GRMUS E670 — The Arts and Society

2 credits
Fall
Damian Woetzel

This survey course examines the intersection of arts and society, looking specifically at the role of arts and artists in addressing issues facing the world today. Through extensive reading lists, case studies, individual and group projects, and conversations with distinguished guests, we will explore areas including but not limited to law, health care, education, science, and civic participation to consider our ideal version of a collective future and how we might use arts, creativity, and culture to help get us there. Past guests have included Elizabeth Alexander (poet, memoirist, and president of The Andrew W. Mellon Foundation), Vijay Gupta (violinist, social justice advocate, and 2018 John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Fellow), Mitch Landrieu (lawyer, author, and former New Orleans mayor), Sarah Lewis (author, curator, and Harvard University Assistant Professor in the Department of History of Art and Architecture and the Department of African and African American Studies), Caroline Shaw (Pulitzer Prize-winning composer, vocalist, violinist, and producer), and Jeannie Suk Gersen (Harvard Law School John H. Watson, Jr. Professor of Law). Open to 3rd and 4th-year undergraduates and cross-listed as graduate elective; preference given to graduate students.