Topics in Chinese Art and Archaeology
- Course Code:
- 15 PAR H044
- Status:
- Course Not Running This year
- Unit value:
- 0.5
- Year of study:
- Year 1 or Year 2
Objectives and learning outcomes of the course
Objectives:
- To introduce students to the up-to-date archaeological and historical information of the periods they study and provide them with the guided reading of the most important references and encourage them to develop their interpretations.
- To enable students to families with museum collections and to build their visual memory.
- To provide opportunities for students to present their work at seminars.
- To help students to develop their independent research ability and writing skill.
Outcomes:
At the end of the course, a student should be able to:
- To have a good knowledge of the subject and understanding the main issues and debates of early Chinese history and visual art.
- To improve written and oral skills in analysis and presentation.
- To apply acquired knowledge to new situations.
Workload
2 hour Lecture per week.Scope and syllabus
This course presents advanced training in the archaeology of ancient China. It focuses on the interaction between various art forms and rituals in ancient China. It covers the period from the Prehistoric, Bronze Age and the historical periods (c.6000 BCE- AD 800). It is offered to students who have already had some knowledge of Art and Archaeology in other regions, or of the history of China. It will explore Chinese art and archaeology in depth and provide guidance to the methodology of archaeological research in the region.
Week 1: Neolithic China: painted pottery
Week 2: Art and ritual: early jades
Week 3: Ritual Landscape: the Hongshan Culture
Week 4: Shamanism or Not: Liangzhu jades
Week 5: The Chinese Bronze Age: Erlitou and Erligang
Week 6: Reading Week
Week 7: Seminar : Jades and Religion in Early China
Week 8: Meanings of the ‘taotie’: Shang ritual bronzes
Week 9: Lost traditions: Dayangzhou and Sanxingdui
Week 10: The Central Kingdom and Diversity
Week 11: Writing and Ritual: Oracle bones, Bronze, and Bamboo Slips
