READING THE FACES OF ANCIENT CULTURES IDSEM UG- 1562 The Galla3n School of Individualized Study New York University Fall 2016 M & W, 12:30-1:45 PM 24 Waverly Place, room 566A Professor Hallie M. Franks hmf2@nyu.edu GallaAn 603 (212)998-7333 Office hours: Tues. 9-12; Thurs. 11:30-12:30 COURSE DESCRIPTION In this class, we will invesagate the form, development, and role of images of people in ancient Egypt, the Near East, Greece, and Rome. Using visual and literary sources, we will focus on how we define a portrait and will confront the variety of problems that the representaaon of the individual entails. How essenaal are the concepts of likeness and realism to the definiaon of a portrait, and to its funcaon? How are portraits manipulated to serve specific public or private roles? Who does the manipulaang, and who is the audience? Does there exist a correlaaon between the portrait of an individual and that individual s character? We will address these quesaons and others, concentraang on the use of portraiture in shaping personal, poliacal, and cultural idenaaes. Readings may include Plato, Apology; Aristophanes, Clouds; Pseudo- Aristotle, Physiognomics; Plutarch, Life of Alexander; Vasari, Life of Leonardo; and Wilde, The Picture of Dorian Gray. We will make use of objects in the Metropolitan Museum of Art. LEARNING GOALS (COURSE OBJECTIVES) Depth of knowledge of the ancient world Reading and use of visual material as sources Nuanced approaches to the study of unfamiliar cultures Writing skills, particularly the use of primary and secondary sources to build persuasive argumentation
COURSE REQUIREMENTS Participation (20%) Please note: Attendance does not constitute participation, and participation should be informed by the assigned readings. The participation grade takes into consideration periodic short written assignments, reading responses, in-class projects, and annotation of images as assigned Written assignments choice of 3, 4, or 6 (60% total) Final project (20%) READINGS GRADING Grading of assignments will be based on the following criteria: Content (direct and focused engagement with the assigned topic; delineation of a coherent thesis; relevant engagement of primary material and, where relevant, secondary scholarship in support of your thesis) Structure (presentation of argument and supporting discussion in a clear and logical way) Grammar, punctuation, spelling, and word choice Please purchase Oscar Wilde s The Picture of Dorian Gray from a bookstore of your choice or check it out from a library. All other readings are available via the course site under the Readings tab. COURSE SITE Find readings, announcements, assignments, images, and more on our site https://wp.nyu.edu/readingfaces2016/
COURSE POLICIES Your asendance physical and mental is essenaal to the success of this class and to your success in this class. More than two unexcused absences or persistent late arrivals to class will severely affect your final grade; excused absences are limited to documented medical and family emergencies and religious holidays. Grades of Incomplete will only be given in cases of documented medical or family emergencies that interfere with your ability to complete coursework in a Amely manner. Before requesang an Incomplete, please familiarize yourself with GallaAn s school- wide policies at hgp://www.gallaan.nyu.edu/academics/policies/ policy/grades/incompletepolicy.html Electronics, including laptops and cell phones, should be silenced and put away during class. Papers are due on the day assigned and at the Ame assigned. Late papers will not be accepted except in cases of documented medical or family emergency. Because in- class assignments are designed to samulate discussion and to raise quesaons in class, make- up assignments will not be accepted under any circumstances. Expectation of Academic Integrity As a Gallatin student you belong to an interdisciplinary community of artists and scholars who value honest and open intellectual inquiry. This relationship depends on mutual respect, responsibility, and integrity. Failure to uphold these values will be subject to severe sanction, which may include dismissal from the University. Examples of behaviors that compromise the academic integrity of the Gallatin School include plagiarism, illicit collaboration, doubling or recycling coursework, and cheating. Such behaviors are subject to sanction regardless of intent; in other words, accidental violations are still violations, and will be treated as such. For a full description of the academic integrity policy, please consult the Gallatin Bulletin or Gallatin website [www.gallatin.nyu.edu/academics/policies/policy/integrity.html]. If you have any questions about how to cite properly or about what constitutes plagiarism, please ask me! In addition, please know that the internet is not a reliable source for papers written for this class: there is a great deal of misinformation out there, particularly about the ancient world. Websites ending in.com,.net, or.org are not acceptable sources for your papers, and it is in your interest to check with me before citing any information found online for your research in this class. You will be held responsible for the integrity of any information gleaned from internet sources. If you are having trouble locating information in other media, please let me know and I ll be happy to help you.
