ARH 4930 Special Topic: Artistic Encounters and Exchanges in the Pre-Modern Mediterranean (A.D. 632-1453/A.H. 10-856) University of Florida, School of Art + Art History, Spring Semester 2016 Professor Ashley Jones, ashley.jones@ufl.edu Office Hours, Mondays and Wednesdays, 4:00 p.m. 5:00 p.m. and by appointment, FAC 119b Lectures, Mondays 8 th period, 3:00-3:50 p.m.; Wednesdays 7 th -8th period, 1:55-3:50 p.m., FAC 201 Course Description: From conquests and re-conquests to the circulation of objects via trade and gift exchange, the Mediterranean region in the long Middle Ages is rich in cultural contacts between Jewish, Christian, and Muslim artists and communities. This course will investigate this history from all sides, from the multi-cultural environs of Al- Andalus to the eastern borders of the Byzantine Empire, and from the peaceful co-existence of faith communities in the late-antique Levant to the violent encounters of the Crusades. Spaces and places covered will include late-antique and Crusader Syria and Palestine, Al-Andalus and Morocco, Ifriqiya (modern Tunisia), Norman Sicily, the Mongol and Venetian Empires, and Georgians, Armenians, and Seljuq Turks on the eastern frontier of the Byzantine Empire. Course Objectives: -To gain familiarity with major and minor political players in the medieval Mediterranean, including dynasties, caliphates, kingdoms, and empires -To gain familiarity with key objects and monuments produced in periods and places of cultural contact in the medieval Mediterranean -To apply, orally and in writing, art historical and anthropological frameworks of analysis, such as the concept of hybridity, and theories of gift exchange, to the content of the course -To interrogate modern archaeological activity and art historical investigation within the frameworks of colonialism, nationalism, and post-colonialism General Requirements: (assignments are described in detail at the end of the syllabus) Attendance and Participation 15% 2 Presentations of Readings/Leading Discussion 5% each = 10% 4 Reaction Papers 5% each = 20% Annotated Bibliography 15% First Draft of Research Paper 15% Final Draft of Research Paper 25% Graduate Requirements (ARH 6915): In addition to the general requirements, students taking the course for graduate credit must complete the following requirements: Additional readings, as assigned 15-20 page final research paper, the topic of which must be approved by Dr. Jones Presentation of final paper to graduate section 1
Books: Late Antique and Medieval Art of the Mediterranean World, ed. by Eva R. Hoffman, Blackwell Anthologies in Art History The Arts of Intimacy: Christians, Jews, and Muslims in the Making of Castillian Culture, by Jerilynn Dodds, Maria Rosa Menocal, and Abigail Krasner Balbale. Yale UP: 2009. Florence and Baghdad: Renaissance Art and Arab Science, by Hans Belting. Belknap Press: 2011. All other readings will be disseminated to students electronically, via electronic course reserve (ARES), E- learning, or the class list-serve. Other important resources will include the Museum With No Frontiers and Qantara websites: http://www.discoverislamicart.org/exhibitions/isl/ http://www.qantara-med.org/qantara4/index.php?&lang=en Important Dates January 6: February 20: January 11: January 18: February 26: First Day of Class Archaeological Institute of America Symposium on War and the Destruction of Cultural Heritage, location tba Drop/Add Deadline NO CLASS Martin Luther King Day Deadline to submit final paper topic for approval, 5 p.m. Feb 27-Mar 5: Spring Break April 20: April 20: Drop with College Petition (without failing grade) Deadline Last Day of Class, final papers due Email Policy You are requested to use your UFL email as your primary email. Important information, including readings, assignments, etc., will be disseminated via the E-learning site and the class list-serve. You are subscribed to the list-serve with your UFL email. Emails sent to the professor will usually be returned within 48 hours. Class Attendance/Demeanor Policy Your attendance is mandatory. Repeated unexcused absences will result in a reduction in your attendance and participation grade. Your active participation in the class is expected and constitutes part of your grade. Please also see the UF attendance policy: https://catalog.ufl.edu/ugrad/current/regulations/info/attendance.aspx#absences 2
Deadlines and Making-Up Missed Materials Extensions to deadlines will not be given except under exceptional circumstances. Each day late for any assignment will result in a lowered 1/3 letter grade for that assignment (A to A- for example). If you anticipate difficulty handing in an assignment on time, please contact Dr. Jones before the deadline. Grading Scale Grades are tabulated on a 100-point scale and a letter grade is assigned as follows: 93 100 A, 90 92 A-, 87 89 B+, 83 86 B, 80 82 B, 77-79 C+, 73 76 C, 70 72 C, 67 69 D+, 63 66 D, 59 and below F If you have questions about how grade points are assigned by the University, go to: https://catalog.ufl.edu/ugrad/current/regulations/info/grades.aspx Academic Honesty The university s policies regarding academic honesty, the honor code, and student conduct related to the honor code will be strictly enforced. Full information regarding these policies is available at the following links: Academic Honesty: http://www.registrar.ufl.edu/catalog/policies/students.html#honesty Honor Code: http://www.dso.ufl.edu/sccr/honorcodes/honorcode.php Student Conduct: http://www.dso.ufl.edu/sccr/honorcodes/conductcode.php Students with Disabilities Every effort will be made to accommodate students with disabilities. Anyone requesting classroom accommodation must first register with the Dean of Students Office. The Dean of Students Office will provide you with the necessary documentation, which you must then provide to me when requesting accommodation. Please make your request at least one week before the needed accommodation. University Counseling & Wellness Center 3190 Radio Road P.O. Box 112662, University of Florida Gainesville, FL 32611-4100 Phone: 352-392-1575 Web: http://www.counseling.ufl.edu/cwc/ 3
Provisional Course Outline: Week 1: Introduction Wednesday January 6 Week 2: Byzantium and Islam Monday January 11 Wednesday January 13 Week 3: Byzantium and Islam Wednesday January 20 Week 4: Al-Andalus Monday January 25 Wednesday January 27 Week 5: Muslim Spain and Andalusian Morocco Monday February 1 Wednesday February 3 Week 6: Fez, City of Refugees Monday February 8 Wednesday February 10 Week 7: Sicily Monday February 15 Wednesday February 17 Week 8: Ifriqiya Monday February 22 Wednesday February 24 February 29-March 4: SPRING BREAK Week 9: Egypt Monday March 7 Wednesday March 9 Week 10: Gift Exchange and the Luxury Arts Monday March 14 Wednesday March 16 Week 11: Armenians, Georgians, and Turks Monday March 21 Wednesday March 23 Week 12: The Crusades Monday March 28 Wednesday March 30 4
Week 13: Venice in the East Monday April 4 Wednesday April 6 Week 14: The Mongol Empire Monday April 11 Wednesday April 13 Week 15: Today Monday April 18 Wednesday April 20 5