ARTH 302 - Maps of Modernity - Art/Theory

Credits: 4

This course is concerned with the questions asked by art history. The first part analyzes narratives that have shaped the concept of “Art” enshrined in art history, looking critically at ideas of art’s formal autonomy, of artistic expression and genius, and of art as a reflection of the social world, the spirit of the times or a pervasive modernity. The second part asks how more recent theories of cultural production and meaning-from semiotics to deconstruction and from psychoanalysis to Marxism and Cultural Studies-might offer an alternative “tool kit” for building new models and posing new questions. Fulfills post-1800 requirement for Art History major. Prerequisites: Second year students and above; the course is targeted at art history and art majors but may well be of interest to other students in the humanities and social sciences.