Spring 2009

ANS 372 • Contemporary Chinese Art

Course Description

This course provides a concise and comprehensive picture of visual and material culture in China during the pre-modern period. By examining important art works and artifacts of various types and by tracing the changes and development in traditional Chinese culture, this course will introduce traditional Chinese society as a whole. The aim of this course is to enhance students' understanding of Chinese art and culture in the past and present. The course material will be introduced chronologically in thematic groups wih a consideration of relevant historical background. By highlighting important themes in each period, this course will discuss critical issues, such as death and afterlife, Confucian ethics, the use of the past, and visual illusion vs. conceptual reality, that concerned Chinese of all social levels at various times in history. The requirements for this course include class participation, weekly readings, essay exams, image identicication quizzes and a final research paper.

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