HSOC-327: Ceramic Worlds of China

Stemming from the ubiquity of "Made in China" in our daily lives, this course focuses on the history of Chinese ceramics from various perspectives. Of the diverse types of ceramics that have flourished in China, porcelain from Jingdezhen has experienced the broadest reach throughout the world. A fundamental objective of the course is to provide a basic understanding of ceramics and to develop analytical skills and critical vocabulary to discuss material, style, and techniques of Chinese ceramics. This course focuses on the porcelain center of Jingdezhen and explore the nature of its global scope. Organized thematically and from cross-disciplinary perspectives, the class will analyze the impact of local resources, social organization, consumer trends, and interregional relations on the production of polychromes, imperial monochromes, narrative illustration, and fantasies and folklore. By studying porcelain from various methodologies including scientific conservation, archaeology, anthropology, material culture and art history, the class will probe how close observation of porcelain-making interrogate conventional boundaries defining art, design, and craft while at the same time challenging the whiteness of porcelain histories.