ARTH 314 - Race and Representation

Credit Hours: 4
Frequency of Offering: Offered in alternate years, usually in the fall semester

This class explores the artistic production of the African diaspora in the United States and abroad from the early modern era to the present day. Major issues of concern are colonialism and the early modern invention of race; the construction of whiteness; the visual and material culture of the transatlantic slave trade and American slavery; the role of art in both building and resisting systems of oppression; the creative production and agency of individual artists of color, including enslaved artists and artisans in the colonial and antebellum period as well as modern and contemporary artists; the concept of the Black Atlantic and the contribution of a diverse African diaspora to a global history of art and ideas; and African American art history. Depending on the instructor, the focus of the course will either be Early Modern and Colonial or Modern and Contemporary art. This course may be repeated once for credit if the topic is not repetitive.

Prerequisite(s): Prerequisite is one of the following: ARTH 100, one 200-level ARTH course, or consent of instructor.