2021-2022 Academic Catalog

Apr 20, 2024

2021-2022 Academic Catalog [ARCHIVED CATALOG]

ARTH 219 - Special Topics in Ancient Art

Introduces specific topics and approaches in the study of ancient art. The course develops the student’s research, oral presentations, and writing skills through intense study that is not possible in a survey course. While the seminar is designed for majors, qualified students from other disciplines are welcome.

FALL 2021 TOPIC: ART AND THE ANCIENT LANDSCAPE - In this course, we will discuss what the landscape is-how it is understood now and how it was understood in the past-and its complex relationship with art and architecture in the ancient Mediterranean world. We will consider the symbolic and aesthetic use of the landscape in art, from abstracted depictions of the landscape in Egyptian art to naturalistic scenes in wall paintings from Pompeii. We will also explore how art and architecture have been used to construct the landscape and to give it meaning, such as in the use of monumental reliefs of Hittite kings to mark political boundaries in western Turkey. Students will undertake an independent research project in the second half of the semester, in which they will have the freedom to examine the relationship between art and the landscape in a variety of cultural contexts in this vital part of the ancient world. This project will culminate in a multi-media presentation built using ArcGIS Story Maps.

May be repeated for credit

Anticipated Terms Offered: Offered periodically