Semester calendar Week 1. IntroducAon W. Sept. 7. Welcome and syllabus review Week 2. Defining portraiture M. Sept. 12. Names and faces Greenstein, J. M. 2004. Mona Lisa and La Giaconda : Reviewing the Evidence, Ar+bus et Historiae 25.50, pp. 17-38. Before class today: Add an annotaaon (this may be a comment, quesaon, a link to further research, or a response to another student s annotaaon) to the image of the Mona Lisa on the course website s page Annotated Portraits W. Sept. 14. Group portraits Kesner, Ladislav. 1995. Likeness of No One: (Re)presenAng the First Emperor s Army, The Art Bulle+n 77.1, pp. 115-132. Week 3. Formal Analysis M. Sept. 19. Formal analysis pracace Barnet, S. A Short Guide to Wri+ng about Art, secaon on Formal Analysis (beginning with What Formal Analysis Is ) and sample essay in Chapter 2. W. Sept. 21. Formal analysis workshop Write for today and bring to class: Formal analysis (2 pages) Week 4. Portraits of Kingship M. Sept. 26. Near Eastern royals 1. Winter, I. 1996. The Alluring Body of Naram- Sin in Sexuality in Ancient Art, pp. 11-26. 2. Winter, I. 2008. "What/When is a Portrait? Royal Images of the Ancient Near East" in Proceedings of the American Philosophical Soc. 153.3, pp. 254-270. Before class today: Add an annotaaon to the image of Naram- Sin on the course website W. Sept. 28. Akhenaten s portraits Read for today: The Great Hymn to Aten Friday, Sept. 30. Class Trip to the Metropolitan Museum of Art. There are two opaons for Ames: 4:30 pm or 6:00 pm. The tours will cover the same material, so you only have to agend one. Classes will be held in the Ancient Near Eastern and Greek galleries and will last approximately one hour. We will meet in the main lobby. The Met is located at 1000 Firh Avenue at East 82nd Street; get direcaons at www.metmuseum.org. This trip is a required component of the course, and will contribute to your Agendance and ParAcipaAon grade.
Week 5. Role portraits in the Greek world M. Oct. 3. Athletes, generals, philosophers Zanker, P. 1995. The Mask of Socrates, pp. 1-39. Before class today: Add an annotaaon to the image of Socrates on the course website W. Oct. 5. Socrates Aristophanes, Clouds PAPER 1 DUE BY THE BEGINNING OF CLASS TODAY Week 6. Alexander the Great M. Oct. 10. FALL BREAK: NO CLASS! W. Oct. 12. Portraits of Alexander Plutarch, The Life of Alexander Week 7. Later Alexanders M. Oct. 17. The Successors Quandary In- class project W. Oct. 19. The Ptolemies [**Possible reading for today: Spencer, D. 2002. The Roman Alexander, pp. 205-218.] PAPER 2 DUE BY THE BEGINNING OF CLASS TODAY Friday, Oct. 21. Class Trip to the Metropolitan Museum of Art. There are two opaons for Ames: 4:30 pm or 6:00 pm. The tours will cover the same material, so you only have to agend one. Classes will be held in the Ancient Near Eastern and Greek galleries and will last approximately one hour. We will meet in the main lobby. The Met is located at 1000 Firh Avenue at East 82nd Street; get direcaons at www.metmuseum.org. This trip is a required component of the course, and will contribute to your Agendance and ParAcipaAon grade. Week 8. The Romans: Verism and the Republic M. Oct. 24. Verist portraits Nodelman, S. 1975. How to Read a Roman Portrait, reprinted in Roman Art in Context (1993), pp. 10-26. W. Oct. 26. Caesar and Cleopatra Polo, F. 2013. The Great Seducer: Cleopatra, Queen and Sex Symbol, in Seduc+on and Power, pp. 183-197.
Week 9. The Romans: Augustus M. Oct. 31. CreaAng an imperial image Pollini, J. 2012. From Warrior to Statesman in Art and Ideology, in From Republic to Empire, pp. 162-190. FRIGHTFUL! PAPER 3 DUE BY THE BEGINNING OF CLASS TODAY W. Nov. 2. The Prima Porta Pollini, J. 1995. The Augustus from Prima Porta, in Polykleitos, the Doryphoros, and Tradi+on, pp. 262-282. Before class today: Add an annotaaon to the image of the Prima Porta on the course website Week 11. The Romans: Mixing idenaaes M. Nov. 14. The DamnaAon of Memory Varner, E. 2013. Violent Discourses, in The Archaeology of Violence, pp. 121-142. W. Nov. 16. The Tetrarchy Rees, R. 1993. Images and Image: A Re- ExaminaAon of Tetrarchic Iconography, Greece and Rome 40.2: 181-200. Week 10. The Romans: Imperial style M. Nov. 7. Beards and beardedness 1. Vout, C. 2006. What s in a beard? Rethinking Hadrian s Hellenism in Rethinking Revolu+ons through Ancient Greece, 96-123. 2. Oldstone- Moore. 2016. The Classic Shave in Of Beards and Men, 38-62. W. Nov. 9. More hairiness *TentaAve: Digital instrucaon for final video PAPER 4 DUE BY THE BEGINNING OF CLASS TODAY Week 12. M. Nov. 21. TBA PAPER 5 DUE BY THE BEGINNING OF CLASS TODAY HAPPY THANKSGIVING!!! Week 13. Reading faces M. Nov. 28. Aristotle s Physiognomics Pseudo- Aristotle, Physiognomics W. Nov. 30. Modern physiognomics Sekula, A. 1986. The Body and the Archive, October 39: 3-64. FRIDAY DEC 2. PAPER 6 DUE BY 5 PM TODAY Week 14. Portrait of the soul M. Dec. 5. Dorian Gray Oscar Wilde, The Picture of Dorian Gray W. Dec. 7. Dorian Gray, cont. Week 14. Portrait of the soul M. Dec. 12. More Dorian T. Dec. 13 = MONDAY SCHEDULE. Even more Dorian FINAL VIDEO PROJECT DUE BY 5:00 PM TODAY W. Dec. 15. Wrapping up!