Safavid Iran Through an Eco-Critical Lens
ARHA 384
Fall 2026
| Section:
01
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Iran is considered one of the world¿s most biodiverse countries. Its wide-ranging topography, from mountains to deserts and wetlands, is home to an array of plant and animal species. Today, these habitats and species are at risk, exacerbated to an unprecedented degree by climate change and political conflicts. However, environmental crises are nothing new to the region -- ecological hazards and disasters have been present throughout its history, with artists and poets in the early modern period even commenting upon and responding to these conditions and events. Further, environmental factors likely played a critical role in the fall of the influential Safavid dynasty. From 1501 to about 1722, the Safavids ruled a vast region, including modern-day Iran, Azerbaijan, Iraq, and Afghanistan. This course examines Safavid art and architecture through a broad, eco-critical lens. Key questions include: how do ecological conditions impact the making and experience of art and architecture? In what ways did artists creatively respond to their surrounding environs and available materials? What are the limits and possibilities of an eco-critical approach to art history? |
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| Credit: 1 |
Gen Ed Area Dept:
HA ART |
| Course Format: Seminar | Grading Mode: Graded |
| Level: UGRD |
Prerequisites: None |
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Fulfills a Requirement for: (Art History Minor)(Art History) |
| SECTION 01 |
Major Readings: Wesleyan RJ Julia Bookstore
: Course readings will be available on Moodle. Students will read translated primary sources. They will also be assigned journal articles and book chapters by art, economic, and environmental historians.
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Examinations and Assignments:
: discussion and active participation; presentations on readings; oral presentations of research projects; and 15-20-page research paper |
Additional Requirements and/or Comments:
: n/a |
| Instructor(s): Molina,Sarah Times: ..T.R.. 02:50PM-04:10PM; Location: FISK305; |
| Total Enrollment Limit: 16 | | SR major: 5 | JR major: 5 | | |
| | GRAD: X | SR non-major: 3 | JR non-major: 3 | SO: 0 | FR: X |
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