ARTH 482: RS: Advanced Studies in Asian Art

ARTH 482-001: Arts of the Indian Ocean World
(Fall 2025)

04:30 PM to 07:10 PM R

Innovation Hall 336

Section Information for Fall 2025

From Africa to South Asia, from the Arabian Peninsula to Southeast Asia, the Indian Ocean has been the life source for trade and circulation of precious art objects. Textiles, ivory objects, hardwood furniture, and gold and jewelry were carried for centuries by Indian, Arab, Chinese, Indonesian, African, and European traders to regions on the coast and further inland through vast networks developed to move these goods. Cultures and styles thus blended, diverged, and localized in a myriad ways across the Indian Ocean World (IOW). In this course we will explore objects produced through these transcultural interactions and trace the histories of use of precious and problematic materials from 1000 CE-2000 CE in the IOW. By looking at specific objects or object types from each of the IOW regions, the course examines the concept of “art” in IOW cultures and the role of material culture in networks of trade, empire, colonialism, and enslavement. 

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Course Information from the University Catalog

Credits: 3

Seminar-style discussions on a specific topic in Asian art. May focus on the art of a particular period, movement, reign, or region, as well as theoretical issues or works in a particular medium. Notes: May be repeated when topic is different. Offered by History & Art History. May be repeated within the term for a maximum 6 credits.
Mason Core: Mason Core, Writing Intensive in Major
Specialized Designation: Research/Scholarship Intensive, Topic Varies, Non-Western Culture
Recommended Prerequisite: ENGH 302, and 3XX-level course in any area of Asian art; or permission of instructor.
Schedule Type: Seminar
Grading:
This course is graded on the Undergraduate Regular scale.

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