Islamic Art & Architecture

3 Credits.

This course introduces students to major themes and tendencies in the history of Islamic art and architecture, gives them experience in conducting relevant research, and helps them develop informed critical positions regarding the field of Islamic art history, its pasts, and its possible futures. Weekly assignments focus on the history of Islam and related attitudes towards the visual arts; the evolution of mosque architecture, calligraphy, patterning, and ceramics; and regional and political emphases. Through a survey of specific examples and a series of analytical engagements with primary and secondary sources, students will gain a sense of the history of art in traditionally Islamic lands while formulating informed critical positions regarding scholarship in the field.