THE AMERICAN UNIVERSITY OF PARIS

COURSE TITLE:
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PROFESSOR:
CLASS SCHEDULE:
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Introduction to Islamic Art & Architecture

COURSE NO:
n/a
SEMESTER:
Anna Russakoff, Ph.D.
CREDITS:
Tues. 12h10-13h30 & Fri. 12h10-15h05
ROOM NO:
Tuesdays, 11h00-12h00 and by appointment
PERIOD (S):
Room C-502
x 607
arussakoff@aup.fr; Combes mailbox. (e-mail preferred)

AH 2024
Spring 2015
4
C-101
T 3, F 3 & 4

COURSE CONTENT
The middle of the 7th century CE saw with the rise of Islam the creation of a new religion and of a great military
empire. It was in these early years that Islamic Art developed and coalesced into a definitive style. By looking at
early monuments such as the Dome of the Rock and the Great Mosque of Damascus, this class will explore the
ways in which the rulers of the first Islamic empires combined existing artistic styles with new Islamic elements
to develop what we now identify as Islamic Art. The class will also discuss issues such as how the precepts of
Islamic belief affected early Islamic Art, and the ways in which the early Islamic rulers used art and architecture
to express their growing power.
In the 15th century, the Mongol invasions brought Chinese influence to the Islamic world and in many ways
completely changed both its art and its society. The period from 1400 to 1800 saw the rise of many of the great
Islamic empires: the Timurids in Central Asia, the Safavids in Iran, the Mughals in India, and the Ottomans in
Anatolia. The art of this period, from the miniatures of the Safavid court to elaborate Mughal tombs such as the
Taj Mahal, reflects the wealth and power of these great empires as well as a strong identity that can be traced
back to the earliest days of Islam.
Islamic Art is dynamic and multifaceted, and we will explore painting, sculpture and architecture, as well as
portable arts including ceramics, ivory, metalwork, and illuminated manuscripts. Thematically, we will engage
with topics such as the uses of figural and non-figural imagery, calligraphy and ornament, religious and secular
art, public and private art, the art of the court, and the meaning(s) of the portable arts. We will also consider how
trade, diplomacy, political influence and the arts linked the West, the Middle East and East Asia together,
making Islamic art a fertile intersection of cross-cultural influence in all of the arts.
STUDENT LEARNING GOALS:
Ability to identify major monuments of Islamic art, including geographical locations and approximate dates;
expanding cross-cultural awareness; honing visual analysis and concise writing skills.
GENERAL EDUCATION: This course fulfills one or more General Education requirement ___ Yes ___No
If yes specify: C, Comparing Worlds Past & Present: Historical and Cross-Cultural Understandings
The general education program at AUP consists of four requirements: Speaking the World, Modeling the World,
Mapping the World, and Comparing Worlds Past and Present.
This course can be used to fulfill the Comparing the Worlds Past and Present requirement and as such has the
following learning objectives:
Cross-cultural awareness
Establishing historical chronology
Comparison of visual culture(s) across several time periods and cultures
TEXTBOOK:
REQUIRED:
Jonathan Bloom & Sheila Blair, Islamic Arts. London: Phaidon Press
ATTENDANCE: Required. It is the students responsibility to make up the work if a class is missed. Excessive
absences - more than FOUR (4) times - OR lateness - more than SIX (6) times, regardless of the excuses - will
result in failure of the course, regardless of other grades received.
GRADING:

Class participation:
Paper #1 (ca. 2-3 pages, due Feb. 17):
Paper #2 (ca. 2-3 pages, due Apr. 3):

10%
10%
15%

Paper #3 (ca. 5 pages, due Apr. 28):

Midterm Exam (Mar. 17):
Final Exam (May 15):

