Meets with RCHUMS 334-009 and ISLAM 390-002

Image credit: Larissa Sansour, Jerusalem Floor, diasec on acrylic, 2012.

How has art developed in Palestine since the formation of the state of Israel? How do artists produce work under occupation? How has a notion of Palestinian art developed in a society that lacks statehood and is divided geographically both regionally and in diaspora? This course aims to explore these and related questions through an examination of Palestinian art production from 1948 to the present. Beginning with an overview of Palestinian art prior to 1948, the course then traces Palestinian art production within historic Palestine (present-day Israel, the West Bank, and Gaza) and the diaspora. We will look both chronologically and thematically at how artists have addressed issues such as exile, occupation, diaspora, and resistance over the last 70 years. Students will develop skills in visual analysis, critical thinking, and academic writing. These skills will be honed and demonstrated through group work, in-class participation, quizzes, an in-class presentation, and a final research paper on an artist or work of the student's choice. No prior knowledge of art history or Palestinian history required. This course will meet entirely remotely. We will meet biweekly for synchronous discussion on Zoom. These meetings are required, though there will be ways to make up missing the occasional class, understanding the unpredictability of our current moment. However this can not be used as a replacement for synchronous participation. You will be required to complete some work asynchronously prior to these meetings. All assignments will be completed asynchronously and submitted through Canvas.

HISTART Concentration Distributions: A. The Middle East, 4. Modern and Contemporary.