This seminar will investigate the art and architecture of the cultures of the "Middle East" from the first century, CE, to c. 1250. It seeks to establish the specific historical context in which the monuments were produced and the particular religious and social functions they served. Throughout the semester, we will engage with several basic themes: creation of sacred space; architecture, image, and authority; assimilation and conquest; and processes of urbanism. We will also critically engage in a semester-long discourse on the constructs of the "Middle East" and "Orientalism." Students will gain a general knowledge of major works of art from the Ancient Roman, Judaic, Christian, Sasanian, and Islamic cultures, and they will learn the fundamentals of art historical study. It is my expectation that students will take the critical inquiry of the classroom and apply it to the architecture, space, and imagery that shape their everyday environment. As an upper level writing class, students will focus on the written expression of important descriptive and analytical skills acquired in seminar. These skills are necessary to develop a conceptual framework with which to articulate issues about the topics of the seminar and issues in our own contemporary culture. To this end, over the course of the semester we will engage in four different types of writing: critique of a literary text, critique of an animated film, the written exam, and the research paper. Just as the mode of intellectual inquiry that drives our discussion should be applied outside of the classroom, the writing skills honed in this seminar should translate to other applications outside of the history of art. I. IV. 1, 2