Course Description

The course explores the concept of freedom across global history and geography, focusing on artistic and cultural “artifacts”, as windows for understanding historical ideas of freedom, as well as the contemporary social and philosophical landscape. The word “freedom” here is not strictly defined, but open to interpretation, as students engage in investigation of artifacts selected from different fields of artistic expression, including artifacts of (1) space and architecture (from Chungking Mansions to country parks), (2) protests on the streets and online, (3) liberty vs. surveillance, (4) academic freedom and freedom of speech, (5) fashion and dress. Students are encouraged to think critically about socio-political and economic policies, the discourse behind how a certain understanding of freedom is linked to these policies, and how the technologies we use in our everyday lives affect our freedom. Such student engagement with meanings, visions and experiences of freedom will be informed by class discussions and examinations of historical, political, and cultural contexts. The artifacts thus provide a groundwork and substance for holistic considerations of the meanings of freedom, enabling students to come away from the course with a greater appreciation for the ways in which human experiences and expressions interweave with the material world, of past and present. Action and arts are framed by experience and history, revealing the way that human goods interconnect with values (aesthetic and ethical) as humans strive to pursue different visions of freedom.

Course Learning Outcomes

On completing the course, students will be able to:

1. Analyze how humans express the value of freedom in their activities.
2. Present convincing arguments as to how artifacts can enhance or hinder freedom.
3. Articulate how works of art and design reflect cultural, political, and/or historical contexts.

Offer Semester and Day of Teaching

First semester (Wed)