HAVC 190KThematic Approach to Visual Cultures of Southeast Asia and Its Diaspora

Undergraduate seminar that takes topical and thematic approaches to looking at the visual cultures of Southeast Asia and its diaspora. Media and themes include textile, film and literature, comparative modernity, race, gender, and sexuality. The specific topic and them varies from year to year.

• Spring 2026 Topic: "Threads of Life and Art: Textiles in Southeast Asia and Beyond" This undergraduate seminar explores textiles, thinking of them broadly as threads, lines and drawings interweaving art and life. We will examine the materiality, concepts, and complex ideas of threads in art, considering textiles in Southeast Asia and beyond. The course will cover knitting, embroidery, and weaving, as well as examining textiles as lines, drawings, and more. In addition, we will examine gender roles and sexuality as they relate to textile production and consumption. Furthermore, this seminar focuses on the creation and lives of textile arts in Southeast Asia, demonstrating textiles have cultural value far beyond that of “antiques and collectors’ items.” There will also be a hands-on component of the course that includes sensory experience—seeing, touching, and smelling some Southeast Asian textiles—to better understand textiles and their relationship to the body. Students are encouraged to choose their own research topics for a final project and will build core knowledge from the assigned readings, films and in-class discussions.

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