Department of English

This course is an introduction to performance art, a new development in visual art that arose in the 1960s and continues a vital force today.
Performance art is frequently tied to political issues, and our special focus will be on works evoking exile through the crossing of countries,
cultures, and languages.  Among the artists we will examine are: Ana Mandieta, Mona Hatoum, and Krzysztof Wodiczko.  In addition, our
discussion will be informed by essays on hybridity, the nomad, and diaspora by postmodern theorists such as Edward Said and Homi Bhabha.
 There will be two assignments for the course:  a critical response to a performance artwork of your choice and a final research essay.