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CS92PROD
Muslims, Jews, and Christians: Getting Along in Medieval Spain
COL 120
Fall 2016
Section: 01  
Crosslisting: FIST 122

For eight centuries, Muslims, Jews, and Christians lived side by side as neighbors on the Iberian Peninsula in a carefully negotiated state of coexistence known as "convivencia." While much of the written record is often full of enmity, religious polemic, and mutual suspicion, the artistic record tells another version, of lives lived in close proximity giving rise to shared cultural practices, artistic tastes, and long interludes of mutual well-being.

This seminar will explore the works produced by the pluralistic societies of medieval Iberia from the perspectives of art, architecture, history, archaeology, literature, and music. As we study renowned monuments such as the synagogues of Toledo, the Alhambra, and the Way of St. James, we will learn to decode elements such as dress and home decor, food and hygiene, gardening and agriculture, to expand our picture of culture and lived experience. Finally, we will ask why convivencia ultimately failed, and how the medieval Iberian experience can enlighten our own uneasy attempts at building a multicultural, multiconfessional society.
Credit: 1 Gen Ed Area Dept: HA COL
Course Format: DiscussionGrading Mode: Student Option
Level: UGRD Prerequisites: None
Fulfills a Major Requirement for: (FRST-MN)
Past Enrollment Probability: Not Available

Last Updated on MAR-19-2024
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