INTRODUCTION
Art History is a field in the humanities that looks at the study and development of fine arts (architecture, sculpture, painting, applied arts, contemporary artistic practices) from the earliest times to the present day. The Art History Combined Study Programme is based on this definition. In the first cycle, students are introduced to the main stylistic trends, from prehistory to the 20th century, as well as to the most important artists and memorials, on three different levels: European (and in more recent periods, also global), Slovenian, and regional (North-Eastern Slovenia). The second cycle is dedicated to the deepening of fundamental knowledge and the improvement of methodological approaches.
The unique features of the Art History Study Programme in the Department of Art History at the Faculty of Arts of the University of Maribor are the equal coverage of all periods of fine arts, the study and research of artistic creativity in North-Eastern Slovenia (in a central European context), the teaching of applied arts (decorative art, contemporary design), and the early involvement of students in practicum. The pedagogical process is not limited to lectures and seminar exercises, but also takes place outside the classroom, out in the field: in galleries, museums and archives, etc.
Apart from lecturers from the Faculty of Arts of the University of Maribor, the pedagogical process involves leading experts from the Research Centre of the Slovenian Academy of Sciences and Arts, the National Museum of Slovenia, the Maribor Regional Museum, and other professional establishments.