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As of February 1st 2010, the Dean has proposed a potential phasing out of the Honours and Joint Honours BA Art History options over a 2-3 year period. Once this decision is approved by her committee, it will go on to the Faculty of Humanities, the Undergraduate Planning Committee and the Senate. The decision to phase out the McMaster Art History Program could be finalized in the next few weeks.

The McMaster Museum of Art is an excellent resource for students and we are fortunate to be one of the few universities in Ontario to have an on-campus museum and affiliated Studio Art Program. There is also easy access to the Art Gallery of Hamilton and various commercial galleries on James Street North, which enable students to gain practical museum/gallery experience. The decision to phase out Honours and Joint Honours Art History is not a logical one given these circumstances.

To compromise, McMaster is willing to spare the minor in Art History option. However, this does not satisfy the requirements of many professional and graduate school programs for art, art history and design disciplines. McMaster University is depriving its Studio Arts and Art History undergraduate students from being exposed to a full range of topics within the Visual Arts!

Mac Art History is a small program with a small but mighty voice. We encourage all students and alumni to make their opinions known by writing to President George, the Provost, the Dean of Humanities and the Director of the School of the Arts.

Their contact information is as follows:
[email protected]
[email protected]
[email protected]
[email protected]

There is also an online petition you can sign, “Stop the phasing out of the McMaster University Art History Program” http://www.ipetitions.com/petition/macarthistory/
Please sign the petition and help with the fight to stop the phasing out of the McMaster Art History program.

The Comp Lit program is also being phased out. One of my friends who has been here for 4 years studying Comp Lit now has to graduate with a degree in English.

Did you know Mac used to be one of the best schools in Canada for Political Science? Now look at it.

Why are they doing this to the Humanities and Social Sciences :(

I will sign this petition for sure! Right now, the website is giving me an error though.

Canada is culturally backwards. What do you expect?

McMaster seems to be making a point of kicking our Humanities and Social Sciences while they're down. It's not enough that they're "reallocating" funding and firing profs, now they're canceling the few remaining diverse programs that exist in those faculties.

Hey Everyone,
The SRA Humanities Caucus is having a meeting with Dean Wright soon, and we will be bring up the issue with him.
If you would send me emails ([email protected]) I will print of everyone and give them to him. Also, include any questions you want answered and I will bring them up with the Dean

Originally Posted by finklej

Hey Everyone,
The SRA Humanities Caucus is having a meeting with Dean Wright soon, and we will be bring up the issue with him.
If you would send me emails ([email protected]) I will print of everyone and give them to him. Also, include any questions you want answered and I will bring them up with the Dean

I'd appreciate it Joe, if you could post how many email responses you got after your meeting is complete.

think the dean will give a shit about a few emails? mac is run by admin. not the students.

How do I sign without donating to the site?

If they follow through with this, I will most likely weep for the lost soul of McMaster.

Originally Posted by Kathy2

How do I sign without donating to the site?

Once you submit your name and email address, you have signed the petition.
Just ignore the next step having to do with donations.

won't all the courses still be available?

mcmaster clearly doesn't care for humanities

Humanities <3

I have a question: does anyone actually have a problem with the idea of a school phasing out programs in order to specialize in other areas? Or is this just a NIMBY type thing?

(This is genuine curiosity. I personally think that its a good idea for different schools to focus in different areas, but I haven't actually heard arguments against the idea, so I could be missing something huge).

Originally Posted by A.Marlowe

I have a question: does anyone actually have a problem with the idea of a school phasing out programs in order to specialize in other areas? Or is this just a NIMBY type thing?

(This is genuine curiosity. I personally think that its a good idea for different schools to focus in different areas, but I haven't actually heard arguments against the idea, so I could be missing something huge).

No problem. Phase, phase, phase.