Changes to AP Courses

Post by Liz Doe, Senior Counselor.

The recent re-launch of the AP Art History curriculum by the College Board reveals a promising new development in the Advanced Placement program. Now, instead of memorizing a canon composed primarily of European painting (a canon many art historians call “Male, Pale, and Stale), students will be exposed to a condensed curriculum with an emphasis on diversity.

The more focused approach is meant to encourage more thoughtful analysis and reflect larger steps taken in the art world towards inclusivity. According to the Atlantic, this revised course now includes works like No Crying Allowed in the Barbershop, a mixed-media installation from 1994 by the Puerto Rican-born artist Pepón Osorio, and urges students to make personal connections to works of art—relating their analysis to their own cultural background. “The revised AP art-history course,” the article explains, “may hold the opportunity to present art across all time periods, teaching students about diverse aesthetic traditions from prehistory to the present—and placing women and artists of color along a new continuum.”

As we often stress, AP test scores are no longer just used for college placement, but as another data point in college admissions. Top candidates typically submit four, five, or six high AP scores, which show how rigorous your classes really are, and how well you have mastered the course material. This recent change to the AP Art History curriculum, we can only hope, will catalyze the College Board’s continued critical assessment of other AP courses, particularly in the humanities, to reflect a pedagogical commitment to diversity. This change has the potential to encourage deep engagement with course material beyond rote memorization—skills that would transfer from the AP exam room to the Graduate school classroom, to the boardroom and beyond.

Are you a high school student interested in art and art history? The Atlantic and College Board are currently hosting a writing contest that asks students to analyze and interpret a meaningful work of art. Essays should be between 1,000 and 1,500 words and can be submitted from Jan. 1 to Feb. 28, 2016. For more information, see: https://www.collegeboard.org/writing-prize