Abstract
This research investigates the interdependencies between the subject of Art History and Design History within undergraduate programs across five prominent institutions in India. The study draws upon the experiences, perspectives, and reflections of both teachers and students and through interviews, curriculum mapping, and classroom observations, explores how these two disciplines influence, overlap, and inform each other in both content and pedagogy. The findings reveal that these subjects are deeply interconnected, with each contributing significantly to the understanding and evolution of the other. The research also highlights institutional variations among curriculum development. It is observed that the absence of a defined framework frequently leads to conceptual overlap and pedagogical ambiguity resulting in inconsistencies in course outcomes and assessment. The study suggests that while the interconnectedness of the subjects is valuable, there is an urgent need to develop a curricular structure that delineates their distinct purposes while maintaining productive intersections.
Keywords
Art History, Design History, Curriculum Structure
DOI
https://doi.org/10.21606/drs.2026.2404
Citation
Roy, S., and Tewari, S. (2026) Interdependencies of Art History and Design History curriculum in Indian undergraduate education, in Simeone, L., Gray, C. M., Verhoeven, A., de Götzen, A., Bakırlıoğlu, Y., Zohar, H., Stead, M., and Buwert, P. (eds.), DRS2026: Edinburgh, 8–12 June, Edinburgh, United Kingdom. https://doi.org/10.21606/drs.2026.2404
Creative Commons License
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International License
Included in
Interdependencies of Art History and Design History curriculum in Indian undergraduate education
This research investigates the interdependencies between the subject of Art History and Design History within undergraduate programs across five prominent institutions in India. The study draws upon the experiences, perspectives, and reflections of both teachers and students and through interviews, curriculum mapping, and classroom observations, explores how these two disciplines influence, overlap, and inform each other in both content and pedagogy. The findings reveal that these subjects are deeply interconnected, with each contributing significantly to the understanding and evolution of the other. The research also highlights institutional variations among curriculum development. It is observed that the absence of a defined framework frequently leads to conceptual overlap and pedagogical ambiguity resulting in inconsistencies in course outcomes and assessment. The study suggests that while the interconnectedness of the subjects is valuable, there is an urgent need to develop a curricular structure that delineates their distinct purposes while maintaining productive intersections.