0 or 3 credits
Spring 2025 Studio Lecture Upper Division
Throughout history, art has been used to advocate for political movements and provoke social action and transformation. This course examines the role of the arts and the artist and their relationship to activism throughout history and beyond. We will investigate how art has been used as a tool to transform cultural perspectives, alter policies, and promote social change. We will explore a range of artists whose methodologies, materials and approach challenge the cultural norms. From printmakers to musicians, to choreographers, to performance artists, students will engage and evaluate the act of art-making as a tactic of resistance and the responses to those acts. We will investigate readings that argue for and against the need for artists to make work that politically challenge their society. Once a foundation of knowledge has been laid, we will turn to the creative process through an investigation of materials and practices - performance, mixed media, and photography. Students will research, watch, discuss, create, and perform their own projects that promote social transformation.
Learning Outcomes1Distinguish, analyze, identify, and interpret specific artworks and artists that seek social transformation in oral and written communication.
2Engage critically with artists and their work, drawing on multiple perspectives, including the individual, the historical, and the contemporary.
3Analyze seminal art, historical, and philosophical texts that challenge the role and importance of political art.
4Demonstrate effective oral and written communication in formal assignments, critical analysis, and class presentations.
5Illustrate how art, culture, and activism have a direct and interactive relationship utilizing the creative process.
Attachments
made by Purdue students.