Historian Jennifer Paxton traces how perceptions and knowledge of the Celtic peoples have changed over the centuries and how their legacies affected culture and politics in the nations and regions linked by language and traditions commonly known as the Celtic Fringe—as well as in the wider world. As our understanding of these peoples continues to evolve, Paxton examines the impact of new ideas on our contemporary fascination with all things Celtic.
Through classical texts and portrayals on vases and in marble, we can piece together the romantic entanglements of Greco-Roman deities such as Zeus and Leda, Eros and Psyche, and Apollo and Daphne. Despite their divine status, the gods of these myths grappled with feelings remarkedly human in nature, such as desire, jealousy, and the quest for revenge. Art historian Renee Gondek delves into Greco-Roman tales of love, lust, and woe as reflected in both ancient and contemporary artworks. (World Art History Certificate elective, 1/2 credit)
Discover how visual art can inspire creative writing and how writing can offer a powerful way to experience art. Join Mary Hall Surface, the founding instructor of the National Gallery of Art’s popular Writing Salon, for five online workshops that explore essential elements of writing and styles through close looking, word-sketching, and imaginative response to prompts. This writing session is inspired by Antonio Martorell’s La Playa Negra I (Tar Beach I).
For five weeks in early 1945, the tiny island of Iwo Jima became the site of some of the most brutal fighting in the Pacific Theater. The battle's intensity led Fleet Admiral Chester Nimitz to remark, “Uncommon valor was a common virtue.” Historian Christopher Hamner draws on primary sources from both the American and Japanese sides to examine its strategic significance to the United States’ effort against Imperial Japan; its consequences for the final stages of the Pacific war; and its importance to Americans’ memories of World War II.
Over the past 2,000 years, Samarkand—located in what is now Uzbekistan—has absorbed the wealth and labors of Sogdian merchants, Manichean priests, Islamic astronomers, Mongol khans, Timurid emperors, Russian czars, and Soviet officials, all of whom attempted to use the city as a base from which to conquer Central Asia. Historian Justin M. Jacobs analyzes the cultural achievements of each of these historical groups.
Over the centuries, major themes in art continue to reappear. The nude, animals, events in history, and depictions of fantasies are a few notable examples of categories that artists have interpreted in styles ranging from the naturalistic to the surreal. Art historian Joseph Cassar examines important masterworks within selected genres and the similarities among—and the uniqueness of—the artists and cultural norms that influenced their choices. (World Art History Certificate core course, 1 credit)
Fyodor Dostoevsky’s Crime and Punishment frequently makes the lists of greatest novels ever written. A masterful combination of philosophical and psychological inquiry, the novel explores the turmoil of the antihero Raskolnikov as he plots and commits a grotesque crime. Literature professor Joseph Luzzi discusses the storytelling techniques and historical, cultural, and intellectual contexts that inform Dostoevsky’s literary vision.
Oscar-winning composers such as Bernard Herrmann, Max Steiner, Ennio Morricone and John Williams have engraved iconic scenes into our collective memory with their extraordinary music. Just ahead of this year’s ceremony, concert pianist and film-music fanatic Rachel Franklin leads a journey through 90 years of award-winning movie scores, accompanied by her grand piano and a wide collection of fascinating film clips.