended term option.

 

Before undertaking the internship, your supervisor must understand our criteria in order for the SIP to receive academic credit. It is expected that you be given some time during every work week to do research for the paper.

 

 

TIME TABLE

 

Normally students will complete the internship SIP during the summer preceding their senior year. The summer SIP unit will be registered for during the fall of the senior as an overload in the fall. Deadlines follow college policy and can be found on the registrar's homepage. The SIP is due the first week of the quarter following the SIP quarter. Grades are due at the end of the sixth week of the quarter following the SIP quarter.

 

 

THE RESEARCH SIP

 

A one-unit in the summer, fall, or winter.

 

This is a thesis-length paper (about 40 to 50 pages) on a topic for which you have sufficient background to do advanced research. The subject should be rather specific or interdisciplinary, so that you will read widely and think creatively. Please discuss the topic with your SIP advisor and present a tentative bibliography and outline the quarter before the SIP. During your SIP quarter, you must give sections of your rough draft to your supervisor for commentary. Writing some sections before you have completed the research will help you know what answers you still need. A timetable will be worked out with your advisor and must be adhered to in order to pass.

 

 

GRADING CRITERIA:

 

Sip grades are Honors, Pass, Fail. Honors will be reserved for those students that demonstrate exceptional performance in all of the required parts of the SIP, including completing everything on time.

 

 

OTHER INFORMATION:

 

Tedrow-Little-Tyler Fund: This provides a grant for materials used for your art SIP (or a grant for living or research expenses, in the case of an internship or research), for up to $200. Please make a written request for funding to the Art Department Chair. The Business Office requires receipts for expenses; give them to the department chair, who will send them to the Business Office.

 

Senior Comprehensive Exams: This requirement will be discussed with you in the spring of your junior year.

 

Honors in the major and academic prizes in art: There are no specific criteria, but usually required are outstanding, on-time achievements in art course work, in an art SIP, and in Senior Comps, and strong support of the Art Department and its other students.