ARTH 535
The Medieval Object Fall 2018
Division I
Cross-listed
This is not the current course catalog

Class Details

After years of focusing on theory, scholars of medieval art have returned to an examination of physical objects. Distinctly strange and even monstrous, such small material things as reliquaries, liturgical vessels, game pieces, and textiles transgress the traditional categories of art, some made from precious materials and others of such base substances as bones and dirt. Even books were treated as tangible things, not only to be read as texts, but also to be looked at, paraded, and displayed with the Eucharist. Collected in church treasuries during the Middle Ages, exchanged, and reconfigured, medieval objects served simultaneously as earthly assets and spiritual investments. The seminar will focus on the making, function, and collecting of medieval objects. Each student will participate in weekly discussions stimulated by the instructor’s presentations and selected readings. Students will also conduct research on an object available for study, will present an analysis of it for discussion by the class, and submit a 15- to 20-page term paper taking into account any comments and criticisms.
The Class: Format: seminar; three hours per week
Limit: 16
Expected: 14
Class#: 1044
Grading: no pass/fail option, yes fifth course option
Requirements/Evaluation: class participation, oral presentation, 15- to 20-page research paper
Extra Info: may not be taken on a pass/fail basis
Prerequisites: none
Enrollment Preferences: Art majors and Art History graduate students; 16 (8 undergrad, 8 graduate)
Distributions: Division I
Notes: This course is cross-listed and the prefixes carry the following divisional credit:
ARTH 535 Division I ARTH 435 Division I
Attributes: ARTH pre-1600 Courses

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