ARTH 400: Introduction to World Art History

This seminar is a counterpart to ARTH 480: Introduction to Art History and will focus on non-western art and art created by historically marginalized artists and communities. Students will be introduced to a range of art works and architectural sites as they explore the diverse meanings, purposes, and histories of art from around the globe. We will also critically engage with key questions that have shaped the last several decades of art history, including: how have colonialism and global politics shaped the history of art? How do western universities and museums teach non-western art? What even is the distinction between non-western and western art? How have artists who have been marginalized within the societies they live in used art to assert their identities or subvert existing power structures? How can we as individuals come to understand cultures that our not our own through art? In addition to the key works covered in this class, students will have the opportunity to write a research paper on a work of art of their choosing.