PROSEMINAR IN MATERIAL CULTURE

ARTHIST 430

Introduces key issues, theories, and methods in visual cultures studies, emphasizing aspects that affect the practices of art history and providing a changing topical focus that addresses new research in this developing interdisciplinary area.

ANTHRO/ARTHIST/DS/HISTORY/LANDARC 764

This course introduces students to the interdisciplinary field of material culture studies. It is intended for students interested in any professional endeavor related to material culture, including careers in museums, galleries, historical societies, historic preservation organizations, and academic institutions. During the semester, students have varied opportunities to engage with and contemplate the material world to which people give meaning and which, in turn, influences their lives. Sessions combine in some way the following: presentations from faculty members and professionals who lecture on a phase of material culture related to his/her own scholarship or other professional work; discussion of foundational readings in the field; visits to collections and sites on campus and around Madison; discussion of readings assigned by visiting presenters or the professors; and exams and short papers that engage material culture topics.

ARTHIST 603

Engage in a broad range of questions, both theoretical and practical, related to curatorial practice through a series of sessions on curatorial strategies. Particular emphasis will be placed on integrative and collaborative approaches to curating a wide variety of material: art, film, music, books, anthropology/culture, archeology, history, geology, zoology, dance, etc. Engage with experts on the theories, objectives, and processes of conceiving, designing, and mounting exhibitions, as well as reaching different audiences with both physical and virtual exhibitions. Also introduces the distinctive collections and resources on campus and in the region.

ARTHIST 863

Interdisciplinary study focusing on the way people use objects and environments to express identities and relationships in households, communities, and larger social/economic systems.

ANTHRO/ARTHIST/DS/HISTORY/LANDARC 264

This course introduces students to the interdisciplinary field of material culture studies. It is intended for students interested in any professional endeavor related to material culture, including careers in museums, galleries, historical societies, historic preservation organizations, and academic institutions. During the semester, students have varied opportunities to engage with and contemplate the material world to which people give meaning and which, in turn, influences their lives. Sessions combine in some way the following: presentations from faculty members and professionals who lecture on a phase of material culture related to his/her own scholarship or other professional work; discussion of foundational readings in the field; visits to collections and sites on campus and around Madison; discussion of readings assigned by visiting presenters or the professors; and exams and short papers that engage material culture topics.