The Department of Fine Arts, housed in Syracuse University's historic Bowne Hall was one of the first in the country dedicated to the study of the history of the arts in an interdisciplinary setting. The department was established in 1945 by the cultural historian William Fleming. Professor Fleming's book Arts and Ideas (9th edition, 1995), currently used in over 1000 colleges and universities throughout the United States, serves as a model for the department's approach to the arts in relation to their cultural, social, economic, and political contexts.

The Department offers courses from introductory through M.A. levels. In view of its interdisciplinary disposition, the Department encourages students to work in a broad range of courses, some in other divisions of the University (including College of Visual and Performing Arts, School of Architecture, Newhouse School of Public Communications, School of Information Studies). The Department offers undergraduate opportunities for a major, a minor, or a combined major with another discipline. Undergraduate students are encouraged to take part in the Syracuse Semester Abroad program, expanding their arts studies into the international community.