ARTHIST 290-02
Special Topics in Art History: Islamic Art and Architecture
Instructor: Halsted
MW 5:15pm-6:30pm
Smith Warehouse Bay 9 A290
Course description: This course introduces students to Islamic art and architecture with a particular focus on the cultures of the Mediterranean from the Umayyad Caliphate (661-750 CE) to the end of the fifteenth century. Students will gain familiarity with a range of media and techniques of artistic production and will engage with the diverse artistic traditions of North Africa, the Iberian Peninsula, Sicily, Turkey, and the Levant. We will explore the development of regional styles as well as the transmission and circulation of artworks, ideas, and artisans within these regions. Throughout the semester, we will investigate the arts of the Islamic cultures of the Mediterranean through recurring themes of cross-cultural encounter, ethnic and religious identity, gender, and social stratification.