ANTH 269L - Anthropology of The Object Addo

Institution:

University of Massachusetts-Boston

Subject:

Description:

We have all heard of, or used, the term "object" to refer to things outside ourselves: "the object of one's desires," "the objectification of other cultures and peoples," "works of art vs. ethnographic objects." In this course we deconstruct familiar discourses about things through an examination of the world of material possessions, places, people, ideas, and space in cross-cultural perspective. Our aim is to gain more nuanced understandings about the apparent human tendency to create our identities through assigning personal and cultural significance to "objects" around us. Course readings will be drawn primarily from anthropology, art history, art criticism, cultural studies, and curatorial / museum studies. We will also share our observations, experiences, and reflections of particular object worlds through museum site visits, class discussions, and individual projects. Our own milieu of the Western museums will offer valuable case studies about the historical and political implications of particular histories of collecting, classifying, displaying and interpreting the wider world as a collection of objects. Distribution I Area: The Arts. Diversity Area: International Focus. PREREQUISITE: Anth 106, or permission of instructor. 3 Lect Hrs,

Credits:

3.00

Credit Hours:

Prerequisites:

Corequisites:

Exclusions:

Level:

Instructional Type:

Lecture

Notes:

Additional Information:

Historical Version(s):

Institution Website:

www.umb.edu

Phone Number:

(617) 287-5000

Regional Accreditation:

New England Association of Schools and Colleges

Calendar System:

Semester

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