Course Schedule and Catalog

Long Title: WHAT ARTISTS CITE: CORE TEACHINGS IN BLACK STUDIES

Department: Art History

Grade Mode: Standard Letter

Language of Instruction: Taught in English

Course Type: Seminar

Credit Hours: 3

Description: This course asks “who and what are black contemporary artists citing and why does it matter?” This class will tackle key readings in the field of black studies through investigating the theoretical attentions of contemporary artists. Why are the readings of Zora Neale Hurston, Frantz Fanon, Hortense Spillers, W.E.B. Du Bois, Toni Morrison, Saidiya Hartman, Claudia Rankine, and Fred Moten, to name a few, necessary for the critical analysis of black visual and performance art? This art history course will expose students to the interdisciplinary field of black studies, feminist studies, visual culture, queer theory, disabilities studies, and performance studies. The course ends with the creative development of an analytical essay on an art object of the student’s choice. This assignment is methodically organized over the semester to encourage each student to develop an argument that arises from their own close reading, application of theory, and lived experiences. It is priority to make this course on black aesthetics joyous, safe, and accessible to students of all genders, sexualities, and disabilities.