Introduction to Global Art History

Catalog description

This course introduces students to the history of art as a global phenomenon, interconnected by millennia of cross-cultural encounters. Rather than seeking to provide an exhaustive history of world art and architecture, this course focuses on key concepts that operate across cultures, geographies and time periods. Students will learn the basic techniques of the art historian while being exposed to a variety of in-depth case studies of concepts like (but not limited to): Significant Materials and their Use, Mapping the Cosmos, Interacting with the Divine, Honoring the Dead, Representing the Natural World, Picturing Humanity, Power and Propaganda, Cross-Cultural Encounters, and Global Art in the Modern World. Depending on the instructor, other themes/concepts could be substituted or added. Each theme/concept will be treated as a module with introductory lessons and readings followed by case studies of a single work or group of related works.