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Seminar in Contemporary Art and Theory


Course Description

Writing-intensive course focusing on contemporary art and related theories drawn from film studies, semiotics, gender studies, cultural studies, and post-colonial studies.


Athena Title

SEM IN CONT ART


Grading System

A - F (Traditional)


Course Objectives

The content of this course will change from professor to professor and semester to semester. Students will learn to grasp and critique major theoretical readings drawn from a variety of fields, in relation to the contemporary art. In addition, they will engage in a series of intensive writing exercises and seminar presentations that will help them learn how to articulate certain key concepts and raise further questions in a clear, concise manner.


Topical Outline

Week 1: Out of House and Home: Schneider, Whiteread, Do-Ho Suh, Khedoori Week 2: Suburban Gothic: Robert Gober, Paul McCarthy, Chapman Brothers Week 3: Ghosts in the Machine: Death, Religion and Sex in Witkin and Serrano Week 4: The Optical Unconscious: Douglas Gordon and Hiroshi Sugimoto Week 5: Please Follow Me: Interactivity in the works of Cardiff, Miller and Calle Week 6: Miss Interpreted: Portraiture Week 7: McFlat: Globalism, Murakami, Cai Guo-Qiang, and the Chapman Brothers Week 8: According to What? Epistemology, Dion, Bloom, Sze and Stockholder Week 9: Trauma, History, Play: Leventhal, Walker, Ligon, Chapmans Week 10*: Spatial Politics: Paul Pfeiffer, Julie Mehretu, Pipo Nyguen-Duy *Remaining weeks will be devoted to student presentations.


Syllabus


Public CV