Humanities Arts Cultural Stu 0204 - Latin America in Museums

In this course we deeply investigate works of original art and material culture from the Americas, ancient to contemporary, in the Five College area. We experience works by artists such as Diego Rivera, Carmen Lomas Garza, Jean Charlot, Enrique Chagoya, Leopoldo Mendez, and Jose Guadalupe Posada as well as material objects such as textile fragments, religious figurines, and ceramics. Questioning a culture constantly propagating the rushed assimilation of images, we engage in slow and meaningful looking. Analyzing works on public display and in museum study rooms, we consider the context surrounding objects -- archival practices, cultural resource management, patronage, exhibition design, and museum architecture -- as well as their historical contexts and curatorial uses. Classes meet regularly at Five College museums and at Hampshire for discussion and presentations. Students travel by PVTA (not private car) in order to arrive at the museums. This is a speaking and writing intensive course; students create a portfolio of exhibition reviews, critical art writing, scholarly papers, presentations, and group reports; by the end of the course participants author a scholarly text on one object from a Five College Museum.

Culture, Humanities, and Languages Independent Work Multiple Cultural Perspectives Writing and Research In this course students are expected to spend 8-10 hours weekly on work and preparation outside of class time.