Undergraduate Course: Islam and Art (HIAR10020)
Course Outline
| School | Edinburgh College of Art |
College | College of Humanities and Social Science |
| Course type | Standard |
Availability | Available to all students |
| Credit level (Normal year taken) | SCQF Level 10 (Year 3 Undergraduate) |
Credits | 20 |
| Home subject area | History of Art |
Other subject area | None |
| Course website |
http://www.arts.ed.ac.uk/fineart |
Taught in Gaelic? | No |
| Course description | This course addresses the question of how the religion of Islam has affected the art produced in the Muslim world. In the context of Islamic and Byzantine iconoclasm it will show how, in time, the doctrine which discouraged the making of images was breached and how Islamic painting in particular developed a detailed iconography of religious subject-matter. Students will be encouraged to read in translation selected passages from the religious literature of Islam, especially the Qur'an, hadith and Sufi writings. The course will cover some - though not all - of the following themes: the depiction of saints and prophets, Heaven and Hell (notably in the context of the Prophet's mi'raj of Ascension), and Islamic religious festivals, especially the Pilgrimage. Special attention will be paid to the image of the Prophet Muhammad, and to the perennial tension between Muslim orthodoxy and heterodoxy in the visual arts. The Muslim treatment of Old and New Testament themes will also be investigated. The origins, functions and development of the principal Islamic religious buildings: the mosque, the madrasa, the tomb or shrine, and the various elements which go to make up this architecture, such as minarets, mihrabs, minbars and selected furnishings such as prayer rugs, will be examined in detail, as will the art of Qur'anic calligraphy and illumination. The role of writing as a kind of religious icon - an image of the Word - will receive due emphasis; this explains its ubiquity in all kinds of contexts. Finally, the expressions of the Islamic faith in modern society - halal shops, newspapers for the Islamic community, pilgrim souvenirs - will be explored, and here the active participation of the class will be crucial. Techniques of modern Muslim propaganda and the visual clichis developed by the Western media for the hostile representation of Islam will be considered. The study of websites will be integral to this part of the course. |
Information for Visiting Students
| Pre-requisites | Visiting students should have at least 3 History of Art courses at grade B or above (or be predicted to obtain this). We will only consider University/College level courses. |
| Displayed in Visiting Students Prospectus? | Yes |
Course Delivery Information
| Not being delivered |
Summary of Intended Learning Outcomes
| The course has several aims: to give students an overview of the subject so that they can slot into place the facts, insights, ideas and theories which they will acquire during the term; to use single objects or groups of objects as a means of understanding an unfamiliar culture; to foster originality, imagination, lateral thinking and intellectual independence; and to gain a clearer understanding of how research operates. The students will build on their earlier experience to improve their skills in processing information and in arguing a case extempore. Not least, they will learn in unexpected ways about the Muslim community in Britain, how it expresses its beliefs in visual form, and how the internet can shed light both on how that community presents itself and how it is viewed by others. |
Assessment Information
1 two hour examination paper (50%) and 1 extended essay (50%)
Visiting Student Variant Assessment
2 x 2000 word essays |
Special Arrangements
| None |
Additional Information
| Academic description |
Not entered |
| Syllabus |
Not entered |
| Transferable skills |
Not entered |
| Reading list |
Not entered |
| Study Abroad |
Not entered |
| Study Pattern |
Not entered |
| Keywords | Not entered |
Contacts
| Course organiser | Prof Robert Hillenbrand
Tel: (0131 6)50 4118
Email: R.Hillenbrand@ed.ac.uk |
Course secretary | Mrs Sue Cavanagh
Tel: (0131 6)51 1460
Email: Sue.Cavanagh@ed.ac.uk |
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