07855 - Islamic Art and Archaeology

Academic Year 2021/2022

  • Teaching Mode: Traditional lectures
  • Campus: Ravenna
  • Corso: Second cycle degree programme (LM) in History, preservation and enhancement of artistic and archaeological heritage and landscape (cod. 9218)

Course contents

The course introduces to the spread of Islam, providing an historical overview of the period comprised between the 7th and the 13th century, through the analysis of the main archaeological sites and monuments. In order to highlight the cultural traditions and influences that make up the rich Islamic mosaic, a diachronic approach will be adopted in following some thematic strands such as plan and functions of the civil architecture; models of the religious architecture; materials, themes, and styles of the architectural decoration; regional traditions and innovations in the ceramic, metalwork, textile, and glass productions.

The course includes a visit to the Islamic collection of the Museo Nazionale del Bargello in Florence.

Interested students can carry out practical workshop activities in connection with the course, consisting of exercises on Islamic epigraphic and numismatic materials.

Readings/Bibliography

Programme for attending students

Lectures' notes.

Ettinghausen Richard, Grabar Oleg, Jenkins-Madina Marilyn, The Art and Architecture of Islam 650-1250, Mapin Publishing/Yale University Press. Ahmedabad/New Haven-London 2001, pp. 1-73, 78-79. From the same handbook pp. 83-98, 100-101 for those who focus on the Islamic West; pp. 105-128 for those who focus on the Eastern Iranian lands. 

Further readings will be assigned on the basis of the essay topic agreed with the teacher. 

Programme for not-attending students

Ettinghausen Richard, Grabar Oleg, Jenkins-Madina Marilyn, The Art and Architecture of Islam 650-1250, Mapin Publishing/Yale University Press. Ahmedabad/New Haven-London 2001: as indicated for attending students.

Scerrato Umberto, Grandi monumenti. Islam. Milano 1972, pp. 8-55.

Monneret de Villard Ugo, Introduzione allo studio dell’archeologia islamica. Le origini e il periodo omayyade. Venezia-Roma 1968, pp. 1-298.

Teaching methods

Lectures feature PowerPoint presentations. Students are stimulated to participate in analysing plans of sites and monuments as well as iconographic themes. In-depth study texts, pertinent conferences and exhibitions are pointed out. Educational support tools can be made available to students with disabilities.

Assessment methods

Attending students

A written essay and an oral examination. The essay (5,000 words plus figures) will focus on a topic agreed with the teacher. By prior arrangement, students may work in groups. The paper must be handed in at least one week before the exam. It will be assessed on the basis of the ability to contextualise the chosen theme in the Islamic Art and Archaeology; the ability to summarise and organise the arguments; the presence of an appropriate bibliography and the use of footnotes; the choice of precise images with captions.

The oral examination will focus on the topics included in the programme, starting with a theme chosen by the student. A very good or excellent grade (27-30) will be awarded to those who demonstrate full mastery of the subject, the ability to make critical connections between topics with a fluent exposition and ownership of language.

An average mark (24-26) will be awarded to those who demonstrate a reasonable knowledge of the subject, but who are penalised by a mnemonic approach and imprecise contextualisation.

Those who demonstrate a fragmentary knowledge, show unsatisfactory orientation in the chronological and geographical context using an improper language, will receive a poor mark (18-23).

Those who fail to answer the questions in a relevant way, demonstrate ignorance of the basic principles of Islamic Art and Archaeology, are unable to place sites and monuments in time and space will receive an insufficient grade.

Not-attending students

Oral examination on the assigned programme as described above.

Foreign students may take the examination in English by prior arrangement with the teacher.

 

Teaching tools

Plans of the sites and monuments covered are provided. Some accessible online resources (tools and archives) are also illustrated.

Office hours

See the website of Valentina Laviola