Beginning with the birth of the Buddha and continuing through the present, this course introduces the most influential art and architecture from all across Asia. Each class covers both historic and modern works to emphasize the continuing dialogue between past and present in Asian art today.

An introduction to major developments in modern art, architecture and design in Europe, the Americas, and across the globe from the mid nineteenth century to the present. Focus will be on the history and theories of modernism and its international legacies, and the relationship of the visual arts, architecture and visual culture more generally to the social, cultural and political contexts of the modern era. While the precise topics covered may vary from one instructor to another, foundational movements and trends to be discussed will typically include Beaux-Arts style, the Arts and Crafts Movement, Impressionism, Symbolism, Art Nouveau, Cubism, Dada, Surrealism, Purism, Art Deco, the Bauhaus, the International Style, Abstract Expressionism, Pop Art, Minimalism and Post-Modernism. Cross-currents in various media will be emphasized as we seek to understand the origins and complexity of modern visual forms in relation to political and cultural history and to critical theory.