Courses

The listing of a course description here does not guarantee a course’s being offered in a particular semester. Please refer to the published schedule of classes on the Student Link for confirmation a class is actually being taught and for specific course meeting dates and times.

• MET AH 315: History of Photography
  The goal of this course is to understand the history of photographic images, their meaning and impact on society. Photographic images are part of the landscape of our experience. We will examine the development of photography as an art form, a social document and a powerful tool for communication and exploration. Lectures, discussions and museum visits will focus on photographic movements, specific photographers, artists and the intersection of photography with other realms of human endeavor. Students will create images to assist them in understanding the simple and complex dimensions of creating photographs.
• MET AH 342: Masters of the Renaissance: Giotto to Botticelli
  This course examines the origin and flowering of the Italian Renaissance, including major artistic figures such as Leonardo, Giotto, Michelangelo, and Donatello. We will explore the impact of early scientific inquiry, the fascination with classical antiquity, and the changing role of the artist in society through the visual arts and architecture of Italy.
• MET AH 370: Nineteenth-Century Art
  An examination of the new concepts of reality that grew out of the French Revolution, and how these concepts influenced the critical theories of Impressionist and Post-Impressionist art.
• MET AH 372: Modern Art
  Analysis of the work and thought of major masters of twentieth-century painting, sculpture, architecture, and photography, including the School of Paris and the New York School.
• MET AH 380: Special Topics in Art History
  Program faculty selects seminar topics of current interest, usually with a singular focus, in the field.
• MET AH 517: Seminar: The Art World
  An examination of the arts institutions, issues, and forces that shape the contemporary art world. Topics include government cultural policy, National Endowment for the Arts, museums, symphonies, curators, critics, artists' rights, public art, corporate support, censorship, feminism and multiculturalism. See also Arts Administration. Stamped approval required.
• MET AH 588: The Arts in Cuba
  Offered between semesters, Arts of Cuba is a survey of the visual arts in Cuba from the early twentieth century to the present, with an emphasis on contemporary art and an examination of the role of the artist in Cuban society. Work is discussed in its historical, social, economic, and cultural context. Students visit artists' studios, talk with Cuban artists and art administrators, and visit Havana's important museums and arts organizations. Meets on campus and in Cuba.
• MET AH 598: Art and Popular Culture
  A survey of the visual arts in Cuba from the early twentieth century to the present, with an emphasis on contemporary art and an examination of the role of the artist in Cuban society. Work is discussed in its historical, social, economic, and cultural context. Students visit artists' studios, talk with Cuban artists and art administrators, and visit Havana's important museums and arts organizations.
• MET AN 101: Introduction to Cultural Anthropology
  This course is an introduction to the field of cultural anthropology. Cultural anthropology seeks to understand the variety of ways that humans organize their experience and live in the world, including different configurations of kinship, sex, gender, ethnicity, race, religion, politics, and economics. This course introduces students to some of that variety by examining how societies in different regions of the world differ and how both global and local social processes transform them. The course also explores the ways that anthropologists frame their inquiries and how over time they developed new approaches to these issues and to core concepts like culture and society.
• MET AN 102: Human Biology, Behavior, and Evolution
  Biology relevant to the behavioral sciences. Introduces basic principles of evolutionary biology, animal social behavior, primate adaptions, human origins, genetic/hormonal/neural bases of behavior, and issues of human socioecology and adaptions. Discussions highlight nature-vs-nurture issues.
• MET AN 210: Medical Anthropology
  An investigation of the social dimensions of health and illness, exploring the diverse ways in which humans use cultural resources to cope with disease and develop medical and healing systems. The course also examines variations in the definition, diagnosis, experience, and treatment of illnesses across cultures, including the critical examination of biomedicine. Course materials facilitate the exploration of beliefs regarding some common assumptions about health and human behavior, using the tools provided by anthropological theories and concepts. SS
• MET AN 250: Understanding Folklore and Folklife
