Course info

This humanities course investigates histories and theories of performance through analytical and creative means, with a special focus on Performance Art. Situated at the nexus of theater, dance, anthropology, new media, studio art, and art history, Performance Art is a practice that often involves the artist’s own body, or the bodies of others, and engages directly with the audience, destabilizing the barrier between art and life. This course delves into the rich history of Performance Art, introducing students to critical issues and theoretical lines of inquiry surrounding this major direction in contemporary art, while also attending to wider cultural manifestations of performance. As we study key case studies in the history of Performance Art, we will also examine facets of contemporary life—popular media, gender and racial identity, sports, religion, politics—through the lens of performance. We will consider how experimental practices of Performance Art ask us to look at these aspects of everyday life in a new light, prompting us to question what appears mundane and natural—and perhaps enticing us to act differently.