HENB01108U English - Elective 2, topic 2: The Politics and Social History of American Art

This course looks into the making, expression, and dissent from the contours of the national mythology of the United States as expressed through American art and artists. The paintings, sculpture, and various pieces interpret the complexity of historical change and the creative expression that chronicles US national- and transnationalism, domestic tranquility or disturbances, and the struggles within the public and private realms for identity and understanding. More than anything else, this course explores the social changes and continuities in American cultures. The global dimension will also be stressed. A nation-state can hardly be a Great Power without an art portfolio that challenges, competes with, and is successful in the cooperative and/or confrontational world of complex interdependencies where soft power is crucial.  Each student will make a short presentation on an artist selected from a list provided by the instructor.