Historians talk about “reading” a monument as a way to learn more about the relationship between the people who erect it and the historical event it pays tribute to. War memorials can be especially fascinating places to practice these thinking skills, and there is no better place in the United States to think about the memory of conflict than on the National Mall. Historian Christopher Hamner leads a day dedicated to four memorials on the Mall: the Vietnam Veterans Memorial, Korean War Veterans Memorial, World War II Memorial, and Ulysses S. Grant Memorial.
Commissioned by Pope Julius II to paint the ceiling of the Sistine Chapel, Michelangelo used the most universal artistic language available—the human body in all its configurations. From the spark of life given to Adam and Eve to the Last Judgment, his frescoes blazed a path toward secularism despite the chapel’s religious themes. Art historian Liz Lev examines the evolution of the ceiling of the Sistine Chapel, a work so astounding it changed the course of Western art. (World Art History Certificate elective, 1/2 credit)
Painting was often perceived as a sister art of music, though typically occupying a somewhat lower place in the hierarchy. Nonetheless, throughout the Early Modern era, painters used musical motifs in their works to give their paintings a "voice" and convey a sense of beauty and harmony comparable to those qualities in musical compositions. Art historian Aneta Georgievska-Shine explores this relationship as it evolved between the 15th and the 17th centuries in Italy and Northern Europe. (World Art History Certificate core course, 1 credit)
New York City in the early decades of the 20th century was a shaping force of America’s national culture. Cultural historian George Scheper explores the impact of the Progressive Era and the subsequent Jazz Age as reflected in the art, literature, and architecture created in the metropolis. (World Art History Certificate elective, 1/2 credit)
When the doors of Radio City Music Hall opened in 1932, New Yorkers entered a new world: a dazzling Art Deco fantasy of an entertainment palace far removed from the drab realities of the Great Depression. With its Hollywood films and lavish stage shows, “The Showplace of the Nation” has given generations of audiences a place to escape from the everyday and dream. Actor Tim Dolan surveys the history of this iconic theater, sharing its stories, secrets, traditions, and trivia.
The late 18th century was a period rife with revolutionary fervor and transformative ideas that altered the course of history. The American Declaration of Independence, adopted in 1776, and the French Declaration of the Rights of Man and of the Citizen, ratified in 1789, were radical manifestos that proclaimed new principles of governance and human dignity and challenged centuries-old political and social structures. Historian Alexander Mikaberidze explores these groundbreaking documents and the individuals who dared to imagine a new order that ignited flames of liberty that spread throughout the world.
Roman Gaul, the area of southern France that today includes Provence, is an important repository of Roman culture, with many works built in Gaul still standing. Art historian Christopher Gregg explores the history and the physical remains of sites, including the Amphitheater of the Three Gauls; a rare watermill; and a remarkably preserved cargo ship; as well as a variety of beautiful sculptures and mosaics. (World Art History Certificate elective, 1/2 credit)
Since the days of Christopher Columbus and the earliest European explorers, Italians have made their way to American shores. But only since the late 19th century have Italian immigrants by the millions made a major impact on American culture. Writer and lecturer Adam Tanner tells a personal story of uncovering the ancestry of his grandfather, who moved to the United States at the peak of this immigration boom. His broader narrative examines how Italian Americans changed our popular culture, politics, and, of course, food.
