ARHT5904 - Cross Cultural Art (2006)

Postgraduate

Department: Art History and Theory School: School of Letters, Art and Media Semester(s): Semester 2 Credit Points: 6 Co-ordinator: Dr. Mary Roberts Email: mary.roberts@arts.usyd.edu.au Telephone: 9351 4213

UoS Description

This unit explores major issues and debates in the study of cross-cultural art. A central focus is the examination of contemporary art in relation to its colonial heritage. The theoretical issues that inform this subject include: the relationship between aesthetics and politics, post-colonialism and feminism, questions of cultural agency and resistance, the structure and operation of the colonial stereotype, cultural hybridity, cross-cultural borrowing and appropriation. Students should complete the subject with an understanding of both the broad theoretical issues and the historical/regional specificity of cross-cultural art forms.

UoS Objectives:

This unit will provide students with an understanding of:

* The major debates in the study of cross-cultural art

* The work of selected key artists and photographers such as Paul Gauguin, Josephine Baker, Lubania Himid, Mona Hatoum, Morimura and Gordon Bennett.

* The relationship between post-colonial and colonial visual cultures.

UoS Outcomes:

*By the end of this unit students will be able to understand the major issues and debates in the study of cross-cultural art and apply them to the analysis of specific works of post-colonial and colonial art.

* Students will be able to critically examine the implications of such debates for curatorial practice, art patronage and urban design.

* Students will also be able to recognize the ways in which discussions in the field of post-colonial visual art intersect with debates in the interdisciplinary field of post-colonial studies.

* Students will develop and refine their skills of critical analysis and debate, visual analysis, essay writing and the verbal presentation of their ideas.

UoS Learning Situations:

Seminars ,  One 2hr seminar
one 2hr seminar

UoS Assessment:

5000-6000 words (honours), 4000 words (PG)

Extra Information about UoS Assessment:

Honours and PG assessment word counts will be 4,000wds (please disregard above assessment word count)

UoS Readings/References:

Zeynep Çelik, “Speaking Back to Orientalist Discourse at the World’s Columbian Exposition”, Noble Dreams Wicked Pleasures. Orientalism in America, 1870-1930, Princeton University Press and Sterling and Francine Clark Art Institute, New Jersey and Williamstown, 2000, pp. 77-97
Darcy Grigsby, “Out of the Earth: Egypt’s Statue of Liberty”, Edges of Empire. Orientalism and Visual Culture, eds, Jocelyn Hackforth-Jones and Mary Roberts, Blackwells, Oxford, 2005, pp. 38-69.
Michael Archer, Guy Brett and Catherine de Zegher (eds), Mona Hatoum, Phaidon, London, 1997. Edward Said, "Reflections on Exile", Out There. Marginalization and Contemporary Cultures, eds. Russell Ferguson, Martha Gever, Trinh T. Minh-ha and Cornel West, MIT Press, Cambridge and London, 1990, pp. 357-366

Online Components:

A listing of Lecture and Tutorial topics

Additional reading references

Assessment topics and assessment criteria

How the Online Components work with the rest of the UoS:

The on line component of this unit is optional. It provides a supplementary guide to information supplied in classes.

Minimum Requirements for Hardware/Software:

WEB BROWSERS:

* for Windows users( Microsoft IE 5.0 or higher, Netscape 6.2 or higher)

* for Macintosh users ( Microsoft IE 5.1 or higher, Netscape 6.2 or higher, Safari 1.2 or higher)

INTERNET CONNECTION: 56k modem