Evaluation Scheme:
Mid term: 20% (February 28)
Final exam: 30% (May 14)
Four short writing assignments: 40% (10% each)
Group/individual presentations: 10%
Exams: There will be two exams, a midterm and a final.
Short writing assignments (4):
• Constantinople at the time of Constantine the Great: A Christian city? Build your argument using specific monuments and discuss whether you think that Constantinople was just a typical late antique city or was intended to be a Christian capital (2 pages). Due February 12
• Material culture and political propaganda: This written assignment should stem from your presentations in political propaganda. Present one or two artifacts/monuments or works of art to explore how they were used to serve the imperial agenda and how these objects were means of negotiating authority (3 pages). Due February 21
• The function of holy images. In this assignment you will explore the role of holy images within Byzantine society. You can discuss the multiple functions of these images or focus on a sphere of byzantine activity (social, economic, artistic, political, symbolic, religious) or on the use and perceptions of holly images by a specific social group (elite, peasants, clergy, Emperor) (4 pages max).Due March 14
• Life in a Byzantine city. Assume the role of a Byzantine character (Emperor/Empress, monk/nun, artist, merchant, court official) and describe your typical day at Constantinople. Think about the century you want to live in, describe buildings and tasks that match your character and your time period (3 pages). Due April 29
Group & individual presentations (3):
*All group presentations are based on the reading assigned for the day of class. No extra reading is required.*
Group presentation on the Late Antique cities: Each group of students gives an informal 10 minute presentation on the archaeology and material culture of a Late Antique city that has been chosen by the group, based on the assigned reading. February 5
Individual presentations on material culture and political propaganda: Each student presents one object and one coin of their choice and discuss how these artifacts are related to imperial imagery and authority. February 14
Group presentation on Byzantine cities: Each group of students gives an informal 10 minute presentation on the archaeology and material culture of a Byzantine city that has been chosen by the group, based on the assigned reading. March 21
Requirements: No previous knowledge on Byzantine culture is required. Students are responsible for doing the assigned reading before class and hand in their assignments on time.
For Graduate students: Please note that graduate students will not take the midterm and final exam; instead they will be asked to write a research paper (ca. 20 pages) on a topic that will have been agreed upon with me. The research paper must be submitted by the end of the semester.
