3.00 Credits
This course will address ways in which gender issues have affected the visual arts, with an emphasis on art and culture since World War II. This class explores the role of the visual in constructing ideas of woman and the ways in which women artists have addressed these constructions in their works and in their lives. Students will critically examine the ways Western culture has defined art and artists in gendered terms, and will extend this study to contemporary art practice globally with attention to intersectionality and difference. Through weekly readings, class discussions, written assignments, oral presentations, and an exam, students will consider how gender is relevant to the creation and study of art and culture. This course is designed to be cross-listed within the Women and Gender Studies Program. No prior knowledge of art or art history is necessary.