Course Schedule and Catalog

Long Title: BLACK CONTEMPORARY ART

Department: Art History

Grade Mode: Standard Letter

Language of Instruction: Taught in English

Course Type: Seminar

Distribution Group: Distribution Group I

Credit Hours: 3

Description: This course introduces students to the speculative and dynamic field of black contemporary visual and performance art by joining visual analysis with the critical application of race, gender, sexuality, and disability theory. This class centers application over memorization. By the end of the semester, students will demonstrate an in-depth knowledge of contemporary trends in black art production and circulation, be able to identify the work of formative black modern and contemporary artists and contextualize art objects across theories of blackness and the social process of representation. This course occasionally meets at an area museum during the semester. By the end of the semester, students will be equipped with a set of skills--reading, writing, and analysis--that will set a foundation for the creative development of a 10-to-12-page analytical essay on an art object of their choice. This assignment is methodically organized over the course of the semester to encourage each student to develop an argument that arises from their own close reading, application of theory, and lived experiences. Distribution 1 credit effective Fall 2021.