Παρουσίαση/Προβολή

(ENL392) -  Σταματίνα Δημακοπούλου

Περιγραφή Μαθήματος

Description and general scope of the course

Much experimental and avant-garde art in the US from the late 1950s onwards emerged against the backdrop of an intense questioning of the modernist canon, and responded to wider historical shifts that involved the dissolution, and the redefinition of boundaries in diverse and interconnected areas of cultural and social life. The course maps important strands in the post-WWII avant-garde from the late 1950s to the present day. The reaction against Abstract Expressionism, the emergence of happenings in the late 1950s, and the rise of Pop Art will constitute the point of departure for an examination of the work of artists who experimented with diverse forms, practices, and media, moved beyond traditional genres, and challenged the boundaries, and the institutions that had defined the production of art. We will work with a variety of sources and documents, including paintings, films, performances, videos, and artists’ writings. Throughout the course, we will be establishing connections between artistic movements and developments in postwar American politics and culture at large.

 Teaching consists in lectures, as well as seminar activities and discussions developing connections across different themes and artistic forms. Course material and bibliography can be accessed online on the e-class site. Depending on attendance and participation, additional seminar sessions may be organised during term-time. In the course, we will navigate a wide range of movements, and a number of artists, motifs, concepts, forms and media: you are welcome to be creative and selective with the material, and focus and engage more in-depth with the artists and works that speak to you the most, and establish connections and resonances.

Aims and Learning Outcomes

The aim of the course is to train students in bringing the practice of close reading and critical analysis that are essential in literary study to the examination of other cultural forms, and specifically forms and media in the expanded field of art practice in the postwar period. Through the study of experimental forms and media that reconfigure the boundaries of established genres, students will be to understand the critical connections between different fields of artistic production and cultural practice and larger shifts in history, politics, and culture.

By the end of the course students will have gained:

·       A grounded critical overview of important shifts and cultural movements in the United States from the post-war II period to the present day

·       A sophisticated awareness of how cultural practice engages and responds to politics and history

·       Advanced writing skills and critical thinking that necessitates an inter and multi-disciplinary perspective, across different forms and practices, currents of thought, and media

Additionally, students who wish to to be assessed by coursework will have the opportunity to develop their research skills, to integrate their own creativity in their academic work, and engage in collaborative, through active, meaningful engagement with the contents of the course, and engage in co-creation-oriented participation in the class.

Content Disclaimer

The course is committed to promoting civic values, social and political awareness, reciprocity, inclusivity, and plurality. In the event a student finds topics and content included in this course sensitive, they should get in touch with the course convenor.

Ημερομηνία δημιουργίας

Τετάρτη 5 Οκτωβρίου 2016