| |
Dec 26, 2024
|
|
|
|
|
ARTH 161 Survey of Non-Western Art [GEGA or GEKA]
An introductory historical survey of the visual arts and architecture of cultures not directly linked to the artistic and cultural traditions of Western Civilization. Art works by the native inhabitants of Africa, Oceania, Asia and the Americas are examined for their historical and cultural significance.
Credit 3 hrs May not be repeated for additional credit
Grade Mode Normal (A-F) Course Rotation Fall, Winter, and Summer
Prerequisites -
Other Restrictions -
Restriction by Major -
Restriction by Class -
 
Rationale for Perspectives on a Diverse World - Since the dawn of humanity, human societies have been driven to create and embellish material objects giving visual expression to cultural values, social identities, religious beliefs, and individual concerns. Since art is a cultural phenomenon integral to the lives of people throughout the globe the study of it is a great way to gain timely and substantive insight into diverse cultures and the issues that concern them. Art from other places and times can also reveal ways of looking and thinking about the world and the place of humans in it that are different than one’s own. For these reasons this course, which is concerned with the study of artworks created by artists whose primary cultural affiliations and ethnic heritages lie outside the greater European cultural context, meets the Global Awareness category of the General Education program. Through the study of artworks, the contexts in which they were created, and the people who made them, one will gain a foundational knowledge of diverse cultures throughout the globe and help one develop an awareness and sensitivity to different viewpoints on local and global issues and concerns that are voiced by artists from cultural backgrounds beyond the Western world.
Rationale for Knowledge of the Disciplines - The visual arts of non-western cultures are an important part of our world heritage. Art is an expression of cultural values, social identities, and a means by which people throughout the globe have used to make meaning and sense of their world. A knowledge of non-western art should be no less important as part of a student’s general education program than an understanding of great artworks and famous artists of western civilization. In the increasing interconnectedness and globalizing world of the present, it is important that recognition is given to artistic achievements of other cultures as well as how those achievements relate to the art of one’s own culture and that of others make meaning through art. Through the examination of non-western artworks, students will learn the essential descriptive vocabularies of the visual arts, how formal properties (style) shape and inform the content of a given work of art; they will develop an ability to decode iconographic symbols and stylistic conventions that are culturally and historically specific. Students will also become more aware of the interrelationships among different cultures and the historic dynamics that have shaped the world and how an understanding of art can reveal cultural biases and help to better appreciate global diversity.
Keywords: art , history , Global Awareness (GEGA) , Knowledge of the Disciplines - Arts
Equivalent Courses: ART 109
Updates: Course Rotation added 9/2014
Winter 2025 Course Sections
Fall 2024 Course Sections
Add to Portfolio (opens a new window)
|
|
