Modern Art has generated a substantial body of critical writing and theory from artists, critics, and social theorists. In this course, student will read and discuss writings and theories analyzing, supporting, or disputing concepts and positions at the bases of modern art. There will be a focus on themes such as the critical reception of modern movements, modernism in relation to modernity, the implications of realism and abstraction as visual paradigms, the relationships between art and institutions, and the role of the artist as a social and political being. Students will apply their understanding of the modes of analysis and argumentation evident in the assigned readings by completing short analytic writing assignments, a research paper, and an in-class presentation. Pathway: Art and Design History