ARTH 4591 Architecture and Identity in Byzantine cities
Wednesdays 3:30-6:00 p.m. in Fayerweather Hall 215
This seminar explores the development of Byzantine cities in relation to Byzantium’s political and socio- economic structures (4th-15thc). It aims at examining cities as lived spaces, investigating their architecture and topography as well as a range of urban experiences from mundane daily deeds to public processions. Emphasis will also be placed on the different social groups responsible for the transformation of Byzantine urban spaces.
Course aims:
Byzantine cities are our point of departure but what the seminar is really about is people, people living in Byzantine cities. The main aim of the course is learning to reconstruct lived experiences in the Byzantine city by studying architecture, urban planning and byzantine monuments. The development of critical thinking in reading scholarly works and in exploring ideas in written essays is also a key aspect of the course. Another objective is to compare and contrast experiences in the Byzantine city with our own urban lives and modern cities, thus the course includes visits around the city of Charlottesville and an informal discourse on ancient and modern cities.