Changes in the 2010 exam

Changes to the AP Art History Exam beginning with the 2010 exam administration:

Decision to not count prehistoric examples:
The AP Art History Development Committee has been concerned over the years about students' use of prehistoric examples when answering the 30-minute long essays. These long essays typically ask the student to provide contextual information about the work of art, but there is little known about the particular cultures that produced prehistoric art. Students who use prehistoric examples cannot earn full credit because they cannot provide a factual discussion of the context. Therefore, beginning with the 2010 exam, prehistoric examples such as the Woman of Willendorf, the caves of Lascaux, and Stonehenge will not be accepted as appropriate examples.

Emphasis on using examples from non-Western cultures other than Egypt and the Ancient Near East:
The Development Committee is also concerned about the overuse of Egyptian and Ancient Near East examples for the essay question that asks students to discuss art beyond the European tradition. To address this issue, the committee will add the following statement to the Course Description for 2010: "One of the 30-minute essay questions requires students to incorporate at least one example of art beyond the European tradition into their essays. Ancient Egypt and the Ancient Near East are fully covered in the multiple-choice questions in Part I and the short-answer essays in Part II of the exam. The intent of this essay question is to draw from areas such as Africa (beyond ancient Egypt), the Americas, Asia, Islamic cultures, and Oceania."


First, be glad that you're not taking the exam next year, when these changes go into effect. But second, realize that this shows the readers' concerns and biases this year. They do not like to see prehistoric examples in the 30-minute essay, and they would also prefer not to see Egypt and the Ancient Near East (Mesopotamia) used as non-European examples. They aren't telling you NOT to use them, but they are so against them that they will not allow them after this year. Take this to heart.