PLEASE REFER TO VCU BLACKBOARD FOR IMAGES
Dr. Dina Bangdel
Office: 302 Buford Hall
Office Hrs: Thursday 9:30-11:30 or by appointment
Phone: 628-7037
E-mail: dbangdel@vcu.edu
This course will explore the visual culture of India, from the Indus Valley Civilization (c. 2500 BCE) up to the 20th century in South Asia. Using a contextual approach, we will examine the relationship between the works of art and the political, economic, social, and cultural conditions that have shaped the direction of the visual arts. Fundamental to this course will be the meaning and symbolic content of the works of art, specifically in relation to the major religious traditions of India, namely Hinduism, Buddhism, and Islam. We will also explore the various ways in which Indian religion, philosophy, and art have been viewed, with particular focus on the Orientalist and Post-Colonial discourses.
Required Texts:
Vidya Dehejia, Indian Art (1999)
Partha Mitter, Indian Art (2001)
The class will be organized as a series of class lectures and discussion focusing on the four broad themes:
Visual materials and handouts given in class will be posted on Blackboard. Some of the images shown in class may not in your textbook, therefore you are required to be familiar with the images posted on the class website and given in the monument list.
Course Requirements:
Class Discussions:
For each lecture theme, you need to finish the required reading for that day. You should come to class prepared to ask questions or clarifications pertaining to the reading, as well as participating in class discussion. We will also have class discussions based on the readings for the last 1/2 hour of each class.
Attendance:
Your attendance is absolutely mandatory for a good grade in the course. Roll is taken at each class. Since we only meet once a week, you are allowed one (1) unexcused absence during the entire semester. You will be required to present a dated note from a certified medical doctor, or a note of excuse from the Dean of the School of the Arts for an acceptable excuse for an absence. Missing class beyond the one unexcused absence will result in the lower of the final course grade by one full letter grade for each excessive absence.
Exams:
There will two midterms (1.5 hours) and a FINAL. The questions for the exams will be based on the images discussed in class, your corresponding class notes, and materials from the assigned readings. As a result, regular and on-time attendance, as well as maintaining detailed, organized notes of class lectures are CRUCIAL. To secure a good grade on the tests, it will be mandatory to include information provided in class lectures and NOT just what is discussed in the textbooks.
There will be NO make-up exams, except in the case of an illness or family medical emergency. You will need a signed excuse from your doctor.
NOTE: To secure a good grade on the tests, it will be MANDATORY to include information provided in class lectures and NOT just what is discussed in the textbook. In most cases, the textbook provides limited information for any given monument, which is NOT sufficient to secure a good grade on the exams. The textbook ONLY serves as a SUPPLEMENT for class lectures. As such, regular, on-time attendance and taking good, organized notes during classes are crucial.
Course Grade
Letter grades will be assigned on the following scale:
VCU Honor Code:
All students are subject to the policies and regulations of the VCU Honor System. It is the student's responsibility to familiarize themselves with the honor system as presented in the Schedule ofClasses, the VCU Resource Guide, and the Undergraduate Bulletin, or on the VCU web site at:
http://www.students.vcu.edu/rg/policies/rg7honor.html
Disability Accommodations:
Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973 and the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990 require Virginia Commonwealth University to provide academic adjustments or accommodations for students with documented disabilities. Students seeking academic adjustments or accommodations must self-identify with the Coordinator of Services for Students with Disabilities on the appropriate campus. After meeting with the Coordinator, students are encouraged to meet with instructors to discuss their needs and, if applicable, any laboratory safety concerns related to their disabilities.
Academic Campus Coordinator of Services for Students with Disabilities: 828-1139.
Students requesting accommodation based on a disability MUST provide documentation from the Campus Coordinator of Services for Students with Disabilities. This documentation is generally in the form of a letter from that office detailing specific requests. Students not cleared by that office are not eligible for adjustments.
LECTURE SCHEDULE
Readings: Dehejia, Introduction, Chapters 1 and 2
: Mitter, Introduction
Early Buddhist Art: Maurya and Sunga Periods
Readings: Dehejia, Chapter 2; pp. 42-48
Chapter 3; pp. 51-76
: Mitter, Chapter 2; pp. 13-31
WEEK 3: February 2
Mahayana Buddhism: Figural Tradition of Buddhist Art
·Kushana Period (Chapter 4; pp. 79-96),
· Gupta Period (Chapter 4; pp. 96-99),
Readings: Dehejia, Chapter 4; pp. 79-99
: Mitter, Chapter 2; pp. 13-31
Buddhist Cave Architecture:
Readings: Dehejia, Chapter 5; pp. 103-124
WEEK 4: February 9
Buddhist Rock Cut Architecture (cont’d)
Art of Tantric Buddhism: Pala Period And Kashmir
Readings: See Reserve Article “Tantra in India”
Week 5: February 16
Art of Tantric Buddhism: Pala Period And Kashmir (Cont’d)
Midterm I Review
WEEK 6: February 23:
FIRST HOUR: Midterm I: Buddhist Arts of India
SECOND HOUR
Introduction to Hinduism and Hindu Iconography:
· Video: Puja: Expressions of Hindu Devotion
WEEK 7: March 2
Seeing the Divine Image: Hindu Temple Architecture:
Rock Cut Temples
Readings: Dehejia, Chapter 5, pp. 124-134
: Mitter, Chapter 3, pp. 33-69
Mamallapuram
Readings: Dehejia, Chapter 8, pp. 193-200
: Mitter, Chapter 3, pp. 33-69
WEEK 8: March 9
Development of Hindu Temple Architecture:
Free-Standing or structural Temples:
· Sun Temple, Orissa (Dehejia, Chapter 7; pp. 177-182)
South India (Dehejia, Chapter 8; pp. 193- 195)
WEEK 9: March 17: Spring Break
WEEK 10: March 23:
Development of Hindu Temple Architecture: (Cont’d)
Midterm II Review
WEEK 11: March 30
First Hour: Midterm Exam
Second Hour: Indo-Islamic Art and Architecture: The Delhi Sultanate
Readings: Dehejia, Chapter 11
: Mitter, Chapter 5
WEEK 12: April 6
The Art of the Mughal Empire: Palaces and Tombs
Readings: Dehejia, Chapter 12
: Mitter, Chapter 6
Mughal Painting Tradition: Manuscript and Miniature Paintings
Readings: Dehejia, Chapter 14
: Mitter, Chapter 7
WEEK 13: April 13
Regional Kingdoms of Northwestern India: Rajput and Pahari
Art of the Indigenous Indian Painting Tradition
Readings: Dehejia, Chapter 14
: Mitter, Chapter 7
WEEK 14: April 20
Art of the British Raj
Reading: Dehejia, Chapters 15 and 16.
: Mitter, Chapters 9 and 10
WEEK 15: April 27
Contemporary Arts of India
Indian Arts of the Diaspora: Religious and Secular
Wrap-up Discussion
Readings: Mitter, Chapters 11 and 12.
: Dehejia, Epilogue
WEEK 16: FINAL EXAM
EXAM III