ART, POWER & POLITICS

Catalog description

In this class we will explore how art both facilitates and challenges authority, power, and oppressive social practices more broadly. We will consider the role of art in introducing and reinforcing biases, as a tool for propaganda, as a form of political speech, as a resource for challenging prejudice, and as an instrument for moral education. We will also employ frameworks from the philosophy of art and language to assess the harms of testimonial injustice, cultural appropriation, racism, ableism, pornography, and colonialization in the context of art and art appreciation.