Race, Place and Story: Arts Against Oppression

This interdisciplinary cluster of courses will focus on how artists from communities of color – African-American, Native American, Asian American, Chicano-Latino/a – have responded to social, political, and economic conditions. Students enrolled in this FIG will study the drama, literature, and sociology that relate to the problems of communities of color. Students will learn about social institutions and issues in order to understand what these communities have confronted and how artists (actors, playwrights, poets, etc.) from these groups have challenged social issues by creating new artistic forms and complex visions that value their communities’ experiences and knowledge. This FIG will involve field trips, including seeing a play relating to themes expressed in the material studied, and a visit to a reservation; students will experience art within its social and historical context.