Seminar (372-0-1)

Topic

Various Formalisms

Instructors

Lane B Relyea
640Lincoln St, Evanston Campus

Meeting Info

Annenberg Hall G01: Wed 1:00PM - 3:50PM

Overview of class

This class will take an expansive approach to formal analysis of contemporary art. Starting with early modern discussions of aesthetics and "significant form," we will then ask such questions as: What is the difference between aesthetics and semiotics, forms and signs? What are the differences between the various categories of signs (icon, index, symbols)? How do we tell symbols from allegories? What relevance does literary analysis of tropes (metaphor, irony, etc.) and genres (comedy, tragedy, etc.) have for visual art? What is the relationship between the literary and the visual, and between literacy and orality? And finally, addressing the pervasiveness of digital technologies today, we will discuss how information relates to discourse.

Class Materials (Required)

No course costs.

Class Attributes

Advanced Expression
Literature and Arts Foundational Discipline
Literature & Fine Arts Distro Area
Attendance at 1st class mandatory