Seldom has a new nation been so quickly and grandly synthesized as the United States of America. In a relatively short time, an American history and culture have been created to suit the political and popular needs of an emerging world power. In this course we will try to construct a new history of American art by emphasizing works from the Williams College Museum of Art that range from "high art" (Copley, Eakins, O'Keeffe) to prints, posters, photography, and folk art (including Native American). Our studies will consider the interaction of national myths, such as The American Dream, with the multicultural aspirations of artists and their audiences under changing global circumstances. Requirements: class participation, midterm, final, two short research papers. Prerequisite: ArtH 101-102 or permission of the instructor. Enrollment limited to 20.

Hour: MATHEWS