ARTH 1176

FWS: Can Art Change the World?

Course Description

Course information provided by the Courses of Study 2022-2023.

 bell hooks wrote that "Changing how we see images is clearly one way to change the world." But how do images, in turn, shape how we perceive the world around us? How does art and visual culture contribute to historical change? This course examines how images can construct, or question, our perspectives. We will think critically about what separates the everyday images we consume through advertisements and social media from the fine art of modern and contemporary art institutions. Drawing on a selection of modern and contemporary artists working in various geopolitical contexts, students will learn how to pair art historical methods of describing images with political, economic, and social analysis. The course will also introduce students to key texts and theories for developing a critical writing practice, particularly from the Marxist, post-/de-colonial, and Black radical traditions.

When Offered Spring.

Satisfies Requirement First-Year Writing Seminar.

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