This course will reveal the deep history of clay, stretching back to the Palaeolithic period with the first clay figurines; through the Neolithic period with its extensive use of clay for the earliest permanent houses, the first inorganic containers, and many votive offerings in clay; all the way to the present day with the ceramic art of Pablo Picasso, Grayson Perry, and Ai Weiwei. Our approach will also be thoroughly global, ranging from the Maya of Mesoamerica to the Mingei of Japan. The course will involve hands-on elements too, particularly with the nearby Gardiner Museum of Ceramic Art.