Cross-listed with MIDEAST/ISLAM 285

This course examines the art and architecture in the Islamic world with a chronological and regional approach. It starts with the establishment of Islam in Arabia in the seventh century, continues with the course of its spread throughout Europe, Asia and Africa, and ends with contemporary Islamic art and architecture. It focuses on the spread of the Word of God (Qurʾan) in different media and settings (e.g., manuscripts and buildings), the definition of Islamic art, major monuments as well as vernacular architecture, palatial art production as well as ephemera, artists and patrons from minority communities, patronage of women, gendered spaces, soundscapes and smellscapes, interactions between China, Europe, and the Byzantine Empire, and Orientalist art and architecture.

Textbooks/Other Materials:

• Finbarr Barry Flood and Gülru Necipoğlu, eds. A Companion to Islamic Art and Architecture, 2 vols. (Hoboken: John Wiley & Sons, 2017), 1–56.
• D. Fairchild Ruggles, ed. Islamic Art and Visual Culture: An Anthology of Sources (Malden; MA: Wiley-Blackwell, 2011).
• Oleg Grabar, Richard Ettinghausen, and Marilyn Jenkins-Madina, The Art and Architecture of Islam, 650-1250, 2nd ed. (New Haven and London: Yale U.P., 2001).
• Sheila Blair and Jonathan Bloom, The Art and Architecture of Islam, 1250-1800 (New Haven and London: Yale University Press, 1994).

Course Requirements:

• Two quizzes and one response paper (10% each): 30%
• Attendance and participation: 10%
• First exam: 30%
• Second exam: 30%

Intended Audience: Anyone welcome

Class Format: Two 80-minute seminar meetings and one 50-minute discussion per week.

Estimated Cost of Materials: $0

HISTART Distribution Requirements: Middle East, Asia, Medieval, Early Modern