ARCHITECTURE, ART, AND LITERATURE IN ISLAMIC CULTURES

Credit Hours: 3 · Graduate

Buildings, objects, and texts are all cultural artifacts. When they intersect—when a building is inscribed with a poem or a literary text engages with a spatial reality—the result is a sophisticated product that combines visual and verbal modes of communication. Visual cultures of the Islamic lands abound with such examples, ranging from poetic epigraphy on buildings (as in the Alhambra) to versified descriptions of cities and monuments. This seminar will examine select works of Islamic art and architecture in relation to literary texts that engage with their aesthetic and functional aspects. Graduate students will submit a research paper that is 20-25 pages; undergraduate students will submit a 15-page research paper. Graduate/Undergraduate Equivalency: HART 385 . Mutually Exclusive: Cannot register for HART 587 if student has credit for HART 385 .