Peqod :: Classes - Columbia University Catalog of Classes

Imperial art and architecture in Beijing—the capital of the Yuan, Ming, and Qing dynasties (1271-1911)—have inspired awe and admiration in the Western world since the late 19th century. Despite massive destruction caused by foreign invasions before 1911 and rapid urban development after 1949, a significant portion of historic Beijing has survived, including imperial temples and gardens, princely courtyard residences, alleyway neighborhoods, and, most importantly, the Forbidden City—the magnificent seat of imperial power. Moreover, artifacts and artworks from the palaces of Beijing are now housed in museums across the Western world.

This seminar introduces students to the imperial art and architecture of Beijing through the lens of the reign of two Qing-dynasty rulers: the Qianlong Emperor (r. 1736-1796) and Empress Dowager Cixi (1835-1908). Their artistic legacies have profoundly shaped modern understanding of the city’s imperial past. Over the spring break, students will travel with the instructor to Beijing to visit sites that were inhabited, commissioned, or even designed by these two rulers.

Through lectures in New York City and a field study in Beijing, the course encourages students to consider questions such as: How did art and architecture serve to reinforce and glorify Qianlong’s rule over the multiethnic Qing empire for much of the 18th century—a reign often celebrated as inclusive, efficient, and prosperous, yet also criticized as despotic, corrupt, and repressive? To what extent did Empress Dowager Cixi’s artistic patronage inherit or challenge conventional imperial traditions? And how does historic Beijing continue to shape the social and political life of its inhabitants—and influence broader national identity—in contemporary China?

The course features a study trip to Beijing, where we will explore imperial palaces, gardens, and temples to engage directly with the monuments discussed in class. Each student will prepare a presentation in advance, taking the lead as a guide during our site visits. These presentations will serve as the foundation for the final research papers.

Department: Art History and Archaeology
R 4:10 p.m.-6 p.m.
Instructor: Jin Xu
Info
4 points

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AHIS UN3617

SENIOR RESEARCH THESIS

Department: Psychology @Barnard
M 12:10 p.m.-2 p.m.
Instructor: Lisa K Son
CULPA: 25 Info
1 points

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PSYC BC3618

NAT'L & CONTEMP WORLD POLITICS

Department: Political Science
MW 10:10 a.m.-11:25 a.m.
Instructor: Jack L Snyder
CULPA: 27 Info
3 points

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POLS UN3619

SEM-DEVELOPMNTL PSYCHOPATHOLGY

Department: Psychology
W 10:10 a.m.-noon
Instructor: Hannah E Hoch
CULPA: 27 Info
4 points

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PSYC UN3620

TOPICS IN CLINICAL PSYCHOLOGY

Department: Psychology
R 10:10 a.m.-noon
W 12:10 p.m.-2 p.m.
F 12:10 p.m.-2 p.m.
Instructor: Usha Barahmand
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Instructor: Irit Felsen
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Instructor: Jeffrey M Cohen
h-index: 5 Info
4 points

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PSYC UN3623

Rewriting History: Queer-Feminist Art fr

Rewriting History: Queer

In 1987, the queer-feminist Chicana scholar and poet Gloria Anzaldúa reflected on the politics of writing and rewriting histories. Mobilized by the social revolutions of the 1970s and 1980s, Anzaldúa sought to intervene in contemporary history, arguing that the act of retrieval—mining and sifting through our past—is necessary for sensing and creating uninhibited possibilities. Drawing on Anzaldúa’s understanding of the stakes of historiography, this course explores how artists have sought to reimagine queer-feminist pasts and enact latent futures. It focuses on the period from the 1970s onward, when the proliferation of mnemonic, time-based media, such as video, sound, slides, and photography, as well as ephemeral forms like performance and participation, emerged as significant material and conceptual foci for artists. Artists’ engagements with institutions crucial to the creation and circulation of history, memory, and knowledge—such as universities, the mass media, AI companies, and museums—are examined alongside enduring queer-feminist themes of education, motherhood, family, home, exile, kin, and futurity. Students will become cognizant of how contemporary art influences cultural, political, and social traditions and institutions, and how “old” and “new” ideas co-exist and conflict. The course offers an art historical perspective on contemporary art, mapping its relations to late modern art, while also foregrounding the question: how can we, as “contemporaries,” engage with art and art history in a way that responds to the demands of the present? Artists we examine include Mary Kelly, Ana Mendieta, Magali Lara, Jenny Holzer, Emily Kame Kngwarray, Madeleine Hunt-Ehrlich, D. Harding, Simone Leigh, and Jesse Darling. Writers include Anzaldúa, Rosalyn Deutsche, Tina Campt, Aileen Moreton Robinson, and Ruha Benjamin.

Department: Art History @Barnard
MW 1:10 p.m.-2:25 p.m.
Instructor: Veronica Tello
Info
3 points

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AHIS BC3625