ANT 280 - Prehistoric Art

This course takes a combined anthropological, historical, and critical approach and focuses on two case studies: 1) the Palaeolithic (Ice Age) art of Eurasia (ca. 32,400-10,000 years ago); and 2) the pre-colonial rock art of southern Africa (prior to 1652 AD). It reviews the diversity of forms and activities constituting prehistoric image making, and their numerous interpretations, including: “art for art’s sake,” magico-religion, structuralism, neo-evolutionary functionalism, and shamanism. It also considers the sociopolitical climate within which these theories have been proposed and identifies problematic assumptions and biases. The term “prehistoric art” is a major topic of discussion as students evaluate the relevance, appropriateness, and limitations of a western (European) definition of “art” for understanding non-Western image making.

Prerequisite(s):
Co-requisite(s):
Credits: 3

Meets the Following Core Requirement: Cultural Interpretation; International
Course Typically Offered:
Course Type: Anthropology