Admission requirements
Students with no prior knowledge of what the Gothic and neo-Gothic entail are advised to do some background reading before the first meeting. Literature suggestions will be made available via Brightspace.
Description
Gothic is a truly versatile concept. It can pertain to buildings, art, styles of clothing, crafts, music, literature, and even landscapes. Each time “Gothic” will mean something completely different. In this course we will study how Gothic emerged in the crownlands of twelfth-century France and spread throughout Western Europe. Medieval monuments were first labeled Gothic in a pejorative sense by fifteenth-century Italian critics and the term was much later appropriated, this time in a laudatory and legitimizing sense, to brand a contemporary design movement. While this course is not a class on “style,” per se, careful examination of Gothic monuments – religious, courtly and civic – nevertheless offers an opportunity to interrogate the constitutive role of stylistic classification, both as a disciplinary tool and as a construct that shapes societies with its overlay of ideology and aesthetics. We will also examine the diverse ways in which medieval Gothic art and architecture were revived and retheorized in the 18th and 19th centuries. Using a broad set of case studies, we will track the shifting associational values of the Gothic, paying special attention to the role played by architecture in politics and society. The earlier seminar sessions will culminate in a mandatory three-day excursion to Bruges, where the medieval and the neo-styles blend to perfection. The excursion dates will be finalized after the first seminar meeting, in consultation with all participants. In Bruges we will use Georges Rodenbach’s 1897 symbolist novel, Le Carillonneur (The Bells of Bruges) as guide to explore the monuments, streets, paintings, and canals of this captivating Gothic-neo-Gothic “city of silence.”
Course objectives
By the end of the course students will have:
Gained insight into the historiography of this subject.
Learned how to find, read and critically evaluate the relevant literature (further developing analystical skills and independent learning).
Learned how to reflect and theorize on the subject.
Learned how to devise and work out a case study (further developing research skills).
Presented this case study in class with the use visual media.
Learned how to talk about a building or artwork on site (further developing their oral communication skills)
Learned how to evaluate presentations of other students and act as a referee.
Further developed the communication and research skills required to write an academic paper.
Timetable
The timetables are available through My Timetable.
Mode of instruction
- Seminar
Assessment method
Assessment
Assignments, student talks and the Bruges excursion are compulsory components of the course, even if not all are graded. Throughout the course students will hand in parts of their final paper for evaluation, guidance and feedback.
For this course students will write a 5000-word paper on a building or artwork of their choice that deals with an aspect of the Gothic (providing that it enables one to reflect on the medieval Gothic and the neo-Gothic).
Reading list
The literature to be read for this course will be posted and made available through Brightspace. If you have no knowledge of Gothic or neo-Gothic art and architecture we do advise you to read up before our first meeting. Literature suggestions will be made available via Brightspace.
Weighing
Presentation in Bruges (10%)
Presentation on research paper topic (10%)
Final research paper (80%)
To pass the course, the weighted average must be a passing grade (5.5 or more).
Resit
If a student fails the first attempt, the paper will have to be rewritten.
Reading list
The literature to be read for this course will be posted and made available through Brightspace. If you have no knowledge of Gothic or neo-Gothic art and architecture, we do advise you to read up before our first meeting. Literature suggestions will be made available via Brightspace.
Registration
Enrolment through MyStudyMap is mandatory.
General information about course and exam enrolment is available on the website
Registration À la carte education, Contract teaching and Exchange
Information for those interested in taking this course in context of À la carte education (without taking examinations), eg. about costs, registration and conditions.
Information for those interested in taking this course in context of Contract teaching (with taking examinations), eg. about costs, registration and conditions.
For the registration of exchange students contact Humanities International Office.
Contact
For substantive questions, contact the lecturer listed in the right information bar.
For questions about enrolment, admission, etc, contact the Education Administration Office: Arsenaal.
Remarks
All other information.