Arts of the Islamic World
ARHA 184
Fall 2026
| Section:
01
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This course offers an introduction to the diverse arts created in historic Islamic lands. These lands range from the steppes of Central Asia to the Iberian peninsula, with material culture encompassing a period of over 1300 years. Each session will foreground at least one medium fundamental to the study of Islamic art, including calligraphy, manuscript painting, textiles, metalwork, ceramics, and architecture. The course will proceed chronologically from the very beginnings of Islam to the early modern period, and we will touch upon cross-cutting themes, such as regional and global circulations of ornament and artistic techniques, the role of politics and religion in mediating material culture, and misconceptions concerning the categorization and expression of Islamic art. |
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| Credit: 1 |
Gen Ed Area Dept:
HA ART |
| Course Format: Lecture / Discussion | 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. The below readings will be used extensively and help provide essential foundational reading. They include the most up-to-date introductions to the field, as well as foundational surveys and collections of primary sources.
Finbarr Barry Flood and Gülru Necipo¿lu, eds., A Companion to Islamic Art and Architecture, 2 vols. (Hoboken: Wiley-Blackwell, 2017).
Oleg Grabar, Richard Ettinghausen, and Marilyn Jenkins-Madina, Islamic Art and Architecture 650¿1250 (New Haven: Yale University Press, 2001); Sheila Blair and Jonathan Bloom, The Art and Architecture of Islam 1250¿1800 (New Haven: Yale University Press, 1994).
Dede Fairchild Ruggles, Islamic Art and Visual Culture: An Anthology of Sources (Malden: Wiley-Blackwell, 2011).
Marcus Milwright, Islamic Arts and Crafts: An Anthology (Edinburgh: Edinburgh University Press, 2017).
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Examinations and Assignments:
: class participation, short paper, midterm, and final exam |
Additional Requirements and/or Comments:
: n/a |
| Instructor(s): Molina,Sarah Times: ..T.R.. 01:20PM-02:40PM; Location: FISK414; |
| Total Enrollment Limit: 20 | | SR major: 2 | JR major: 2 | | |
| | GRAD: X | SR non-major: 1 | JR non-major: 1 | SO: 7 | FR: 7 |
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