This is a discussion-based course, designed to introduce diverse critical issues and debates that the contemporary art in 20th and 21st century illustrates and emphasizes through its creative practices. Students will examine theoretical and philosophical texts relevant to the developments in the visual arts of the 20th and 21st century within and against socio-historical and cultural contexts. Discussions, lectures, and selected readings will introduce a variety of critical methodologies for writing and thinking about art. Students will apply analytical skills and independent, critical thinking both orally and in writing.