<p>Hi all. Since I have no horse in this race, and I am a PhD in English with a son who is going to grad school in Art History I thought I’d check on the courses and report my impressions. This is strictly subjective and should be given only minor consideration in making this choice.</p>
<p>Art: I have to say the Smith Art Department is a clear winner – 30 faculty members as opposed to around 17 for Wellesley with five or six adjuncts or visiting professors. I was impressed that on the majors page Smith listed Art History and Studio Art separately, and Wellesley did not, though this distinction was made when I opened up to the Art History page. In addition, I was impressed by the fact that Smith also listed a separate Architecture section on the home page of the Art Department.</p>
<p>English: A tougher call by far. Of course, since Smith is bigger (influences the above as well) it has a larger faculty. But more separates the two.</p>
<p>Smith – Pros: Vital, innovative, many courses. Cons: Not enough grounded in survey courses, period courses and the nuts and bolts of the discipline.</p>
<p>And Wellesley seems just the opposite.</p>
<p>Wellesley – Pros: Very well organized department. Covers all relevant periods and genres. Nothing will fall through the cracks. A very intelligently laid out program. Cons: Not as exciting or contemporary.</p>
<p>A good way to judge (to the OP) is to read the course descriptions. See which pedagogy interests you and what your goals are. Grad school? Wellesley may have the edge. Just learning and then on to a different career? Smith may have the edge.</p>
<p>Notice I say may.</p>
<p>Hope this helps.</p>
<p>Anyone can do this. It’s easy to compare departments at two schools. For example when my S was looking we discovered that Vassars Classics Department was actually more conservative than Williams, something we wouldn’t have predicted. Same with the music departments. </p>
<p>Since educational institutions are being chosen, reading course catalogues is a great way to help in these decisions.</p>