ARTH 430: Advanced Studies in Medieval or Islamic Art

ARTH 430-001: Medieval Iberia
(Fall 2015)

04:30 PM to 07:10 PM W

Music Theater Building 1008

Section Information for Fall 2015

Few areas of medieval studies have changed so dramatically in recent years as the field of medieval Iberia, encompassing today’s Spain and Portugal.  Once divided into a number of smaller kingdoms, including the important Islamic province of Al-Andalus and significant Jewish populations throughout, medieval Iberia was a region of astonishing cultural complexity and artistic production.  In this research seminar, we will examine the contributions of Muslim, Jewish and Christian cultures, much of this only recently coming to light after centuries of obscurity.  We will also explore the dynamics of cross-cultural contacts, examining the controversial notion of convivencia, or peaceful coexistence, which some modern scholars have seen in medieval Spain as a corrective to the traditional view of perpetual Christian/Muslim conflict in Iberia.

In the first part of the semester we will learn about Islamic, Jewish and Christian Iberia, touching on music and literature as well as the art and architecture.  Topics may include the monuments of Al-Andalus in Cordoba, Seville and Granada; luxury trade in textiles and ivories; Jewish arts and identity; Christian monuments of Toledo and Barcelona; the pilgrimage to Santiago de Compostela; the emergence of Christian Portugal; and the Reconquista struggles culminating in the events of 1492.  In the latter part of the semester students will pursue research on topics of individual interest and present their work to the class.  Some acquaintance with Medieval, Islamic, Jewish or Hispanic studies would be helpful, but not required.  This seminar is open to advanced undergraduates who meet the 400-level course prerequisites, and to graduate students who will be assigned work appropriate to their level.

Course Information from the University Catalog