HAA 228X: Islamic Epigraphy and Calligraphy: Spiritual Geometries and Bodily Instruments

W 3:00 – 4:59

David J. Roxburgh

Examines the use of writing on different art forms including architecture from the Islamic lands with an emphasis on the period between ca. 600 and 1500.  The course will introduce key methodologies in the study of writing and the full range of scripts, orthographic conventions, and textual content.  Aesthetic, cultural and sociopolitical questions will be treated as well as pressing critical issues about the use of writing in Islam.  Some knowledge of Arabic or Persian is preferred.