Classes Designed
Introduction to Asian Art. This survey class was designed for entry-level students (non-majors.) Originally, it was taught in a traditional style, with units divided up chronologically and by geographic area (first India, then China, then Japan). I redesigned the class to be thematically focused in order to be more in tune with modern pedagogical theory.
Japanese Architecture. This class was designed for majors in art history and architecture. I incorporated a number of unique learning projects into this class, such as the final project – a podcast. Students worked in groups to create a virtual tour of a famous Japanese building.
History of Chinese Art. This course, although not in my area of specialty, was especially enjoyable to teach. Designed for non-majors, it introduced students to key aspects of Chinese art history. The final project was a “virtual exhibition,” designed by students.
Writing
“Art, Architecture, and the Asai Sisters.” My PhD dissertation. In early modern Japan, women, like men, used art and architectural patronage to perform and shape their identities and legitimate their authority. Through a series of case studies, I examine the works of art and architecture created by or for three sisters of the Asai family. This dissertation addresses two research questions: how the social identities of the Asai sisters, specifically their lineage connections and roles in the complex web of political marriages of the time, were defined and asserted by architectural and artistic patronage; and how these three case studies expand our understanding of the problematic term “patronage” and its relationship to women.
“Fit for a Shogun’s Wife: The Two Seventeenth-Century Mausolea for Sūgen-in,” published in Japan Review (No. 31). This article argues that male power in Japan was often derived through female lineages, and that this can be seen reflected in the architecture of the time. It is freely available online.
“Life After Death: The Intersection of Patron and Subject in the Portrait of Jōkō-in,” in Women, Rites, and Ritual Objects in Premodern Japan (Karen L. Gerhart, 2018). This chapter in an edited book collection dealing with women and ritual in premodern Japan looks at female portraiture in the Tokugawa period, arguing that women, like men, commissioned portraits of themselves in order to create specific understandings of their public identities.
Bend Your Steps. Travel is one of my passions. This blog describes some of the trips I’ve taken around the world.