398. Experimental Course
Castles and Cathedrals
Within the 1000 year period we call medieval art, Gothic (b.1140) was the first to pervade the world of "things." Far from being an art solely devoted to architecture, sculpture and painting, Gothic could determine the style of one's shoes or even one≠s spoons. As the first truly international art, it spread across Europe with astonishing speed. This course seeks to understand the ways in which the visual culture of the Gothic period was a product of changing concepts of time, space, and society. Both religious and secular imagery will be examined, with special attention paid to the construction of the great Castles and Cathedrals of thirteenth-century Europe, and the stunning images and objects that embellished them. Consideration of the representation of the "other" (heretics, lepers and non-Christians) as well as the place of women in Gothic art and medieval society will also be explored. The course then turns to the art of the fourteenth century where the effects of political and religious strife will be analyzed against the backdrop of the imagery of the Great Plague. Hardly an era of decline, the last years of the Gothic age were a lively phase of intellectual development leading directly into the Early Modern period.
Will satisfies Medieval Art category in the Art History Major and Minor in Medieval Studies. (Evelyn Staudinger Lane)
Anatomies (1400-1600): Sexual, Forbidden, and Monstrous
This course will look at the ways in which the body was understood and visualized in the early-modern period. Focusing mostly on France and Italy, the class will address topics such as: the perceived imperfections of the female body; the mystery held by reproductive organs and their function; the theological and physical challenges posed by human dissections; the production of illustrated anatomical treatises; the implication of artists and anatomists in exploring monstrous bodies; and the intellectual and physical fascination with hermaphrodites.
Critical readings of texts, original research, and engaged participation will be emphasized throughout the course.
Africa, Museums and the Politics of Representation
In this course, we will consider the ways in which the African continent and its animals, peoples and material culture have been represented by museums and like institutions. The course will provide a brief introduction to the history of museums before we begin our exploration of how economic, political and social changes have influenced the collection and display of Africa and Africans, starting with Pharaonic Egypt and continuing through the present day. We will study the colonial period, exploring world's fairs, the development of ethnology museums and the success of "human zoos" before examining how colonialism's legacy continues to impact the representation of Africa and Africans to this day. Students will also consider how contemporary debates over cultural heritage/property and repatriation apply to the African continent and will explore the development of the market for African art in the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries. The course will cover a number of historical and contemporary case studies of museums and like institutions in Africa and in the Diaspora, including Walt Disney World(Florida), the Metropolitan Museum of Art (New York), the Jim Crow Museum of Racist Memorabilia (Michigan), the Royal Museum for Central Africa (Belgium), and the District Six Museum (South Africa).
Students will be expected to attend at least one off-campus field trip and to engage actively and critically with all course materials and in class discussions.