Art, Materiality, and the Making of Modern Asia

This seminar will introduce students to what Asia has been in the past and how Asia came to be in the present, focusing on material histories. We will critically examine the circulation of objects, art, ideas, and people across borders and bodies of water. We will trace the circuitry and paths of various artifacts to explore the implications of exploration, global movement, and material flows. The seminar aims to help students interrogate their assumptions about Asia to develop a broad foundation for future study of or travel to the continent. As a writing and rhetoric course, students will write in multiple genres and engage in writing as a systematic, interactive process for different purposes and audiences.

Image Credit: Sebastian Munster, First-printed map of Asia. c. 1550.