Admission requirements
Successful completion of 5481VS112 Classical Cultures of SSEA: Seminar I. Please, contact the Coordinator of Studies or Mw. Dr. E.M. Raven, if you are interested in taking this course, but do NOT fulfill the abovementioned requirement.
Description
Asia’s religious art derives much of its distinctive visual presence from an intricate iconographic vocabulary. Message and meaning are expressed through systems of gestures, postures and attributes that manage to capture the essence of Hindu, Buddhist and Jain beliefs and practices.
This class focuses on developing skills to ‘read’ this iconography by carefully looking at, describing and understanding selected works of art from South and Southeast Asia. These skills are trained by means of assignments related to selected literature dealing with iconography as a traditional science in ancient India) and with specific iconographies. Students are also introduced to a number of important digital image databases. A guided visit to a Dutch museum collection with Asian art is part of the programme.
This course is a vital component in a BA-programme of students focusing on the arts and material culture of South and Southeast Asia, but may be equally relevant for those studying Asian religions, cultural history, history or archaeology. Students of western art may consider to join and focus on a comparative approach. Students from other departments and contractstudents are most welcome to participate as well.
Students are expected to prepare each week’s classes via readings and/or written assignments related to the literature read (graded, 40% of total mark). Most of the literature is made digitally available. The classes are offered in a thematic sequence. At the start of the second half of the semester the students present an iconographic case study selected for their paper , 20% of total mark). To round off the series, the students write a concise paper focusing on the iconography of a work of art in a Dutch museum collection (40%).
Course objectives
Knowledge of the basic principles of Hindu, Buddhist and Jain iconographic language;
Awareness of the conceptual iconographic links between the arts of the various religious systems in South and Southeast Asia
Developing skills in describing and analysing Hindu, Buddhist and Jain art
Developing skills in presenting an iconographic analysis with the help of Powerpoint
Overseeing the landscape of digital resources for iconographic studies of Asian art
Developing skills to put the results of research into writing
Timetable
Mode of instruction
Seminar
Excursion
Course Load
Seminar, 12×2: 24h
Preparing for the mid-term exam: 20h
Preparing the presentation: 20h
Writing the final paper: 36h
Reading for and preparing home assignments: 40h
Total study load: 140 hours
Assessment method
Assessment
Participation and home assignments
Written mid-term exam with open questions
Presentation
Paper
Weighing
Participation and home assignments: 25%
Mid-term exam 25 %
Presentation: 20%
Paper: 30% (a passing grade of 5.50 or higher for this part is required).
Resit
Students submit a version 1 of their paper, which will be graded. After receiving feedback, they may submit a final version for final grading. This arrangement is a form of ‘resit’. Students are allowed to skip version 1 and submit only a (final) version of their paper for grading (concise explanation for grade is provided afterwards).
In order to pass the course, students must achieve a passing grade for the final version of their paper and obtain an overall mark of “5.50” (=6) or higher.
The course is an integrated whole. All assessments must be completed in the same academic year. No partial marks can be carried over into following years.
How and when an exam review takes place will be determined by the examiner. This review will be within 30 days after official publication of exam results.
Blackboard
Blackboard will be used for:
Course info
Course documents, including pdfs of Powerpoints used in class
Supportive materials
Home assignments and upload links for the home assignments
Instructions for the mid-term exam
Instructions for the presentation
Instructions for the paper and upload links for the paper version 1 and version 2
Reading list
Reading list
Selections from J. Guy, Indian Temple Sculpture. London, 2007 (or later edition).
Selected reading materials (offered via BB).
Registration
Enrolment through uSis is mandatory.
General information about uSis is available on the website
Registration Studeren à la carte and Contractonderwijs
Registration Studeren à la carte
Registration Contractonderwijs
Contact
Remarks
None