  The ways individuals, families, and communities express themselves, their beliefs, and their values within their own culture. Emphasis on meaning carried by oral literature, folk arts and crafts, social customs and festivals, and family folklore.
• MET AN 348: Investigating Contemporary Globalization
  This course examines the various processes that have created a more interconnected "globalized" world, including the greater movement of peoples, ideas, goods, and capital across cultural and national borders; new communication technologies; a growing international division of labor; and increased attention to issues such as universal human rights and the experiences of women. Key debates include the question of whether these processes produce global cultural homogenization or greater cultural diversity and whether globalization reproduces power dynamics or allows for new freedoms and opportunities. SS
• MET AR 510: Arts Leaders Forum
  The "Arts Leaders Forum" consists of a series of conversations with arts leaders, including entrepreneurs, community leaders and established industry experts. Each week guests will share their experiences with the class. In addition to guest speakers, students will focus on leadership skills and exercises through readings and cases. The goal of this course is to give students insight into the pressing issues of managing arts organizations, to gain leadership skills and to provide insight into career options.
• MET AR 550: Raising Funds and Grant Writing for Nonprofit Organizations
  An examination of ways to raise funds from government, foundation, corporate, and individual sources. The following topics will be addressed through lectures and case analysis: the history of philanthropy, the planning and research process, proposal and grant preparation, program evaluation, and the role of the board and staff in developing effective fundraising strategies.
• MET AR 577: Comparative Cultural Policy and Administration
  This course examines the nature of cultural policy in the United States, United Kingdom, Ireland, and the European Union from 1945 to the present. Through lectures and readings (drawn from public policy and economics), lectures by leading arts administrators and policy makers in Dublin and London, and visits to important international cultural venues, this course will examine the impact of cultural and national differences on the cultural policy making process. We will meet several times on the Charles River Campus before travel to Dublin and London.
• MET AR 587: The Arts in Barcelona
  This course will look at the ways in which the arts have played a key role in the history of Barcelona and by extension, Catalonia. To understand the city and its inhabitants and their sensibility one needs to have some knowledge of history -- particularly 20th century history. To the Catalonian, Spain is to some degree an intellectual and political construct. With its own language, culture traditions and cuisine the Catalonian sees himself as distinct from the Castilian Spanish speaking population of Spain. As a culture that experienced considerable oppression -- especially during the Franco regime, Catalonians are eager to celebrate and preserve their distinct customs and traditions. This has become particularly important in recent years as the movement for Catalan independence has gained momentum. The course will meet several times on the Charles River Campus before travel to Barcelona.
• MET AR 690: The Art World
  An examination of the arts institutions, issues, and forces that shape the contemporary art world. Surveys the institutions and actors that comprise the ecology of the art world, and examines significant recent trends within a model of four interrelated spheres: 1) Individuals; 2) Government; 3) the Nonprofit Sector; and 4) the Private Sector. Explores how stakeholders connect and interact with each other while engaging with significant institutions and the public to affect the cultural history of our time. This is the gateway course in the Arts Administration Program, and is usually taken in the first semester. Non-Arts Administration students contact the Arts Administration Program, 1010 Commonwealth Ave.
• MET AR 711: Capital Campaigns
  This course is designed to broaden the student?s understanding of capital campaign fundraising. Topics include: feasibility studies; strategic planning and budgeting; private and public phases; ethical responsibilities; staff, donor, volunteer, board, and trustee management; major gift solicitation; campaign communications; trend analysis; and evaluation. The course curriculum will include readings, case studies, guest speakers, and analysis of current capital campaign projects.
• MET AR 720: Marketing and Audience Development for the Arts
  This course is designed to provide fundamental background in the theory and principles of arts marketing and audience development used by nonprofit performing and visual arts organizations. Case analysis will be employed to review strategies and practices currently used in the cultural sector. Students will be expected to develop their own marketing plans for an arts organization.

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