Interpreting Culture
Students study and analyze cultural practices, artifacts, and texts (e.g., visual art, literature, theatrical performances, musical compositions, architectural structures). They learn critical reading and observation strategies and how traditions of theoretical, aesthetic, and/or literary criticism provide different lenses for the interpretation of cultural objects and practices.
Learning Goals: By the end of the course, students should be able to
- Recognize and identify a variety of cultural practices and creations, their forms of production, and development over time.
- Acquire and assess techniques of interpretation (including critical reading and observation techniques), criticism, and analysis of cultural practices, texts, and/or artifacts.
- Formulate arguments for and against different theories and interpretations of cultural practices, texts, and/or artifacts.