“As artists were establishing their own visual identity, the country was establishing its cultural and political identity at the same time.” “We looked at pre-Revolutionary War work, such as Copley, to understand visually and conceptually how that work is juxtaposed against young America vying for its independence from England,” he said. “I want them to understand how art fits in to understanding society and, by extension, understanding a society in crisis,” said Culora, whose own mixed-media art has been exhibited regionally, nationally and internationally. They face off with works by John Singleton Copley, Winslow Homer and Edouard Manet, in particular.Īnd they have an unexpected tour guide: Tom Culora, dean of the Center for Naval Warfare Studies.Ĭulora, a professional visual artist outside of his job in academia, talks to the class about the historical and cultural context of the art they are viewing. Masakowski’s class travels to the Boston Museum of Fine Arts each term. Students can also take Anthropology of War, Ethics of Technology and biography-based courses on George Washington and Abraham Lincoln, for example. “Our students learn that war is a fundamentally human affair infused with passion and chance, distorted by long memories of real and perceived grievance, shaped by differing views of what future victory looks like,” said Tim Schultz, associate dean of academics for electives and research. This elective course, and other humanities classes offered by the college, are an acknowledgement that the study of war isn’t just about firepower, officials said.

“The humanities get you thinking critically about, ‘I’m doing these things today on the battlefield, but these things also happened back then.’ You know, why do people fight? Why did a farmer pick up his gun? You look at what is the inspiration for war.” “It’s really about the human side of history,” said Masakowski, a psychologist who is an associate professor in the College of Leadership and Ethics. Students sift through Abigail Adams’ letters to her husband during the American Revolution. Her students dig into the paintings, poetry and prose of a different period of war each week.įor example, the class reads the 1862 Herman Melville poem “Shiloh: A Requiem” when studying the Civil War.

Naval War College class that might seem unusual for a military institution: It focuses on the arts. With the goal of humanizing the history of war, professor Yvonne Masakowski leads a U.S.

Navy war college heritage powerpoint