Since former economics major Shigetaka Kurita created emoji in 1998 for the Japanese mobile phone company NTT Docomo, emoji have permeated everyday life at a rate best described as ferocious. Rather than explore the growth of emoji as a standalone phenomena, this course takes emoji as a call to consider the contiguity of emotion, communication and visuality using a variety of skills, particularly close visual analysis. We will consider emojis through multiple lenses, including but not limited to, contemporary art, law, geography, gender, affect, and race. Although prior experience in coding, design and/or art history coursework may be helpful, this seminar has no prerequisites. Evaluation based on quality of class participation and final project.

Estimated cost of materials: $0-$50.

HISTART Concentration Distributions: 4. Modern and Contemporary, C. Asia, D. Europe and the U.S.

This course fulfills the LS&A Humanities distribution requirement