ARHT3678: Semester 2, 2020

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Units ARHT3678 Semester 2 2020 [Normal day]

Unit of study_

ARHT3678: Arts of the Book in the Islamic World

Semester 2, 2020 [Normal day] - Camperdown/Darlington, Sydney

Overview

This course provides a thematic chronological survey of Islamic book arts, drawing on both visual traditions and key texts. Starting with early Qur'ans, we move to illustrated manuscripts, portraiture, and albums in the medieval and early modern periods, including several examples from Sydney's collections, and end with the shift to print cultures in the 19th century. Throughout this chronological overview, we explore themes and questions such as patronage, authorship, workshop practices, word-image relations, sensory experience, audience, transmission, connections with other media and manuscript cultures, as well as the collecting and display of works-on-paper in museums.

Unit details and rules

Unit code	ARHT3678
Academic unit	Art History
Credit points	6
Prohibitions ?	None
Prerequisites ?	12 credit points at 2000 level in Art History
Corequisites ?	None
Assumed knowledge ?	None
Available to study abroad and exchange students	Yes

Teaching staff

Coordinator	Peyvand Firouzeh, peyvand.firouzeh@sydney.edu.au

Type	Description	Weight	Due	Length
Assignment	Research Project Object based research essay	45%	Formal exam period Due date: 30 Nov 2020 at 23:59 Closing date: 30 Nov 2020	2000 words
Outcomes assessed:
Assignment	Object Analysis 2 pieces of written object analysis based on materials discussed in class	25%	Multiple weeks Due date: 30 Sep 2020 at 23:59 Closing date: 11 Nov 2020	1000 words (2x500 words)
Outcomes assessed:
Assignment	Group Curatorial Project Object based curatorial project in groups of 3-4	30%	Week 09 Due date: 28 Oct 2020 at 23:59 Closing date: 28 Oct 2020	equivalent 1500 words
Outcomes assessed:
= hurdle task ? = group assignment ?

Assessment summary

Detailed information for each assessment can be found on Canvas.

Assessment criteria

See Guide to grades on the Current students website for a description of grade ranges.

For more information see guide to grades.

Late submission

In accordance with University policy, these penalties apply when written work is submitted after 11:59pm on the due date:

Deduction of 5% of the maximum mark for each calendar day after the due date.
After ten calendar days late, a mark of zero will be awarded.

This unit has an exception to the standard University policy or supplementary information has been provided by the unit coordinator. This information is displayed below:

Written assignments submitted late without permission (see Special Considerations: http://sydney.edu.au/students/special-consideration-and-arrangements.html) will incur a late penalty equal to 5% of the maximum awardable mark per day. These deductions will continue for 10 calendar days or until a solution for the assignment is released or marked assignments are returned to other students. At that point the mark awarded will be zero. For example, on an assignment given a mark of 70/100, the penalty would be 5 marks if submitted up to 24 hours late, resulting in a final mark of 65/100. If the assignment is submitted 6 days late, the penalty would be 30 marks and the final mark would be 40/100. If the assignment is more than 10 days late, the final mark will be zero.

Academic integrity

The Current Student website provides information on academic integrity and the resources available to all students. The University expects students and staff to act ethically and honestly and will treat all allegations of academic integrity breaches seriously.

We use similarity detection software to detect potential instances of plagiarism or other forms of academic integrity breach. If such matches indicate evidence of plagiarism or other forms of academic integrity breaches, your teacher is required to report your work for further investigation.

You may only use artificial intelligence and writing assistance tools in assessment tasks if you are permitted to by your unit coordinator, and if you do use them, you must also acknowledge this in your work, either in a footnote or an acknowledgement section.

Studiosity is permitted for postgraduate units unless otherwise indicated by the unit coordinator. The use of this service must be acknowledged in your submission.

Learning support

Simple extensions

If you encounter a problem submitting your work on time, you may be able to apply for an extension of five calendar days through a simple extension.  The application process will be different depending on the type of assessment and extensions cannot be granted for some assessment types like exams.

Special consideration

If exceptional circumstances mean you can’t complete an assessment, you need consideration for a longer period of time, or if you have essential commitments which impact your performance in an assessment, you may be eligible for special consideration or special arrangements.

Special consideration applications will not be affected by a simple extension application.

Using AI responsibly

Co-created with students, AI in Education includes lots of helpful examples of how students use generative AI tools to support their learning. It explains how generative AI works, the different tools available and how to use them responsibly and productively.

