Dissertation
The dissertation topic is selected by the student according to their own interests within the discipline art history. It is advisable to give thought to what you may be interested in researching during the JS year. In Hilary Term of the JS year, students will be asked to indicate their area of interest, and encouraged to talk to relevant members of staff who will guide them as to the feasibility of the topic, and the potential of the area. If they find a subject in good time, the summer vacation period prior to SS year can provide a useful opportunity to get a good start.
It is worth considering a theme that relates to your second subject, as this provides an opportunity for interdisciplinarity. A knowledge of another language is worth exploiting, as is familiarity in any one of a range of disciplines that could be drawn on, such as sociology, politics, literature, geography, music, and so forth.
Students considering topics in another country will need to give thought to whether they have the time and the financial support to enable them to travel to that country for research, and in particular, whether they would be able to read material in a foreign language.
At the beginning of Michaelmas Term in the SS year, students should have settled on a topic. They will be allocated a supervisor based on the topic of interest, and also on the number of students they are supervising. The earlier you decide on your topic, the more likely you will be to be allocated a supervisor whose expertise is close to the area. Late decisions will mean you will be allocated to the supervisor with least numbers of supervisees. This is not necessarily a disadvantage however as the principles of research, are the more or less the same across the areas.
Dissertations must be submitted by the Monday following the last day of Hilary term.
Further details of how to go about researching and writing the dissertation are provided in the Handbook.