Keri Watson

This text provides students with insight into how historical and contemporary visual art, architecture, and design have engaged with social, cultural, political, and economic landscapes. The book establishes a visual foundation for students in covering important traditional aspects of the history of art of the period of the Renaissance and after through its most renowned works. It further demonstrates how artists have challenged issues within Western culture through various artistic mediums.

This book examines the role of the visual and performing arts in higher education and argues for the importance of socially engaged transdisciplinary practices, not just to the college curriculum but also to building an informed and engaged citizenry.

This Is America: Re-Viewing the Art of the United States is a new, brief text on the history of art in the United States from the Colonial era to the present. Broadening the story of American art, the text offers expanded coverage of a wide range of media (including craft, film, and fashion) and balanced representation of women artists and artists of color. Accessible to students with no background in art history, This Is America offers links between recent works of art and the rich cultural history of each major era with succinct and illuminating analysis of key contemporary works in "Contemporary Connections" boxes. This Is America is also accompanied by Practice Art History, a cutting-edge digital resource environment created to help students build skills of visual literacy and analysis. Visit www.oup.com/he/watson-navaroli1e to access the full suite of student and instructor resources.

This book examines the role of the visual and performing arts in higher education and argues for the importance of socially engaged transdisciplinary practices, not just to the college curriculum but also to building an informed and engaged citizenry. The first chapter defines and offers an outline for conducting transdisciplinary research. Chapters two through five present examples of transdisciplinary projects facilitated in Central Florida between 2017 and 2022. Topics and methodological frameworks include ecocriticism and climate change, migration, poverty, and displacement, ageing and disability, and systemic racism and mass incarceration. Each chapter includes descriptions of the projects and outlines how they integrated the essential learning outcomes articulated by the American Association of Colleges and Universities in the Liberal Education and America’s Promise report. A concluding chapter offers reflections on the value of transdisciplinary collaborative work and poses questions for further discussions on the role of the arts in higher education. The book is designed for graduate and undergraduate students, faculty, and non-academics interested in engaging in transdisciplinary projects to address complex societal issues.