Page 124 of Boston College 2006-2007 University Catalog by Boston College University

124 The Boston College Catalog 2006-2007 ARTS AND SCIENCES FA 107 History of Architecture (Fall: 3) Satisfies Arts Core Requirement The evolution from pre-history to contemporary times of select examples of Western architecture is considered against the background of history, religion, societies, politics, psychology and technology. Katherine Nahum FA 108 Great Art Capitals of Europe (Spring: 3) Satisfies Arts Core Requirement Students that have taken FA101 and FA 102 cannot take this class for credit. This course is for artists, art lovers, and travelers. It deals with selected works of painting, sculpture and architecture from the fifthcentury golden age of Athens through the post-impressionism of nineteenth century Paris. The course will treat particular monuments indepth, emphasizing their artistic styles, as well as the ideological and social contexts in which they were created. While looking at the art of the past, we will also consider how it has been interpreted by historians. Pamela Berger FA 109 Aspects of Art (Fall/Spring: 3) Satisfies Arts Core Requirement Art can be the stepping stone to the investigation and greater understanding of our world. In this course, we explore visual objects paintings, prints, sculptures and buildings which artists make to enrich our environment and expand our awareness of important issues. To get the artists message, we learn the formal and aesthetic premises of visual language and the vocabulary of each medium. We then approach some of the major issues revealed and influenced by art: images of divinity, the effects of patronage, art as a political forum, the roles of women, racial imagery, art and science. Judith Bookbinder FA 174 Islamic Art and Civilization (Fall: 3) Satisfies Cultural Diversity Core Requirement Islam, the religion revealed to the Prophet Muhammad in seventh-century Arabia, is the fastest growing religion in the world today, practiced by some one-fifth of the population around the globe. This course surveys the civilization that accompanied the spread of that religion over the past 1,400 years, with particular emphasis on art, architecture, literature, and society. Sheila Blair FA 176 Jerusalem (Fall: 3) Students will be expected to participate fully in class discussions based on readings and prepare several short (5-page) research reports. Enrollment is limited to 12, with preference given to Freshman. Jerusalem, a unique city, holy to and contested by the three great monotheistic religions of Judaism, Christianity, and Islam. To understand the conflicting claims, this seminar will explore the history and changing perception of the city over three thousand years not only through scripture and written sources but also through the study of physical remains, including archaeology, architecture, and art, and how representations of Jerusalem in art and cartography have changed over the centuries. This indisciplinary seminar is designed to introduce students, particularly freshmen, to a broad range of topics to the study of Art History, Middle Eastern and Islamic Studies. Johnathan M. Bloom FA 203 Great Cities of the Islamic Lands (Spring: 3) Satisfies Arts Core Requirement Satisfies Cultural Diversity Core Requirement Contrary to common stereotypes, Islam has traditionally been an urban culture. Its cities were some of the biggest in medieval times, and their products the finest money could buy. This course examines a dozen metropolises in the Islamic lands, ranging from Damascus in the seventh century to Delhi in the seventeenth, and their major monuments, both architecture and objects. Sheila Blair FA 204 The Roots of Civilization: Ancient Near Eastern and Aegean Art (Fall: 3) The beginnings of civilization in Mesopotamia (Iraq), Turkey and Iran, and the establishment of agriculture, writing, and urbanization, will be traced through art and monumental architecture, through to Egypt and Greece. From Neolithic times, themes of fertility, war, kingship and state, as well as animal representations and sacrifice to the gods, permeate the early art of the Eastern Mediterranean region and affect the development of the art of classical Greece. Diana McDonald FA 206 Art and Myth in Ancient Greece (Spring: 3) Cross Listed with CL 208 Satisfies Arts Core Requirement See course description in the Classical Studies Department. Gail Hoffman FA 207 Ruins of Ancient America: Temples and Tombs (Fall: 3) Satisfies Cultural Diversity Core Requirement The Aztec, Maya and Inca peoples, and their precursors in Mexico, Central America, and Peru, flourished prior to sixteenth-century Spanish conquest. Ancient Meso-American cultures shared an emphasis on a cosmic calendar, kinship, warfare, blood sacrifice, and an elborate ritual ball game. We will explore these, and the new theories on the classic Maya collapse and practice of human sacrifice. The Andes, with the vast Inca empire, and newly discovered tombs and enigmatic ceramics of the Moche in Peru, reveal an emphasis on nature worship and animal and supernatural images. Diana K. McDonald FA 213 Introduction to Islamic Art and Architecture (Fall/Spring: 3) Satisfies Cultural Diversity Core Requirement This course examines the development of Islamic art and architecture through a variety of different approaches. In class, we will examine a dozen masterpieces of Islamic art and architecture and their settings. The examples are drawn from many media, arranged chronologically and spread geographically throughout the Islamic lands. Sheila Blair FA 214 The Art of the Silk Road (Fall: 3) Satisfies Cultural Diversity Core Requirement The Silk Road is the term coined in the nineteenth century for the overland trade route that connected China to the Mediterranean via Central Asia and Iran. This course surveys the arts and ideas that traveled and developed along this trans-continental route over several millennia. Sheila Blair FA 216 Art and Archaeology of Homer and Troy (Fall: 3) Cross Listed with CL 216.01 See course description in the Classical Studies Department. Gail Hoffman

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