This course will provide a broad introduction to major themes and forms of art and architecture in Southeast Asia, from the prehistoric pottery and bronzes of Thailand through Hindu-Buddhist architecture and sculpture to the art of later coastal commercial empires and the modern and contemporary art of the 20th and 21st centuries. The course will also examine the interplay between art and royal patronage, religious practice and colonial power. 

On successful completion of this course, students should be able to:

1.     recognize key attributes of Southeast Asian art and use these to identify Southeast Asian works of art, individually and in collaboration with peers;

2.     relate art objects and creation to their historical and contemporary milieu;

3.     use specific examples to evaluate theories of and approaches to Southeast Asian art, individually and in collaboration with peers;

4.     reflect on and discuss the ways in which meanings are communicated by Southeast Asian art;

5.     research, select and combine examples and integrate key textual and archival sources to develop and present, orally and in writing, your own perspectives on key themes in Southeast Asian art.

One 2000 word essay and presentation (40%), one 1000 word essay and presentation (20%), an 800 word Wiki entry (15%), and a visual paper (25%).

An average of two and a half contact hours a week on campus with offsite gallery visits and up to a day's reading and writing per week.

Introduction to Art History ARTH1002 and Introduction to Modern Art ARTH1003 or with permission of the Coordinator.

Kerlogue, Fiona, Arts of Southeast Asia, London: Thames and Hudson, 2004

Maxwell, Robyn, Textiles of Southeast Asia, 2nd ed, Hongkong: Periplus, 2003

Roxas-Lim, Aurora, Southeast Asian art and culture: ideas, forms and societies, Jakarta: ASEAN, 2005

Christina Sumner and Milton Osborne, Arts of Southeast Asia, Sydney: Powerhouse Publishing, 2001.