Ceramics as an art form came into prominence in the 1960s when artists like Peter Voulkos severed ties with function (and everyday life) to make work that behaved more like sculpture than it did like pottery. But recently, functional ceramics has enjoyed a resurgence in critical recognition with the rise of relational aesthetics and other modes of artistic practice that no longer forego ties to function and the everyday. This class takes a survey of moments in ceramics' material history to examine more than just its domestic and artistic roles, but to examine how pottery and ceramics have played a role in the social, technological, political, and religious developments in Europe, Asia, and the Americas. This illumination of past practices and influences will help students contextualize their own contemporary ceramic work.