ART AND ANTHROPOLOGY
ANTH 3290
Winter Term 2007
4:00 – 5:50 MW
Professor: Christina Kreps Tel. 303-871-2688
Office: Sturm 109 ckreps@du.edu
Hours: 2-4 MW or by appointment Course Description
The course introduces students to anthropological approaches to the study of art and visual culture. It focuses primarily on the arts of non-Western cultures, for example, those of Indonesia, Native North America, the Pacific islands, and Africa.
The first part of the course covers foundational work in the field, introducing key concepts as well as methods for viewing and understanding art from a cross-cultural/comparative perspective. We examine the relationships among art, technology and the environment, as well as the importance of form, function, style, meaning, and aesthetics in the study of art. The second part addresses issues of contemporary concern in art and anthropology, such as the influence of market forces and tourism on artistic traditions and cultural expressions; the intersection of art and identity, and the politics of cultural representation.
 
Objectives  to introduce students to key concepts, scholars and literature in the field to introduce students to diverse art forms and styles help students develop visual and observational skills stimulate critical thinking on the role of art and cultural expression in society  Class Format
Class time will be primarily devoted to discussion of assigned readings, slide lectures, video presentations, guest speakers and visits to the DenverArt Museum. Students are responsible for completing the assigned readings prior to class, and are expected to come prepared to actively participate in class discussions. Texts
Sally Price. 2001. Second Edition. Primitive Art in Civilized Places. Chicago: University of Chicago Press.
Howard Morphy and Morgan Perkins, eds. 2006. The Anthropology of Art. A Reader.London: Blackwell Publishing.
Eric Venbrux, Pamela Sheffield Rosi, and Robert Welsch, eds. 2006. Exploring World 
Art. Long Grove, Illinois: Waveland Press, Inc.
Kathleen Adams. 2006. Art as Politics: Re-Crafting Identities, Tourism, and Power in Tana Toraja, Indonesia. Honolulu: University of Hawai’I Press.
Texts are available for purchase at the DU bookstore and on reserve at Penrose Library. Additional readings are on electronic reserve through Penrose Library website. Password is course number, ANTH 3290. Course Requirements and Evaluation Undergraduates  Take home, mid-term essay exam. Due 2/5 (25%) Reading journal and notebook (guidelines provided) Due 3/12 (30%) Comparative review of exhibitions at the DenverArt Museum and Denver Museum of Nature and Science (guidelines provided). Due 2/28. 20%. Final, take-home essay exam. Due 3/16 (25%)  Graduates  take home mid-term essay exam. Due 2/5 (25%) comparative review of exhibitions at the DenverArt Museum and Denver Museum of Nature and Science (guidelines provided). Due 2/28 (20%) term research paper (15-20 pages). Research topi