Write a 7 page paper (which may be as long as 9 pages if you really need the range) on one of the following topics or a topic that you come up with. All topics, however, must be approved by me. Decide early and I can help you with research. You are expected to do library research on the topics. Papers should include footnotes done in the style of the course style sheet. Click here for a copy of the style sheet and other paper suggestions and guidelines. This includes directions on how to incorporate images in your paper. Access to libraries beyond UCSC [UCB, Stanford] will greatly increase your scope.
How much library research is a question students often ask, but it is a difficult one to answer unless I know what your topic is. In some cases, there may be very few library resources on your topic. In other cases, there may be a plentitude of books and articles. On-line research may or may not be central to your topic. Generally, web sites offer only general information. Then again, sometimes one is surprised at what one finds. What I would say is that I expect to see signs of diligent research on what the library and on-line resources might be. Click here to go to a page which helps with research resources.
General Comments: There are many possibilities for topics having to do with architecture. One could take a single building, providing there is enough information on it, and do the entire paper on one structure. Another possibility is comparing two or three buildings, or tracing a line of development or change in a building type (mosque, tomb, medrese, or palace) over time.
It would be also be possible to take on a topic that considered architectural style(s) or the way, for example, Persian architecture was transformed when it was imported to India by the Moguls. Architectural decoration might also be a topic worth considering. I provide a few possibilities below.
1) The architecture of the Umayyad Desert Palaces. Take three examples of Umayyad period desert palaces (qasr) and discuss them in terms of their architectural prototypes, their individual differences, and their practical and ideological functions.
2) Variations in tomb architecture in Islamic architecture. The tomb of Sultan Hasan in Cairo, the tomb of Uljaitu in Sultaniya, and the Taj Mahal represent Islamic tombs from different periods and differing geographical locations. Examine the similarities and differences in the form, function, and symbolism of these structures [NB: One could exchange these tombs for others, or focus on one tomb like the Taj Mahal or the tomb of Humayun in Delhi]
3) The architecture of Sufism. Sufi shrines and tombs dot the Islamic world. Pick a series of around three of these and use them as springboards to discuss the phenomenon of Sufism in the Islamic world. You may be broad and pick Sufi structures from very different times and/or places, or you may be specific and consider, for example, the Sufi tombs of Morocco.
4) The modern mosque. Take two or three examples of modern mosques (build since 1950) and examine how they do or do not perpetuate earlier conventions of mosque architecture. How do the mosques use "modernist" architectural materials and forms? How do they remain traditional? How do the structures function as monuments and places for prayer and devotion? Be sure to consider who the patrons and architects were.
5) Hindu architectural elements in Mogul architecture. When the Moguls invaded India they hired Indian craftsmen to work on their buildings. Immediately Indian, Hindu architectural and decorative motifs began to appear in the Islamic architecture of India. Take a few structures as examples and study this phenomenon. Be sure not to make your paper a mere list of the adaptations. Consider the strategies of the Mogul emperors who readily accepted both the ideas and forms of Hinduism (Akbar, for example).
6) The aesthetics of architectural decoration in Islamic architecture. This topic tends towards the philosophical and religious aspects of decorations, which of course includes calligraphy as well as geometric and 'organic' decorations.
7) The architecture of Islamic West Africa. Although we do not spend any time with Africa below the Maghreb (Tunisia, Algeria, Morocco) and Egypt, many west/central African countries have a substantial Islamic presence. Study one or two examples of architecture from this region and examine the ways in which they are similar or different to the traditions and conventions we have been studying. Be sure to consider how the structures relate to their African social and historical context. The mosque at Jenne in Mali is the one that you will find the most information on.
8) Shah Abbas's plans for the New Isfahan c. 1600. Study the entire complex of Shah Abbas' plans to create a new city with the Shah mosque, the Latfalla mosque, the Maydan, the bazaar, and the Ali Qapu royal viewing platform. Consider as well the garden complexes. Why did Abbas undertake the project? What vision of the city did he have? How did this relate to his rule and what kind of ruler and parton he wanted to be?
9) Gardens in Islamic architecture. Much research has been done on Islamic gardens in relation to architecture, particularly the tomb. What forms did they take? What was the symbolism? What role did geometry play?
10) The architecture of the Tugluqs; Tugluqabad and Firuzabad. This early dynasty in India build many structures in these two locations. Take a broad view of Tugluq architectural patronage.
11) The city of Fathepur Sikri. The moghul emperor Akbar built the great city of Fathepur Sikri not far from Agra, India. Analyze the reasons for Akbar's building of the city and what some of the main buildings were used for. Give an idea of the meaning of the city through an analysis of the patronage and building functions and symbolism.
Manuscript Painting and Book Arts:
1) Take any school of painting and examine the style and iconography of a few particular examples of images (or images and text should you want to consider the calligraphy as well). Discuss the images in the context of the entire book and what its cultural function was. Was is a Koran? A copy of the Shahname? A scientific or medical text?
2) The history of the Koran. Take a few copies of the Koran from different periods and consider the variations in the presentation, style, and calligraphy of the text.
3) Calligraphy. Give a detailed acount of the history and significance of Arabic calligraphy as an art. Examine aspects such as the different styles and modes, treatises on calligraphy, function of calligraphic decoration on architecture, and so on.
Ceramics and Metalwork:
Topics in this category could take a few forms or types of decorations, or a survey of the ceramics or metalwork of a period or region. One might consider issues such as the Chinese influence on Islamic ceramics. See me for resources.
Contemporary Muslim Artists:
The definition of this topic parallels some of the general issues around the problems in the term "Islamic Art". Here, I will say that the artists need not be practicing Muslims, but that they come from backgrounds which inform their current engagement with Islam in any form, including political or social issues.
Two artists stand out, partially because there are sufficient research resources available: Shahzia Sikander and Shirin Neshat. Sikander's work is often in miniature painting, in which she invokes aspects and imagery of earlier Islamic manuscripts. Neshat, however, works with modern materials and uses film, video, and installations as well as numerous modern and post-modern artistic strategies. See me for resources. If you know of other artists and you'd like to work on them, then let me know and we can hammer out a topic.
Islamic Art, Modernity and Post-Modernity:
1) For those of you interested in art theory and contemporary issues, you might want to look at a few contemporary "Islamic" artists [May include aspects of the topic above]. Dealing with the problems of the term will be one challenge, but also to see how the artists negotiate problems such as modernity in traditional societies, the relation to the past, the role and social standing of the 'artist', and so on.
2) Orientalism: The possibilities here are also fairly wide. You may, for example, concentrate specifically on the paintings of Gerome or Ingres. Some familiarity with 19th century French painting might help with this topic, since it is not really an 'Islamic art' topic in the proper sense.