Islamic Archaeology (winter term 2014/2015)
Webinar: Introduction to Islamic Material Culture - Islamic Archaeology
by Bethany Walker, Bonn University
start Wednesday Oct. 8, 2014 at 6-8 pm.
Course description and requirements:
This is a webinar course, taught via Adobe Connect and Skype. In it students will be introduced to the basic methods and scope of inquiry of Islamic archaeology, as a way of studying material culture, and will better understand its conceptual and methodological relationship to kindred disciplines, such as Islamic Studies, Art History, Sociology and Anthropology, and Cultural History. The potential of archaeological scope of inquiry and methods for answering questions related to economic, socio-cultural, and environmental history will be emphasized. Chronological range is 7th-19th c. CE., with case studies taken from sites throughout the Islamic world. Comparisons across cultures (with non-Muslim culture) will be also made as needed.
Students will acquire a degree of competence in reading archaeological reports, accessing and using a variety of electronic resources, framing research questions and projects appropriate to the discipline, methods related to combining textual and material cultural analysis, assessing evidence and relevance of the long durée concept of social change, and basic concepts of spatial analysis. Assignments include leading one webinar during the semester; writing a grant proposal for a mock project; and the occasional, ungraded short written assignments on weekly readings.
Prerequisites: Spoken and written proficiency in English language. Otherwise, there are no prerequisites. The course is open to all MA students (regardless of major). All students need a computer, reliable internet access, and a headset.
Students from outside the University of Bonn have to apply with a short CV and a motivation letter in English. Students of Hamburg University can choose this course in their Wahlbereich. These will be emailed to Prof. Bethany Walker at: bwalker@uni-bonn.de. A short Skype interview will be conducted afterwards. Preference is given to students from universities where a special agreement exists.