Course Details

What should replace the many Confederate monuments that have been removed from public spaces? How should museums reckon with legacies of racism? Why do material objects matter in an era that is increasingly online? How are bodies shaped by interactions with digital and medical technology? This course will introduce students to the major issues in the field of material culture studies by tying theory to urgent contemporary debates. Introducing a variety of lenses through which to consider objects, this course will incorporate readings from history, gender studies, science and technology studies, Indigenous studies, anthropology, ethnic studies, philosophy, art history, and other disciplines. Students will complete individual final research projects focused on a single object, culminating in a paper and presentation.