Weekly schedule

WK	Topic	Learning activity
Week 01	Introducing Islamic Arts of the Book	Lecture (1 hr)
	Contentious Manuscripts	Seminar (1 hr)
	Terminologies of painting, calligraphy, and book-making	Tutorial (1 hr)
Week 02	Islamicate Manuscripts as Art History	Lecture (1 hr)
	Persian Painting and the Canon of Islamic Art	Seminar (1 hr)
	Assignment workshop: Research Project	Tutorial (1 hr)
Week 03	The Qur’an and Beginnings of Islamic Arts of the Book	Lecture (1 hr)
	Object Seminar: The Architecture of the Qur’an page	Seminar (1 hr)
	Assignment workshop: Curatorial Lab	Tutorial (1 hr)
Week 04	The Evolution of Calligraphic Scripts	Online class (1 hr)
Week 04	Collection Visit: Art Gallery of NSW	Field trip (2 hr)
Week 05	Epic Painting: The Book of Kings	Online class (1 hr)
Week 05	Collection Visit: Art Gallery of NSW	Field trip (2 hr)
Week 06	Text, Image and Performance	Lecture (1 hr)
	Object Seminar: The Maqamat (Assemblies) of al-Hariri	Seminar (1 hr)
	Assignment workshop: Research Essay Outline	Tutorial (1 hr)
Week 07	Transregional Manuscripts and the Reinvention of Traditions	Lecture (1 hr)
	Object Seminar: The Shahnama (Book of Kings) in India	Seminar (1 hr)
	Assignment workshop: Curatorial Lab	Tutorial (1 hr)
Week 08	Illustrated Histories: Politics and Genealogies	Lecture (1 hr)
	Object Seminar: The Jami‘ al-tavarikh (Compendium of Chronicles)	Seminar (1 hr)
	Assignment Workshop: Curatorial Lab	Tutorial (1 hr)
Week 09	The Persianate Album: Word, Image and Collecting Practices	Lecture (1 hr)
	Making Manuscripts and Workshop Practices	Seminar (1 hr)
	Assignment Workshop: Object analysis exercise	Tutorial (1 hr)
Week 10	Portraits and Signatures	Lecture (1 hr)
	Object Seminar: Single-page portraits	Seminar (1 hr)
	Assignment Workshop: Object analysis exercise	Tutorial (1 hr)
Week 11	A Sensorial Approach to Book Arts	Lecture (1 hr)
	Representations of the Prophet	Seminar (1 hr)
	Assignment Workshop: Research Essay drop in	Tutorial (1 hr)
Week 12	Past, Present, and Future of Manuscript Cultures in the Islamic World	Online class (1 hr)
Week 12	Exhibition Visit: Art Gallery of NSW	Field trip (2 hr)

Attendance and class requirements

Attendance: According to Faculty Board Resolutions, students in the Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences are expected to attend 90% of their classes. If you attend less than 50% of classes, regardless of the reasons, you may be referred to the Examiner’s Board. The Examiner’s Board will decide whether you should pass or fail the unit of study if your attendance falls below this threshold. In case of clashes or any concerns about attendance please get in touch with your unit coordinator as soon as possible.
Lecture recording: Most lectures will be recorded and may be made available to students on the LMS. However, you should not rely on lecture recording to substitute your classroom learning experience.
Preparation: Students should commit to spend approximately three hours’ preparation time (reading, studying, homework, essays, etc.) for every hour of scheduled instruction.

Study commitment

Typically, there is a minimum expectation of 1.5-2 hours of student effort per week per credit point for units of study offered over a full semester. For a 6 credit point unit, this equates to roughly 120-150 hours of student effort in total.

Required readings

All readings for this unit can be accessed through eReserve, available on Canvas.

Learning outcomes

Learning outcomes are what students know, understand and are able to do on completion of a unit of study. They are aligned with the University's graduate qualities and are assessed as part of the curriculum.

Outcomes
Graduate qualities

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 apply skills of observation and analysis of visual materials, extending and amplifying their critical practice.
LO3. 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.
LO4. 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.
LO5. 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.
LO6. 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.

Graduate qualities

The graduate qualities are the qualities and skills that all University of Sydney graduates must demonstrate on successful completion of an award course. As a future Sydney graduate, the set of qualities have been designed to equip you for the contemporary world.

GQ1	Depth of disciplinary expertise Deep disciplinary expertise is the ability to integrate and rigorously apply knowledge, understanding and skills of a recognised discipline defined by scholarly activity, as well as familiarity with evolving practice of the discipline.
GQ2	Critical thinking and problem solving Critical thinking and problem solving are the questioning of ideas, evidence and assumptions in order to propose and evaluate hypotheses or alternative arguments before formulating a conclusion or a solution to an identified problem.
GQ3	Oral and written communication Effective communication, in both oral and written form, is the clear exchange of meaning in a manner that is appropriate to audience and context.
GQ4	Information and digital literacy Information and digital literacy is the ability to locate, interpret, evaluate, manage, adapt, integrate, create and convey information using appropriate resources, tools and strategies.
GQ5	Inventiveness Generating novel ideas and solutions.
GQ6	Cultural competence Cultural Competence is the ability to actively, ethically, respectfully, and successfully engage across and between cultures. In the Australian context, this includes and celebrates Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander cultures, knowledge systems, and a mature understanding of contemporary issues.
GQ7	Interdisciplinary effectiveness Interdisciplinary effectiveness is the integration and synthesis of multiple viewpoints and practices, working effectively across disciplinary boundaries.
GQ8	Integrated professional, ethical, and personal identity An integrated professional, ethical and personal identity is understanding the interaction between one’s personal and professional selves in an ethical context.
GQ9	Influence Engaging others in a process, idea or vision.

Outcome map

Learning outcomes	Graduate qualities
Learning outcomes

Responding to student feedback

This section outlines changes made to this unit following staff and student reviews.

This is the first time this unit has been offered.

Additional information

For more information about this unit please refer to the unit’s Canvase site.

Disclaimer

The University reserves the right to amend units of study or no longer offer certain units, including where there are low enrolment numbers.

To help you understand common terms that we use at the University, we offer an online glossary.

Current students

Overview

Overview

Unit details and rules

Teaching staff

Assessment

Assessment

Assessment summary

Assessment criteria

Late submission

Academic integrity

Learning support

Learning support

Simple extensions

Special consideration

Using AI responsibly

Weekly schedule

Weekly schedule

Attendance and class requirements

Study commitment

Required readings

Learning outcomes

Learning outcomes

Graduate qualities

Outcome map

Responding to student feedback

Responding to student feedback

Additional information

Additional information

Disclaimer

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