20%
20%
25%

N.B.: late papers will receive grade penalties. Re-writes will only be accepted for papers that
were originally handed in on time, and only if they are handed in along with the original,
marked-up paper.
Make-up exams will only be given in documented cases of extreme medical or personal
emergencies, and only if the Professor is notified prior to the exam.
Please note: Students are responsible for all images covered in class for the exams.
PowerPoint presentations of all lectures will be posted on our Blackboard site. Failure of both
exams will result in a failing grade for the course, regardless of the grades received on the
papers. Evidence of cheating or plagiarism/fraud will also result in a failing grade for the entire
course regardless of all other work, and will be reported to the Office of Academic Integrity.
MUSEUM VISITS: Three museum visits are planned: two to the Muse du Louvre, and one to the Institut du
Monde Arabe. The days we go to the museums we will use the longer class time on Fridays (periods 3 and 4) to
ensure that everyone has enough time to get there and back without missing any other classes.
CLASSROOM DECORUM: Since classes at AUP are small, it is extremely important to be considerate of your
fellow classmates and your professors. I ask that the following measures be respected in my class:
1) You are expected to arrive on time. If you are more than 10 minutes late, you may be asked to
leave, since it will be counted in any case as an absence (rather than as lateness).
2) Class lasts only one hour and twenty minutes. Please use the facilities before or after. People will
NOT be permitted to leave the classroom except in cases of extreme emergencies/medical
conditions, which must be discussed with the professor either before or after class.
3) No eating allowed in class.
4) All phones & other electronic devices MUST be turned off for the duration of the class. The one
exception is that I will allow you to take notes on a tablet/laptop. However, if it becomes clear that
you are using the device for purposes other than taking notes (i.e. Facebook, etc.), you will be
asked to turn off your computer immediately for the rest of that class. If it happens again, you will
lose the privilege of using your device to take notes in my class for the rest of the semester.
Students using tablets/laptops are required to sit in the front two rows of the classroom!
ATTENDANCE POLICY:
Students studying at The American University of Paris are expected to attend ALL scheduled classes,
and in case of absence, should contact their professors to explain the situation. It is the students
responsibility to be aware of any specific attendance policy that a faculty member might have set in the
course syllabus. The French Department, for example, has its own attendance policy, and students
are responsible for compliance. Academic Affairs will excuse an absence for students participation in
study trips related to their courses.
Attendance at all exams is mandatory.
IN ALL CASES OF MISSED COURSE MEETINGS, THE RESPONSIBILITY FOR COMMUNICATION WITH
THE PROFESSOR, AND FOR ARRANGING TO MAKE UP MISSED WORK, RESTS SOLELY WITH THE
STUDENT.
Whether an absence is excused or not is ALWAYS up to the discretion of the professor or the department.
Unexcused absences can result in a low or failing participation grade. In the case of excessive absences, it is up
to the professor or the department to decide if the student will receive an F for the course. An instructor may
recommend that a student withdraw, if absences have made it impossible to continue in the course at a
satisfactory level.
Students must be mindful of this policy when making their travel arrangements, and especially during the
Drop/Add and Exam Periods.
ENGLISH LANGUAGE PROFICIENCY STATEMENT: As an Anglophone university, The American University of
Paris is strongly committed to effective English language mastery at the undergraduate level. Most courses
require scholarly research and formal written and oral presentations in English, and AUP students are expected
to strive to achieve excellence in these domains as part of their course work. To that end, professors include
English proficiency among the criteria in student evaluation, often referring students to the university Writing Lab

where they may obtain help on specific academic assignments. Proficiency in English is monitored at various
points throughout the student's academic career, most notably during the admissions and advising processes,
while the student is completing general education requirements, and during the accomplishment of degree
program courses and senior theses.
OUTLINE: subject to slight changes.
Note: the readings that are not from your required purchase will be either posted on our Blackboard site or are
available on-line through JSTOR.
Week 1 (Jan 20 and Jan 23) - Introduction, the World before Islam; the origins of the Islamic tradition
Week 2 (Jan 27 and Jan 30) - The Umayyad period: The First Islamic monuments, beginnings of Empire (650750)
Week 3 (Feb 3 and Feb 6) - The Abbasid tradition: Empire and Breakdown (750-1000)
Reading: Blair and Bloom Chap. 1
LOUVRE VISIT #1 ON FEB. 6
Week 4 (Feb 10 and 13) - Textiles, Manuscripts and Decorative arts in the Early Islamic World
Reading: Blair and Bloom Chaps. 2-4
Week 5 (Feb 17 and Feb. 20) - The Muslim West: North Africa, Spain and Sicily
Reading: Blair and Bloom: 141-146, 223-236, 249-257
PAPER #1 DUE ON FEB. 17
SPRING BREAK
Week 6 (March 10 and March 13) - The Muslim East: Iran and Central Asia
Reading: Blair and Bloom: 146-165, 193-200, 257-271
VISIT TO INSTITUT DU MONDE ARABE ON MAR. 13
Week 7 (March 17 and March 20) MIDTERM (Mar. 17) & Medieval Islam to the Mongol Invasion
Reading: Blair and Bloom: 249-257, 271-279
Week 8- (March 24 and March 27) - Medieval Islam to the Mongol Invasion, cont
TRIP TO SEVILLE, CORDOBA AND ALHAMBRA: March 27-30
Week 9 (March 31 and April 3) - The Mongol Invasion and Mamluk Egypt
Reading: Blair and Bloom: 171-191, 271-283
PAPER #2 DUE ON APR. 3
Week 10 (April 7 and April 10) - Ilkhanids and Timurids in Central Asia
Reading: Blair and Bloom: 162-171, 200-220
Week 11 (April 14 and April 17) - Safavid Iran
Reading: Blair and Bloom: 287-292, 302-321, 331-346, 363-372
Week 12 (April 21 and April 24) - Mughal India
Reading: Blair and Bloom: 321-328, 347-360, 381-388, 405-413
LOUVRE VISIT #2 ON APR. 24
Week 13 (April 28) - The Ottoman Empire
Reading: Blair and Bloom: 295-302, 346-347, 372-381, 391-405
PAPER #3 DUE ON APR. 28
Week 14 (May 5) - The Islamic World in East and West in Early Modern Times
Reading: Blair and Bloom, Epilogue
FINAL EXAM: FRIDAY MAY 15 FROM 12H00-14H30

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Baer, Eva. The Human Figure in Early Islamic Art: Some Preliminary Remarks. Muqarnas 16 (1999): 32-41.
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Blair, S. and J. Bloom. The Art and Architecture of Islam, 1250-1800. New Haven: Yale University Press, 1996.
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