Undergraduate Course: Buddhist Art in China (HIAR10055)
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.arthistory.ed.ac.uk |
Taught in Gaelic? | No |
| Course description | The seminar aims to engage discussions on the interrelationship between art and Buddhist practices in China. Materials to be considered in the seminar include veneration of relics, duplication and adornment of religious texts, religious icons and their efficacy, cave-temples and other Buddhist architectures. Case studies of selected sites are applied for focused discussion on the complex relations of iconography and architecture; the interlocked relations of text, image, and relics in manifesting the Buddha?s presence; the analogy between the Buddhist nirvana and human death; monks and merchants on the Silk Road; and the Buddhist material culture that linked China with Korea and Japan. Attention will also be paid to methodological issues, especially in the cases where practices seem to belie texts. |
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
| This course surveys the major developments of Buddhist art in China from the 3rd through the 18th century A.D. It has a strong emphasis on the connections between Buddhist art and the art created in other contexts such as in tomb burials and at court. It will be taught by a combination of lecture and seminars. Students are expected to become familiar with key monuments and foremost scholarship on the topic. They will also develop abilities to analyse individual works closely. While the Buddhist Canon tells people what they should do, modern archaeology has revealed information about what people actually did. In taking this course, students will learn how to make critical use of both textual and material evidence in the study of Chinese art. No knowledge of Chinese is expected, but students who do know the language will be guided to appropriate sources. Visits to the National Museums of Scotland may be required. |
Assessment Information
| 1 two-hour examination paper (50%) and 1 extended essay (50%) |
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 | |
Course secretary | Mrs Sue Cavanagh
Tel: (0131 6)51 1460
Email: Sue.Cavanagh@ed.ac.uk |
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