GISDepartment of Global and Interdisciplinary Studies

Since the late 19th century we have witnessed various shifts in the arts from the modern to the contemporary periods. That includes the birth of abstraction and minimal art, the expansion of new and interdisciplinary media, the rise of conceptual and critical practice, and towards more participatory and collaborative works. The course looks at these shifts while paying attention to the essence of art, for us gaining more nuanced understanding, and further asks how art can emancipate us and inspire our being in this life-world. Artworks of different origins, and referential texts and audio-visual materials will be studied.

You will become familiar with some key works, artists’ voices and aesthetic concepts from the late modern to the contemporary periods.


You will become aware of and comfortable with your ways to engage with art and express your appreciation in writing and conversation.

Will be able to gain “DP 1”, “DP 2”, “DP 3”, and “DP 4”.

英語 / English

Referential materials such as texts, videos and class slides will be shared through Google Classroom for each class. In the class we will look into them together to learn and discuss how certain artistic expressions were nourished and also understood in a certain milieu. Unless your question involves something personal, please ask any questions during the class. In addition, you are asked to visit an exhibition or a relevant location off-camps, which will be determined by or consulted with the instructor. You will then give a short presentation about an artwork that you respond most from the visit. The presentation will be developed into a research paper to be submitted. We will also experiment to explore our own creative possibilities.

NOTE 1: The feedback to the discussions, the presentations and the experiments will be provided during the class or through the Google Classroom.

NOTE 2: The schedule and the content may change in response to the students’ needs. The change will be notified in the classes as well as through the Google Classroom.
NOTE 3: Please be aware that some works shown in the class may address controversial issues and may include nudity.

あり / Yes

あり / Yes

授業形態/methods of teaching：対面/face to face

※各回の授業形態は予定です。教員の指示に従ってください。

1[オンライン/online]：Introduction

Poetic embodiment of the Untranslatable / Arata Isozaki, Jacques Derrida (* a selection process may occur.)

2[対面/face to face]：New Ways of Perception

Post-Impressionism / Claude Monet, Paul Cezanne / Victor Stoichita, Maurice Merleau-Ponty

3[対面/face to face]：Modernity and Wars

Abstraction / Pablo Picasso, Piet Mondrian, Wassily Kandinsky / Hilla Rebay

4[対面/face to face]：New World and East

Abstract Expression / Jackson Pollock, Agnes Martin / Giorgio Agamben, Toshihiko Izutsu

5[対面/face to face]：Expansion of New Media

Post Minimalism / Donald Judd, Fujiko Nakaya, Robert Rauschenberg, Richard Tuttle

6[対面/face to face]：Institutional Critique

Conceptual Art / Marcel Duchamp, Joseph Kosuth, High Red Center / Lucy Lippard

7[対面/face to face]：Questioning Norms

Post-Conceptual Art / Jenny Holzer, Yasumasa Morimura, Felix Gonzales=Torres / Jose Esteban Munoz

8[対面/face to face]：Problem of Representation

Counter Monument / Rachel Whiteread, Isamu Noguchi, Daniel Libeskind

9[対面/face to face]：Emancipatory Practice

Story Telling / William Kentridge, Neshat Shirin / Jacques Rancière

10[対面/face to face]：Interdisciplinary Possibility

Collaboration / Rirkrit Tiravaniya, Koki Tanaka, Edmund De Waal / Mary Caroline Richards

11[対面/face to face]：Short Presentation 1

Student presentations 1

12[対面/face to face]：Short Presentation 2

Student presentations 2

13[対面/face to face]：Short Presentation 3

Student presentations 3

14[対面/face to face]：Prospect

Experimentation / your life and expression / Gilles Deleuze

Students are encouraged to engage with the class materials (readings, audio-visual references) and to be prepared for class discussions and activities. Additionally, students are required to make at least one visit to an art exhibition or related location suggested by the instructor in order to prepare their presentations and research papers. Preparatory study and review time for this class are a maximum of 2 hours each.

No textbook will be used. Readings will be made available on Google Classroom.

References will be made available on Google Classroom.

Participation (30%) : Actively attend the class to study the referential materials. Encouraged to express your thoughts and feelings through discussion and in-class exercise.

Short Presentation (25%) : Discuss the chosen work from your visit to an exhibition/location, in relation to referential materials from the class.

Project Paper (25%) : Write a research paper, as development of your presentation, through finding an article that discusses the chosen artwork or the artist.

Experimentation (20%) : Reflect an idea introduced during the course and connect it to your interdisciplinary interest. Experiment to imagine and express your creative work.

I have updated some class contents to make it more accessible for students with diverse interests.

I have updated some class contents to make it more possible to learn deeper into each topic.

Do not miss the first class as a selection process may occur.

None.