This course explores the rich and complex visual and material cultures of the Islamic world, focusing on the Mediterranean and Near East while embracing a broader, transregional perspective. Moving beyond conventional definitions of Islamic art as primarily religious, students will examine a diverse range of artistic practices—from canonical masterpieces to lesser-known works—that reflect the lived experiences, desires, and spiritual imaginations of their makers and audiences. Through themes such as eros, sexuality, homoeroticism, and the politics of gendered representation, we will interrogate how bodies—especially female bodies—have been depicted, regulated, and aestheticized across time. We will also engage with sociopolitical dimensions of Islamic art, including questions of censorship, taboo, and the shifting boundaries of cultural expression. The course incorporates modern and contemporary visual production, positioning it within longer historical trajectories while highlighting its critical departures from inherited forms and narratives. Students will engage with emerging research and theoretical frameworks, including ideas of permeability, connectivity, and the interdisciplinary nature of Islamic aesthetics, fostering a deeper understanding of how Islamic art continues to shape and be shaped by global conversations on power, identity, and desire. HAAVC 2000 courses develop students' visual analysis skills while providing the opportunity for in-depth study of the visual/structural artifacts associated with a particular topic, region, or movement. Students will also engage with the relevant primary/secondary literature for the topic at hand. Courses will pay particular attention to the larger cultural, historical, and theoretical/ideological contexts in which the visual artifacts and structures under consideration were created.

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