HSOC-208: Toys & the Childlike in Art

This interdisciplinary humanities course addresses the psychological, sociological, artistic, literary, theoretical, and design-related aspects of toys. Since the images of toys and children pervade the media, advertisements, commercials, and the art of the present, it is important to study and re-evaluate the concept of childhood, the childlike, play, and the emerging new character of our culture. The class will help students understand toys in the context of recent and current cultural context, and will connect to certain studio practices - from toy design to fine art practices. Students in a variety of design disciplines can benefit from this course, too, exploring the wider cultural world of products. Textbook: Neil Postman: The Disappearance of Childhood, New York: Vintage Books, 1994.