Spring 2026 Course Search

Contemporary Chinese Poetry — CHI4220.01

Instructor: Ginger Lin
Days & Time: Tu/F 7:00PM-8:20PM
Credits: 4

While the language of classical Chinese poetry is practically inaccessible to even today’s native speakers of Chinese, the poetry of the five contemporary poets studied in this course is written in the vernacular and serves as a rich source of authentic texts for this course, which integrates language learning with poetry study. The five poets, all born after 1980, each offer a unique perspective into the changing society and culture of modern China.

Confucianism vs. Daoism: Classical Texts, Research, and Dialogue — CHI4402.01

Instructor: Ginger Lin
Days & Time: TU 2:10pm-4:00pm
Credits: 4

This advanced Chinese course engages students in a deep exploration of China’s two most influential philosophical traditions—Confucianism (儒家) and Daoism (道家)—through direct engagement with authentic classical texts. We will read selections from The Analects (《论语》) by Confucius, The Daodejing (《道德经》) by Laozi, and the Zhuangzi (《庄子》), accompanied by the instructor’s own translations to facilitate comprehension of classical Chinese.

Visual Arts Lecture Seminar — VA4218.01

Instructor: Vanessa Lyon
Days & Time: TU 4:10pm-6:00pm
Credits: 2

This discussion-animated, readings-based seminar provides art historical, cultural, and critical contexts for the Visual Arts Lecture Series (VALS). In addition to our ongoing interrogation of the public lecture as such, students present their own work (in any field) and analyze the technical and stylistic aspects of structuring an effective and engaging ‘talk.’ The course provides unique opportunities for interaction with visiting artists, curators, critics, and historians.

Visual Arts Lecture Series — VA2999.01

Instructor: Vanessa Lyon
Days & Time: Tu 7:00PM-8:50PM
Credits: 1

Each term, Bennington Visual Arts offers a program of 4-5 lectures by visiting arts professionals: artists, curators, historians and critics, selected to showcase the diversity of contemporary art practices. Designed to enhance a broader and deeper knowledge of various disciplines and issues in the Visual Arts and to stimulate campus dialogue around topical issues in contemporary art and culture, these thematically curated presentations offer students the opportunity to engage with art by emerging and internationally-known artists from underrepresented backgrounds.

Art in Public Spaces as connective tissue — DAN4380.01

Instructor: Martin Lanz
Days & Time: MO,TH 10:00am-11:50am
Credits: 2

In this course, we will explore various projects that aim to connect people with their surroundings and communities.
We will also explore the strategies that various artists have implemented to increase their audiences and interest in the arts.
We will analyze and design projects that seek sustainability, diversification, and access to the experience of art and culture.

By evaluating environments we could design artistic projects that promote art, artistic education, and the promotion of cultural products as actions to build community, identity, and a creative economy.

After Superflat Directed Project: Nuclear War — VA4407.01

Instructor: Yoko Inoue
Days & Time: MO,TH 10:00am-11:50am
Credits: 4

Conducted through research focusing on the development of Japanese subcultures in the Post World War II period, this course poses various critical inquiries about the effects of the nuclear bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki on contemporary global consumer society, visual culture and the production of art.

Food and Politics: A Food Citizens Methodology Workshop — APA4160.01

Instructor: Yoko Inoue
Days & Time: WE 10:00am-11:50am & WE 2:10pm-4:00pm
Credits: 4

This class will investigate various pedagogical approaches to food studies by examining curriculums, topics and discourses being taught at some academic institutions. More importantly, we will put focus on researching art collectives, contemporary civic engagement practices, and other non-institutional models developed by creative practitioners and activists, which engage with food as a conduit to undertake social, political and cultural identity issues and to enhance their community cohesion.

The 24 Filial Piety Stories and Zhuangzi's Tales — CHI4407.01

Instructor: Ginger Lin
Days & Time: TU,FR 4:10pm-6:00pm
Credits: 4

This course introduces students to two foundational texts in Chinese thought: The Twenty-four Stories of Filial Piety, which highlight the Confucian ideal of devotion to one’s parents, and the Tales of Zhuangzi, which reflect Daoist values of spontaneity, naturalness, and freedom. By reading these works in translation and in modern Mandarin at the student’s language level, the class explores the interplay between Confucian and Daoist perspectives—two traditions that have profoundly shaped Chinese culture.

The Big Picture: Stewarding Artists’ Legacies (FWT Course) — VA4406.01

Instructor: Liz White
Days & Time:
Credits: 1

What forces and individuals contribute to shaping an artist’s legacy? What happens to all of the objects, materials, and correspondence that artists create during their lifetime? What is a catalogue raisonné? This one-credit remote module will introduce students to legacy work and to the nascent field of artist-endowed foundations, inviting the consideration of philosophical and creative questions, while simultaneously offering practical knowledge applicable to future professional opportunities.