ARTH 424
Movement, Memory, Sacred Bond: Pilgrimage and Art in South Asia Spring 2016
Division I Exploring Diversity Initiative
Cross-listed ASST 424
This is not the current course catalog

Class Details

This seminar explores sacred places and pilgrimage practice in the diverse religious traditions of South Asia (Buddhism,Jainism,Hinduism, and Islam) and their intersection with artistic production. Pilgrimages to sacred sites are common practice in South Asia, understood as acts of devotion and piety — but how and why did the sites become sanctified in the first place? What roles did myth, landscape, and visual art play in creating or re-creating sacred sites? How was sacred space represented? Beginning with these questions, we will examine architecture, painted maps, portable sculptures, ritual vessels, and miniature models of sacred sites, and the ways in which they celebrate and commemorate the sanctity of holy sites, and in some cases, serve as surrogates of faraway pilgrimage places for those who cannot make the physical journey. We will explore diverse aspects of pilgrimage along the way, including pilgrimage and politics, pilgrimage and commerce, virtual pilgrimage, and contested pilgrimage. Visits to the Williams College Museum of Art and sites of worship near Williamstown will provide firsthand encounters with art objects and sacred spaces.
The Class: Format: seminar
Limit: 12
Expected: 12
Class#: 4011
Grading: no pass/fail option, yes fifth course option
Requirements/Evaluation: one 4-5 page paper, one final research paper (12-15 pages), presentations
Extra Info: may not be taken on a pass/fail basis
Prerequisites: some coursework in ARTH and/or ASST would be useful; or permission of instructor
Enrollment Preferences: majors
Distributions: Division I Exploring Diversity Initiative
Notes: This course is cross-listed and the prefixes carry the following divisional credit:
ARTH 424 Division I ASST 424 Division II
Attributes: ARTH Middle East, Asia and Africa Courses

Class Grid

Course Catalog Archive Search

TERM/YEAR
TEACHING MODE
SUBJECT
DIVISION



DISTRIBUTION



ENROLLMENT LIMIT
COURSE TYPE
Start Time
End Time
Day(s)