HNR-208 - Humanities Colloquium: Seeing Beyond Seeing

3 credits

Meaningful art, in any medium, can be a life-altering experience, but developing an open mind as to what constitutes art requires practice. This course will challenge the preconceived ideas of art that we form from childhood to adulthood by pushing students to expand their own views of art, and reexamining the critical question of what art is. Through numerous field trips to local and regional museums and galleries, students will explore and investigate how they see and experience art. We will probe the social, cultural, economic, and political meanings found in art and photography, and carefully consider the important role of the contemporary artist and photographer and how they help form our pervasive visual culture today. Students will be expected to engage in philosophical and theoretical discussions during weekly colloquia. Assignments will include short readings and written response papers, a midterm paper, and final research project with a public presentation component. No previous art experience is necessary.

Mass Transfer Block: Credits earned in this course are counted towards the MassTransfer Block Humanities and Fine Arts requirements.

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