The Decorative Arts: A Survey of 19th and 20th Century European & American Design

This three-session course will give you a general overview of significant design movements, styles and developments that took place in Europe and America from 1800 through 2000.

By considering metalwork, ceramics, glass, interiors, graphics, jewelry, and furniture, we will consider ideas of taste, gender, class, and consumption, and how they become manifest in objects for use. Whether you are a designer looking to brush up on design history, a cultural studies student investigating new methodologies, or a person interested in learning about "stuff," this course will give you an in-depth background on how to interpret the styles, patterns, and objects that have entered our museums, department stores, and homes.

During the first week, we'll focus on the years 1800-1900 (Neoclassicism, The 1851 Great Exhibition, Arts & Crafts, and Art Nouveau); the second will look at the period from 1900-1950 (Art Deco, Streamlining, and Modernism); and the third will take on 1950-2000 (Post-war America, American Modernism, The Craft Movement, Pop, and Postmodernism).