MLA Proseminar: Studies in World Art: Religion, Politics, and Culture

Introduction to consideration of the history of art across the globe through selected case studies across time from the ancient world to the era of the Industrial Revolution. Emphasis on the audience and context of major buildings and visual representations in painting and sculpture, so that a historical framework of understanding emerges, with special consideration of religious and political purposes. Attention to particular places and moments of cultural exchange, whether through trade, competition, or conflict. Students will pick an object for careful examination in a short paper, and prepare a longer term paper on a region and period of choice.