This course introduces some of the major issues in the history of the Ottoman Empire with a focus on the cultural life. Topics will include: life at the frontiers; relations between Ottomans and their neighbors; imperial ideology; the social fabric, gender, and ethnic structure; social unrest and religious movements; the new world order and the Ottoman response. Students will be encouraged to compare and contrast academic approaches to Ottoman History with its representation in historical novels and film.

Conservation, interpretation, communication and management of all archaeological and historical resources that are regarded as cultural heritage. Theoretical and methodological approaches, social and political factors, which shape our understanding and management of the cultural heritage. Examination of local and global, international and national institutions which deal with cultural heritage, the relevant legislation and conventions that impact the management of these resources.

The origins of the Hittites, their relationship with the Assyrian merchant colonies, local kingdoms and cities in Central Anatolia. The Hittite expansion and their international relations, particularly with Egypt, reasons of decline at the end of the second millennium BC, Neo-Hittite kingdoms and the legacy of the Hittite culture.

Urban development of Rome from a monarchic residence to an imperial capital. Imperial presence and propaganda in the cities and countryside of the Roman empire. Examples ranging from Asia Minor to the Iberian peninsula will be connected with the larger discourse on the organization and logistics of the empire. Transformations of regional societies within the empire with focus on the legitimization of local powers through works of art, public infrastructure and urban decoration.

An introduction to the appreciation of and critical debates around the contemporary arts. Engagement with work from artists working in a broad range of media within various settings - galleries, museums, public spaces, and other non-traditional exhibition venues.

Studio practice in classical and contemporary drawing. Learning to look and sketch. Convey the illusion of light, depth and texture on paper. Building skills for composition, expression and abstraction. Experimenting with various materials.

Examination of the first cities and states in the world and the earliest written records of human history. Study of the civilizations of the Sumerians, Akkadians, Babylonians and Assyrians through archaeological remains and historical sources.

A comprehensive chronological survey of the various monuments of Early Christian and Byzantine art, spanning from the earliest surviving traces of Christian art and architecture in the city of Rome and the eastern provinces of the Late Roman Empire to the art and architecture of the Late Byzantine Empire in Constantinople and the Balkans.

Overview of the development of ancient Greece from the Bronze Age (ca. 3000 BC) to the Roman conquest (1st century BC), based on written sources and material evidence. Urbanistic processes, art and architecture as expressions of political, socio-economic and religious evolutions that defined ancient Greek society. Concentrates on the Greek Mainland and other areas under Greek influence, including South Italy/Sicily and Anatolia, in their broader Mediterranean and Near Eastern context.

Visual culture and built environment of Asia (China, Korea, Japan, India, Southeast Asia and Asian diaspora). Painting, sculpture, architecture, ritual objects, ceramics, textiles and other visual forms within the wider context of political, religious, social and economic developments of the region.