This inter-disciplinary course offers students an overview of a wide range of contemporary developments in theoretical approaches to the study of art and culture. In particular, the course focuses on the recent turn towards more socially and historically-grounded modes of analysis within a number of disciplines and research fields, including art history, philosophy and museum studies. The course also traces the development of contemporary cultural theory, surveying recent work in cultural studies, sociology, feminism, and postmodernism, and drawing on several case studies in the museum, gallery, and public art sectors.