FWS: Crafting Religion: Material Culture in Southeast Asia

Catalog description

Is a Buddha statue sacred? Are churches built by Christians? In collaboration with the Johnson Museum, we will explore the multiple meanings of religious objects and sites to better understand the lives of communities in Southeast Asia. We will "look" at art pieces that index a religious reality, and "read" them to understand their makings, usages, meanings, and contemporary relevance, as objects of devotion ("sacred" contexts), as well "art" sitting in museums, looked at by tourists, or as "objects" traded for their economic value ("mundane" contexts). We will do free writing, write labels, describe objects' physicality and symbolisms. We will do close reading of articles. You will build on these skills, as you "craft" your final with the support of your peers.