ILLUS-3026  

STEREOTYPES AND PARADIGMS

Faculty: 

Course Level: Junior, Senior, 5th Year

3 CREDITS

Picture-making for broad public consumption is extraordinarily dependent on rote comprehension of longstanding archetypes. Heteronormative, Anglocentric, Caucasian and male-oriented paradigms prevail in western culture, and our collective habit of perpetuating these hierarchies in illustration, while undoubtedly useful in the conveyance of messages through a quick read, runs counter to more noble efforts to promote parity of race, gender and sexual orientation through equal representation in visual culture.

This class explores the merits and frustrations of inclusiveness in illustration—an art form uniquely skewed to wide scale appreciation of archetypal personae. Students will commit themselves to equal representation for a broad spectrum of people (e.g., race, sexual orientation, gender) while confronting the very practical problems inherent to overcoming our dependence on default personae (white, straight, male) to communicate abstract ideas. How can illustrators achieve clarity of communication while putting aside prevailing stereotypes? What is the responsibility of the perceiving public in transcending habitual interpretation in favor of equal representation? These and other questions are at the heart of this class.

Capacity: 15

Registration Restriction: Major elective; restricted to Illustration juniors and seniors; open to non-majors pending seat availability and permission of instructor. 

Semester Offered: