This seminar aims to channel the excitement and interest generated by the film Black Panther into a course that utilizes its themes, design elements, and costumes as a means to explore the art and culture of the African continent. This course will provide students with the tools to assess how African cultures are referenced and reimagined in the film, ultimately allowing them to assess if these allusions are informed and appropriate and how they shape our understanding of the film. The course begins by providing students with several theoretical frameworks for understanding the film and its use of African cultures, followed by an exploration of ancient and historical African empires that served as the inspiration for the mythological empire of Wakanda. The majority of the class focuses on specific characters, examining the actual culture practices and forms of dress that influenced their characterization, providing students with a more nuanced and informed understanding of African cultural practices. Students will examine a diverse range of visual art forms throughout the African continent, with an emphasis on textiles, dress and adornment. Most importantly, this course will encourage students to interrogate and question how African cultures are frequently referenced in American popular culture.

This graduate session is a studio class on the topic of video art. Students, through creative projects, readings, and screenings, will develop a practical and conceptual approach to the medium. Video, although used as an artists' material since the late 1950's, has undergone many transformations both due to technical innovation and shifting cultural and artistic landscapes. Video art today is in such wide use by artists in general that it can seem barely noteworthy beyond a materials footnote. However, Video Art, born during a time of the intersection of television culture, conceptual art, and performance art, retains traces of all of these today. This seminar will provide a useful introduction to Video Art's history, methods, and expressive capacities. Technically, we will look at digital editing and compositing techniques as well as mining the characteristics of the many camera technologies available today.

This graduate session is a studio class on the topic of video art. Students, through creative projects, readings, and screenings, will develop a practical and conceptual approach to the medium. Video, although used as an artists' material since the late 1950's, has undergone many transformations both due to technical innovation and shifting cultural and artistic landscapes. Video art today is in such wide use by artists in general that it can seem barely noteworthy beyond a materials footnote. However, Video Art, born during a time of the intersection of television culture, conceptual art, and performance art, retains traces of all of these today. This seminar will provide a useful introduction to Video Art's history, methods, and expressive capacities. Technically, we will look at digital editing and compositing techniques as well as mining the characteristics of the many camera technologies available today.

Syllabus for an introductory undergraduate Art History course, surveying the discipline from pre-historic to contemporary art.

Discussion board prompts for an online, undergraduate, Introduction to Art History course, surveying the discipline from prehistory to contemporary art.