In this course students will learn to analyze both artworks and legal texts through an investigation of significant laws and court cases that have impacted the history of American art from the nineteenth century to the present. From the sensational debates over the authenticity of spirit photographs in 1869 to recent disputes over the definition of fair use sparked by Shepard Fairey’s 2008 “Hope” poster, these animated legal dramas will encourage students to think deeply about how art and creative labor has been defined and valued at various points in American history.

The course will proceed chronologically from the early nineteenth century to the present, and each class period will consider a particular area of law or court case that informed. The selected case studies will involve a range of artistic media and allow students to acquire the interpretive skills to describe both two- and three-dimensional visual materials from different historical periods. The trials will also take up a variety of legal issues, which will introduce students to the workings of the American legal system.

This course fulfills the following Major requirements: Geographical area (C) and Chronological period (III). 

Meets Arts & Literature, L&S Breadth
Meets Historical Studies, L&S Breadth