ARTH 372: Studies in 18th- and 19th-Century Art of the United States

ARTH 372-001: The Civil War and Visual Culture
(Spring 2018)

10:30 AM to 11:45 AM MW

Art & Design Building L008

Section Information for Spring 2018

This course will explore the impact of the Civil War in the art and culture of the United States. We will trace several key themes from the 1850s through the present and will cover a wide variety of media, including painting, photography, illustration, political cartoons, and film. We will cover the war from several angles, including images of battlefields and casualties, representations of the home front, and visual treatment of slavery and emancipation. The course will also cover the aftermath of the war, including how the war resonates in 20th- and 21st-century visual and material culture through cinema, advertising, reenactment, heritage tourism, and contemporary art. Throughout this course, we will consider key themes of national, regional, and racial identity; the politics of memory; and the ethics and aesthetics of representing violence and destruction.

Tags:

Course Information from the University Catalog

Credits: 3

Developments in visual culture and the changing status of art practitioners throughout these periods. Focus is either chronological (Colonial Period, Gilded Age) or thematic (19th-century genre scenes, the American landscape and national identity). Notes: May be repeated when topic is different. May be repeated within the degree for a maximum 6 credits.
Mason Core: Arts
Schedule Type: Lecture
Grading:
This course is graded on the Undergraduate Regular scale.

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