A Class to Take You Through Time by Mary

A Class to Take You Through Time by Mary - August 2017 Scholarship Essay

If I were to be a college professor, I would teach Art History considering it is such a broad subject. Art has been an inherent part of human culture since prehistoric times and it continues to be made and contemplated in today's society as well. Not only does it cover such a long time frame, but it also touches on art pieces, in all forms, from every country and culture in the world.
Starting from prehistoric times, one learns about the tools humans had to use to produce recognizable images on cave walls. From there art mediums evolved to canvas paintings, sculpture, and architecture, and much more. Seeing how art changes throughout time opens students’ eyes to how rapidly human culture can change and advance. For example, a whole new form of art called photography forever changed the philosophical question of, ‘what is art?’ when cameras were made mainstream in the nineteenth century. This evolution of art raises discussion of modern society and how technology can help shape it into new forms and mediums. As a college professor, I would be able to have these discussions and compare technological advancements to historical trends in art that occurred throughout several centuries.
Art is a creative outlet for all individuals, thus, it produced in all corners of the world. The course touches on various forms of art from numerous civilizations, empires, and regions across the globe. I would be able to educate students about both William the Conqueror in medieval England through the Bayeux Tapestry and about African culture through Bundu masks and made in the twentieth century within the same few months. In addition, this course would show how kingdoms and interacted and influenced each other as well; considering the noticeable similarities between colonial american art and art from both Europe and Japan. These similarities arose as a result of the trading that occurred at that time between those countries. This would allow me to cover political sciences as well by teaching the students about countries’ interactions through art that portrayed it.
In final consideration, I would choose to teach art history because it covers a tremendous amount of information. I would be able to teach about all time periods humans were a part of, even before reading and writing were even created and all we had were illustrations. The course also covers all cultures through their art as well, meaning I would be able to educate people about Europe, Asian countries, Africa, America, and even more places. Lastly, and most importantly, the wide range of curriculum would show the natural human evolution process and how we as a species has progressed throughout time in all areas of life.