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Unit of study_
ARHT3678: Text, Image, Sound: Islamic Book Arts
2025 unit information
This unit provides a thematic study of historical and contemporary book arts in the Islamic world, drawing on the art of painting and calligraphy as well as key texts to engage with the foundational interrelations between text, image, orality and other forms of sensory experience. Starting with early Qurans, we move to pre-modern illustrated manuscripts, and modern and contemporary works of art inspired by manuscript cultures, exploring histories of authorship, portraiture, patronage, workshop practices, audience and perception, as well as the collecting and display of manuscripts in museums. Several site visits to Sydneys various collections offer opportunities for object-based learning.
Unit details and rules
Managing faculty or University school:
Arts and Social Sciences
| Study level | Undergraduate |
|---|---|
| Academic unit | Art History |
| Credit points | 6 |
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Prerequisites:
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12 credit points at 2000 level in Art History or 6 credit points at 2000 level in Art History and CASF1001 and CASF1002 |
|---|---|
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Corequisites:
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None |
| Prohibitions:
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None |
| Assumed knowledge:
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None |
At the completion of this unit, you should be able to:
- LO1. By the end of this unit the student will be able to identify and analyse manuscripts and other works-on-paper from Islamic world.
- LO2. By the end of this unit the student will be able to identify the common relationships between contemporary, modern and pre-modern works of art from the Islamic world and parse out historical inspirations in contemporary works of art.
- LO3. By the end of this unit the student will be able to apply skills of observation and analysis of visual materials, extending and amplifying their critical practice.
- LO4. By the end of this unit the student will be able to exhibit skills and abilities in presenting visual material through critical argument in extended written and oral presentations.
- LO5. By the end of this unit the student will be able to assume responsibility for their own research methods and encounter the full spectrum of methods of research and scholarship.
- LO6. By the end of this unit the student will be able to engage with peers during the preparation of tutorials, group discussions and oral presentations.
- LO7. By the end of this unit the student will have encountered and engaged with a variety of traditions of book-making and will have explored the critical debates that relate these different traditions to broader, global histories of the book.
Unit availability
This section lists the session, attendance modes and locations the unit is available in. There is a unit outline for each of the unit availabilities, which gives you information about the unit including assessment details and a schedule of weekly activities.
The outline is published 2 weeks before the first day of teaching. You can look at previous outlines for a guide to the details of a unit.
| Session | MoA ? | Location | Outline ? |
|---|---|---|---|
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Semester 2 2025
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Normal day | Camperdown/Darlington, Sydney |
Outline unavailable
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Modes of attendance (MoA)
This refers to the Mode of attendance (MoA) for the unit as it appears when you’re selecting your units in Sydney Student. Find more information about modes of attendance on our website.
