History of Ceramics

This course surveys the history of ceramics from antiquity to the present through the materials, technologies, and ideas that have shaped one of the most significant expressions of human material culture. It examines how technological innovations, intercultural exchange, religious beliefs, globalization, and aesthetic values have influenced the development of ceramics across Asia, the Islamic world, Europe, and the Americas. Through the study of selected objects, students will also learn to identify production techniques, ceramic bodies, glazes, firing methods, and working practices developed in different historical periods.