Global Fault Lines
“Lipstick and Blood” (La Modelo y la Vietnamista), 1972. Jose Gomez (Fremez) Fresquet
Our world is interconnected thanks to the worldwide web, social media, academic institutions, news outlets, ease of international travel, fashion trends, diasporic communities, music...the threads that are woven into the global textile are boundless. However, this textile is torn and frayed. People are – as they have been for centuries - fragmented by war, religion, disasters and crises, poverty, and disparate concentrations of wealth. By understanding the fissures in our collective humanity, we can have a better understanding of what binds us together. In the "Global Fault Lines" class, students examine these various fault lines by addressing cultural difference, nationalism, populism, and identity politics.
Art in Protest
“NO WAR”, 1991. David Lance Goines
All art is political, but some art is made as a form of protest or meant to incite an audience to protest. Most often it is both. The "Art and Protest" course presents a selection of genres (music, visual arts, film, dance, installation, photography, and more) from different times and places to understand how artists have engaged in protest. Much of modern art is conceptual, using installations and performance to communicate. The "Art and Protest" class opens with attempts to define protest in sociological terms, which underpins how students think about artists’ use of media to voice opposition. Students examine how critical theorists in the 1930s debated the purpose of art given the global crisis of economic depression and a new world war. Next, students cris-cross the globe exploring how different artists responded to 20th century crises including wars for liberation, inequity, colonialism, and disenfranchisement. We will attempt to understand the various art “isms” that emerged and inform much about the art we see today.
Disaster Capitalism and 3.11
Onagawa, Miyagi Prefecture, 2013. Photograph by Ramona Handel-Bajema
Drawing on her experiences working in northeastern Japan following the 2011 triple disaster, Ramona teaches students about the political, economic, social, and cultural fallout of major disasters. She arrived in Miyagi Prefecture in June 2011, when survivors were still living in emergency shelters, prior to their move to temporary housing. For the next four years, she cooperated with local and prefectural governments, cultural associations, religious leaders, healthcare experts, international non-governmental organizations, grassroot non-profits, artists, writers, teachers, fishermen, farmers - survivors – to support disaster relief efforts. With a background as a historian of modern Japan she shares her unique perspective on the events that unfolded after what is often called, simply “3.11.”
With that event as the anchor for the course, the students will explore what is meant by what Naomi Klein calls "disaster capitalism" and apply this analysis to other recent natural and manmade disasters. They review topics covered by "critical disaster studies" courses and journals to broaden their understanding of critical events and timelines. Students review newspaper articles, essays, and survivor testimonies as well as view art, videos, fiction, and films related to 3.11.
Telling Japanese History with Visuals
Woman With Fan. 19th century hand-colored albumen print.
This undergraduate course will use visual culture to tell modern Japanese history (post 1868). Japan's art and culture has been admired throughout the world from its earliest history to the present. Many of us believe we understand what Japan is by exposure to the prevalence of visual signifiers. Images of geisha, woodblock prints with cherry blossoms, Pokemon and Dragon Ball, folding screens, video game like "Final Fantasy," samurai swords, ikebana, and even the neon lights in Tokyo’s Shinjuku serve as visual definitions of Japan. The Japanese national aesthetic - often thought of as its "soft power" - is often disassociated from its twentieth century history of empire, war, and economic expansion. This visual and aesthetic definition of Japan plays a central role in its diplomatic, economic, and social history.
In this class, we will observe how this aesthetic was manifested both in Japan and the West, what role it played in Japan's global position, and how it transformed throughout modern times. Students will use visual culture to assess the validity of this idea, whether it is an idea perpetrated by the West or manifested by the Japanese. Students learn how to "read" visual culture (fine art, photography, news media, film, state propaganda, advertising, etc.) to create historical narratives. Themes addressed include the tension between traditional and modern culture, propaganda and advertisements, fine art and design.