Ceramics of East Asia

Ceramics of East Asia

In this class, students will examine ceramics from China, Korea, and Japan in their historical and cultural context. Students will learn how the availability of appropriate materials, knowledge of production/firing technologies, consumer needs and intercultural relations affected the production of different types of ceramics such as black tea bowls from kilns in Fujian Province or blue-and-white porcelain from Jingdezhen in China; jade green ceramics from Kangjin in Korea, and overglaze enamel ware from the kilns of Arita in Japan.

Ceramics are three-dimensional works of material culture. In order to effectively analyze them, one must first become acquainted with the haptic properties of ceramics. Therefore, this class emphasizes hands-on experiences during in-person class meetings and field trips.



This is a hybrid course, which means that most of the material and assignments of the course are online. However, students are required to participate in 6-7 field trips, including trips to the Spencer Museum of Art, the kilns located on campus, and a demonstration of the Japanese tea ceremony.