Riot: Visualizing Civil Unrest in the 20th and 21st Centuries

This seminar explores the visual legacy of civil unrest in the United States. Focusing on the 1965 Watts Rebellion, 1992 Los Angeles Riots, 2014 Ferguson Uprising, and 2020 George Floyd Uprisings students will closely examine photographs, television broadcasts, newspapers, magazines, and film and video representations of unrest. Additionally, students will visually analyze the works of artists who have responded to instances of police brutality and challenged the systemic racism, xenophobia, and anti-Black violence leading to and surrounding these events.