Syllabus

This syllabus is subject to change. Reading assignments and weekly topics will be added prior to the beginning of Spring semester.

EGYT 1500: Egyptian Art and Architecture I: Predynastic-Middle Kingdom
Spring 2011
Laurel Bestock

Course Description:

Ancient Egyptian art and architecture had a remarkably long history, and much that was produced is amazingly well preserved. Egyptian art is immediately recognizable today, and has been consistently one of the biggest draws to museums for well over a century. This course will examine Egyptian art from the Predynastic period through the Middle Kingdom (c. 4500-1640 BC). We will focus not only on the visual properties of what was made but also on the social, political and religious contexts of art; materials and technologies of production; and how developments in art and architecture can be used to understand cultural change more broadly in Egypt. We will also examine issues of Egyptian art in the modern museum, looking briefly at conservation, display, education, and cultural patrimony.

Course goals:

In addition to becoming familiar with the objects and buildings created by Egyptians over the time-span in question, students in this class will develop a range of abilities. We will work particularly on skills of observation, critical analysis and argumentation, writing, discussion and presentation. These skills will allow students to best appreciate the art we are studying and to evaluate it both aesthetically and in terms of its historical contexts. As such, using art as the mechanism, students will come to better understand early Egypt.

Assignments and grading:

50% Weekly presentations and wiki-postings
10% Class discussion/participation
20% Research paper
20% Final exam

Presentations and class discussions

Every week will be a combination of specific and general. We will begin by using specific pieces to illustrate trends and points (and to make sure that there are no gaps in the “greatest hits” you’re exposed to); we will then make broad statements about developments regarding genres, contexts, styles, subjects and technologies using the specific items from the first half of class to illustrate our broad points. To do this there will be each week a list of important objects and buildings and every student will, every week, give a short (4-5 minute) presentation of one listed piece. Objects will be treated with individual presentations. Architecture is often more complicated and may be broken into pieces so that those will be group presentations. Each week after these short presentations we will discuss how the illustrated pieces work together to help us understand the topic of the week. I will give one-two sources for each object/building but you are expected to read more. I will post lists of objects/architecture for each week to the wiki at the beginning of the semester. Every member of the class must sign up for a topic for each week, always two weeks prior to the week in question. Each time you fail to sign up on time I will deduct 2 points from your final grade. If you have an object or building you wish to discuss that is not on the list you may petition to do it instead of one of the listed items; you must receive written (e-mailed) permission from me for such substitutions.

The purpose of weekly presentations is to provide a thorough overview of each piece, its context and meaning, and issues it may raise. Some pieces are so complex that an overview is all that can be given, while in some cases a simple piece can be dealt with in depth in the given time. You should start with a physical description of the piece (material, size, what is represented on it, how it is organized, etc). Then discuss its context and meaning, indicating where it was found, who its presumed intended audience was, precedent for such pieces, what its function was and how it achieved that function, whether or not it is representative, rare or unique, and in the later case how we can (or cannot) understand it.

Some themes to consider in preparing presentations:

Audience

Function

Technologies and materials

Color and scale

Iconography

Weekly presentations MUST be illustrated. For smoothness, images as a PowerPoint document must be e-mailed to me by 10am the day of class and I will assemble them into a single PowerPoint. Presentations will always be arranged chronologically, as the wiki lists will be, so you know when to expect your own presentation. Your file sent to me should always start with a slide giving your name, the name or simple description of your piece (i.e.: seated statue of Menkaure; Sun Temple of Niussere), and the location and museum accession number of your piece (i.e.: Boston, MFA, 09.204; Abu Ghurob), and an overall picture of your object. Strive to make helpful and high quality slides. Aim for 3-8 slides; more will be difficult to cover in the allotted time. Your images should be photos and drawings rather than text. Some should thoroughly illustrate your piece; others should show a small selection of relevant comparanda and give information as to known or presumed context for your piece (i.e. a site plan for a building or a tomb plan for a relief).

Images from presentations and short annotated bibliographies must be posted to the wiki within 24 hours of class ending each week. This will allow all students to refer back to the material discussed in class and will point them to sources should they wish to discuss any of these items in their papers.

Weekly presentations and the subsequent posting of them to the wiki account for 50% of your grade. Because they are weekly you CANNOT miss any class without negatively affecting your grade. If you will miss class for any reason you must alert the professor beforehand and complete a 1500 word illustrated write-up about your object, with a bibliography. In the case of a documented medical excuse for absence this write-up will count as your presentation and will be so graded. For unexcused absences, this write-up can receive no more than half credit for the missed presentation.

10% of the grade will be based on participation in class discussions. These discussions, which will take approximately half of each course meeting following presentations, are designed to draw together the general readings done by the entire class and the objects/buildings presented.

Research Paper

One research paper is required, of approximately 10-12 pages length. Papers will be a combination of the very detailed approach presentations have required and the more contextual approach we have taken in discussions. Posted topics will focus on a set of objects or buildings; students will then develop arguments about the relation of these objects/buildings to one another, their function, technologies of production, and their place in the trajectory of Egyptian art history. A set of topics and preliminary bibliographies will be posted on the wiki. Students may petition the professor to write on a different topic if so desired, but must receive written approval of a topic and preliminary bibliography no later than March 20. This paper will be for 20% of the final grade; it is due by e-mail to the professor no later than midnight on the last day the course meets before Reading Period.

Graduate students must develop their own topic rather than writing on one of the posted questions. They will write papers of 20-25 pages that will be assessed for 40% of the course grade.

Final Exam

The final exam, given to undergraduate students during final period, will be 20% of the grade. The final will consist of 7 sets of 2 images, each shown for 10 minutes. The images will all be ones that have been shown in class during short presentations and so will all be available for study on the wiki. Each image must be identified and dated, and a short essay written about why the two may have been paired. Graduate students will not take the final exam.