FIA300.1 : The Mediterranean City from Antiquity to Present: Ritual Space, Identity & Power
Description:
What links Egyptian and Greek funereal games, Minoan bull-dances, and modern Olympic games; Greek and Roman theater and amphitheater spectacles, Christian pilgrimages, mystery plays, processions, Renaissance opera, and pop concerts; Greek agora, Roman fora, medieval marketplaces, Islamic bazaars, nineteenth-century arcades and exposition spaces, and contemporary shopping malls; Roman baths, Arabic water-gardens, Baroque gardens, and modern vacation resorts?
Italy’s cities share a tradition of urban architecture and public ritual with cultures around the Mediterranean basin. This course examines a series of ritual sites in this area. For over a period of 3000 years, architects, artists, and their patrons created, sustained or transformed traditions of spectacle in the service of political, religious, or economic power. As we examine architecture, choreography, and politics, we consider innovation and continuity in the design, use, and abuse of mass spectacle as a tool for the construction of social identity. Includes field study to Venice/Vicenza and Pisa (2008-09 course fee of $355 to be billed from Syracuse) and an optional trip to Sicily (with fee payable in Florence with credit card). Meets with ARC 300.1.
Available Locations:
Italy
Semester(s) Offered:
Offered: Spring, Fall
Credits:
3
Department:
Fine Arts
