Winterthur Program Core Courses
The course of study begins with an introduction to American decorative arts
and material culture, a five-week Summer Institute that makes extensive use
of Winterthur's museum and library collections. This course provides a firm
foundation for the formal curriculum, highlights of which appear below.
Connoisseurship I
One of the key elements of the core curriculum is a sequence
of courses taught by Winterthur's renowned curators on
the major categories of objects in the Museum's collections.
In the fall semester of the first year, fellows study American
furniture, concentrating on the 17th, 18th and 19th centuries.
The second major block deals with American
silver production. As in their study of furniture,
fellows have the opportunity to work directly
with museum objects and to explore the
extensive library holdings on early
American silver.
Connoisseurship II
The second of the three connoisseurship courses takes place in the spring of
the first year. The course is comprised of three five-week blocks on
ceramics, base metals and textiles. Curators bring objects from the collections into the classroom. There are also intensive sessions in the Museum's study collections. Since fellows are trained as guides and have handling privileges they spend considerable out-of-class time in the collections.
Connoisseurship III
The final semester of connoisseurship is devoted to study of American prints and portraits, concentrating on Winterthur's holdings. Glass objects occupy a separate block as do books from the Library's impressive array of original imprints. Winterthur also has an outstanding slide library, and the Decorative Arts Photographic Collection is an invaluable aid to fellows throughout their connoisseurship training.
Additional Courses at Winterthur
Winterthur's Office of Advanced Studies offers three courses that build upon the methodology of the connoisseurship offerings. Fellows take a required seminar on American Material Life. In this course they work with both collection objects and primary documents in the Museum's research library. An elective course on American Craftsmanship includes wide-ranging readings as well as a behind-the-scene field study at Colonial Williamsburg. Fellows may also elect a seminar that concentrates on topics such as Religion in Material Life, and American Arts and Crafts.
Graduate Seminars at
The University of Delaware
Since its inception in 1952, the Winterthur Program has taken a multi-disciplinary approach to the study of material culture. The University's
distinguished departments of Art History, English and History provide graduate seminars that introduce fellows to the latest disciplinary scholarship that bears on the study of material culture. Fellows take one graduate seminar in each of these three departments.
The Art History department offers courses on Vernacular Architecture, American Painting, Neo-Classicism in America and Folk and Outsider Art. In the English department, fellows may choose from a variety of graduate seminars, including Colonial American Literature, The Victorian Novel, and Literary Theory. The History department's offerings encompass a wide range of topics including American Social and Cultural History, Revolutionary America, and Images of Race and Ethnicity in American Life.
Interdisciplinary Courses
The Winterthur Program's national prestige is also
the result of innovative, interdisciplinary courses
that explore the latest scholarship on American
decorative arts and material culture. Leading the way
are two core courses: Issues in American Material
Culture and Theoretical Perspectives on American
Material Culture. Fellows must take one of these
courses and some elect to take both. Courses on
Historic Preservation, Historical Archaeology
and Women's Studies also employ interdisciplinary
approaches.
Master's Thesis
In the summer between their first and second
year in the program, fellows do the primary
research for their Master's thesis. Master's theses are based on objects
and primary materials in Winterthur's collections
and in the holdings of other major museums and
historical societies. Winterthur theses have greatly expanded scholarship in American decorative arts and material culture.
The Museum Studies Program
Many Winterthur fellows elect to pursue the
Certificate offered by the Museum Studies
Program at the University of Delaware. This
curriculum offers courses in Leadership and
Management, Historic Properties, Museum
Education and practical experience as a
Museum intern. Most of these internships
for fellows take place at Winterthur in the
curatorial division, the education division,
the publications division or in the development
office.