CRITICAL STUDIES FOR ART, DESIGN AND RESEARCH

Art and culture today face urgent challenges posed by accelerated global movement of bodies, information and commodities, the datafication of labor and social relations, and the seemingly perpetual eruption of political and ecological crises.

RISD’s MA program in Global Arts and Cultures (GAC) invites inquiry into pressing contemporary issues at the intersection of globalization and cultural production. By uniting critical theories from the humanities and social sciences with studies in the history and theory of visual, design, performative and literary arts, students in the program investigate diverse forms of making and their entanglements with systems of power and resistance.

CULTIVATING CRITICAL PERSPECTIVES

The GAC MA program provides a strong foundation in social and cultural theory for artists, designers and architects, as well as students pursuing work in museums and galleries, creative industries, activism, policy making, entrepreneurship and academic research and teaching. In acquiring new cultural and political literacies, students gain the capacity to speak to multiple audiences, intervene in current debates and navigate global systems.

The curriculum is designed to establish frameworks for critical inquiry and develop individually tailored research projects. Core courses survey current theoretical discourses, explore research methods across and beyond traditional disciplines, and provide guided thesis preparation. Electives expose students to topics in the history of global art and design, literature, performance, and visual and material cultures. In close consultation with faculty mentors, students devise research projects that culminate in the completion of a master’s thesis based on original investigation, critical and historical analysis, and innovative forms of written and visual communication.