Topic Outline
The following outline shows the content areas generally covered by introductory college art history courses and a percentage range of course time devoted to each content area. The AP Art History Exam generally reflects this coverage.
I. Ancient Through Medieval (30%)
- Greece and Rome (10-15%)
- Early Christian, Byzantine, Early Medieval (5-10%)
- Romanesque (3-7%)
- Gothic (7-10%)
II. Beyond European Artistic Traditions (20%)
- Africa (including ancient Egypt); the Americas; Asia; the ancient Near East, Oceania, and global Islamic tradition
This section of the Topic Outline is presently under review. It is strongly suggested, however, that at least one culture outside of the European tradition (Africa, Asia, the Americas, and Oceania) should be covered in depth—in addition to and beyond the areas typically covered in the course, namely the ancient Near East, ancient Egypt, and global Islamic tradition.
III. Renaissance to Present (50%)
- Fourteenth Through Sixteenth Centuries (12-17%)
- Seventeenth and Eighteenth Centuries (10-15%)
- Nineteenth Century (10-15%)
- Twentieth Century and Contemporary Art* (10-15%)
*Contemporary Art means development of modern art roughly from 1970 to the present.
