Course Catalogue

View Specification Document | Reading List

This course examines representations of the Earth's environment and the interaction between humans and more-than-humans (that is, non-human living beings) in the visual and textual traditions of the early modern Mediterranean, c. 1300-1600, a region that is warming 20% faster than the global average. We will survey Italian, Byzantine, and Islamic visual and textual cultures to investigate the interconnectedness of humans and more-than-humans in the early modern imagination. The advantages and disadvantages of ecocriticism as a methodological approach to early modern art history will also be explored as an integral part of the course.

1 x 1hr lecture per week over 10 weeks as scheduled on MyCampus.

1 x 1hr seminar per week over 10 weeks as scheduled on MyCampus.

Available to all students fulfilling requirements for Honours entry into History of Art, and by arrangement to visiting students or students of other Honours programmes who qualify under the University's 25% regulation.

None

None

Essay (2000 words) - 60%

Presentation (10 minutes) - 10%

Catalogue entry (1000 words) - 30%

Reassessments are normally available for all courses, except those which contribute to the Honours classification. Where, exceptionally, reassessment on Honours courses is required to satisfy professional/accreditation requirements, only the overall course grade achieved at the first attempt will contribute to the Honours classification. For non-Honours courses, students are offered reassessment in all or any of the components of assessment if the satisfactory (threshold) grade for the overall course is not achieved at the first attempt. This is normally grade D3 for undergraduate students and grade C3 for postgraduate students. Exceptionally it may not be possible to offer reassessment of some coursework items, in which case the mark achieved at the first attempt will be counted towards the final course grade. Any such exceptions for this course are described below. 

This course aims to:

■ Analyse the visual arts of the early modern Mediterranean through an interdisciplinary (art history, history, literary studies) and ecocritical perspective.

■ Engage critically and historically with selected early modern artworks to assess their ecological significance.

■ Introduce students to early modern views of the Earth that will contribute to the development of ecological thinking in art-historical inquiry.

■ Foster students' interdisciplinary learning, critical thinking, and research skills by engaging in a critical assessment of the correlation between art and the environment.

■ Establish how the current ecological crisis is calling for a reconsideration of our approach to art history and the humanities.

By the end of the course students will be able to:

■ Understand and critically use key concepts from Environmental Humanities in their study of early modern art.

■ Develop critical thinking skills for the comparative study of visual cultures (i.e., Italian, Islamic, Byzantine)

■ Undertake independent research on a relevant topic of their choice with confidence.

■ Actively engage in an interdisciplinary learning environment by means of discussions, presentations, and collaborative activities.

■ Demonstrate a comprehensive knowledge and deep understanding of ecocriticism and how it relates to the artistic and intellectual context of the early modern Mediterranean.

Students must submit at least 75% by weight of the components (including examinations) of the course's summative assessment.