CURRENT DIRECTIONS IN ART

Prerequisites & course information

Requisites: None Course Designation: Core GenEd - Humanities & Arts Breadth - Humanities Level - Elementary L&S Credit - L&S Liberal Arts and Science Repeatable for Credit: No Last Taught: Summer 2026 Learning Outcomes: 1. Describe trends in art during this specific period and the shift from modernism to postmodernism (and/or poststructuralism) and how this is reflected in changed concepts of art such as the grand narrative, authorship and the object. Audience: Undergraduate 2. Discuss how feminism, globalism, gay rights and other late 20th century and contemporary movements have engaged with, influenced and been affected by political and cultural landscapes through the arts and how historical events and political trends have affected artists and art-making. Audience: Undergraduate 3. Define and apply a range of art-related terms such as the abject, kitsch, purity and interdisciplinary. Audience: Undergraduate 4. Identify the work of a variety of artists, theorists and critics and describe their contexts and significance. Audience: Undergraduate 5. Engage in discussions and demonstrate development in their ideas about contemporary art and their ability to articulate them. Audience: Undergraduate 6. Describe how artists challenged and expanded the range of artistic practices, including performance, video art, practice-led research, community based art practice, non-material forms of creative practice and all other situational art making. Audience: Undergraduate 7. Create several original works in response to the course content and engage in participatory, creative activities and understand their roots in late 20th century art practices. Audience: Undergraduate 8. demonstrate an understanding of the institutions and practices related to contemporary art such as curation. Audience: Undergraduate 9. Relate specific artists' work and practice to issues of identity, perspective, spirituality, etc. Audience: Undergraduate 10. Describe aspects of globalism and name and describe the practice of several non Western artists. Audience: Undergraduate Learning Outcomes: 1. Describe trends in art during this specific period and the shift from modernism to postmodernism (and/or poststructuralism) and how this is reflected in changed concepts of art such as the grand narrative, authorship and the object. Audience: Undergraduate 2. Discuss how feminism, globalism, gay rights and other late 20th century and contemporary movements have engaged with, influenced and been affected by political and cultural landscapes through the arts and how historical events and political trends have affected artists and art-making. Audience: Undergraduate 3. Define and apply a range of art-related terms such as the abject, kitsch, purity and interdisciplinary. Audience: Undergraduate 4. Identify the work of a variety of artists, theorists and critics and describe their contexts and significance. Audience: Undergraduate 5. Engage in discussions and demonstrate development in their ideas about contemporary art and their ability to articulate them. Audience: Undergraduate 6. Describe how artists challenged and expanded the range of artistic practices, including performance, video art, practice-led research, community based art practice, non-material forms of creative practice and all other situational art making. Audience: Undergraduate 7. Create several original works in response to the course content and engage in participatory, creative activities and understand their roots in late 20th century art practices. Audience: Undergraduate 8. demonstrate an understanding of the institutions and practices related to contemporary art such as curation. Audience: Undergraduate 9. Relate specific artists' work and practice to issues of identity, perspective, spirituality, etc. Audience: Undergraduate 10. Describe aspects of globalism and name and describe the practice of several non Western artists. Audience: Undergraduate