This course will introduce students to the major critical texts, theories, and debates circulating in the burgeoning international field of contemporary curatorial studies. The course will include lectures, case studies, practice-related assignments, encounters with artists and art professionals, and student presentations that are intended to raise issues and engage debate about contemporary exhibition practices and account for theoretical perspectives and historical context. One objective of this course is to trouble preconceptions of the role of the curator in order to observe the complexity of curatorial models across and beyond art institutions. The class will address the implications of shifting cultural, social, and political contexts for artistic and curatorial practice and their sites.