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A far-flung inquiry into the complicated relationship that has existed between text and image in Europe, Asia, and the Americas since the Middle Ages (with backward glances at Plato and the Bible).

We shall study writings on the relationship between language and the visual arts, print culture, and the history of the book alongside a wide range of primary works, from medieval illuminated manuscripts and Islamic calligraphy to contemporary prints, paintings, artists’ books, and comics.

We shall draw as much as possible on the rich collections of the CU Art Museum and Norlin Library’s Special Collections and Archives. Students will have the opportunity to create their own artist’s book as part of their final project (no previous experience in studio art is required).