First-Year Research Seminar: Coins, Crosses, and Icons: Histories through/of Objects

(4 Credits)

What can a coin tell you about the past? What might we learn from an Icon of St. Mary about political power in Pre-modern and Early-Modern Ethiopia? This course examines the ways in which histories can be written by looking at objects from the past. Our class discussions, readings and case studies will be centered on the Christian Kingdom of Ethiopia, from Late Antiquity to Early Modernity. We will examine material objects like coins, icons, and manuscripts, among others. Readings for this course are drawn from a range of sources including epics, royal chronicles, philosophical treatises, law codes, theological texts, and hagiographies. The examination of these sources alongside historical objects will illustrate the ways that the study of material culture can both enhance and challenge our understanding of the past. Throughout the term, students will learn the necessary skills to conduct original research and apply them in a final project. For their research projects, students can apply the methods learned in class to a context of their choice.