INSTRUCTOR: Dede Taylor
DATES: Wednesdays; Feb. 11, 18, 25, March 4, 18 & 25 (no class March 11th)
TIME: 2:30 p.m. to 4:30 p.m.
LOCATION: Hope Lutheran Church
COURSE INFO: “Africa begins at the Pyrenees” said Theophile Gautier in 1843, revealing an enduring belief that “Spain is different” from Europe. The Iberian Peninsula was the realm of Christian Visigoths and a Jewish minority when migrating Muslims crossed from North Africa in 711, beginning 8 centuries of the parallel practices of Convivencia (living together) and Reconquista (Christian conquest). We will explore a selection of topics from Christian, Jewish, and Islamic arts and architecture that make up the rich tapestry of the medieval era and help us understand a unique place and time in the history of Europe. The course will include short readings and film excerpts and analysis of art and architecture for their cultural and political meanings. We will look deeply at visual sources of history, discussing how art shapes society and society informs art.
CLASS FORMAT: Lecture and discussion
READINGS: NA
INSTRUCTOR BIO: Dede Taylor is an art historian who taught courses (“from Cave to Contemporary”) in the School of Art at MSU for the past 12 years. She developed a fascination with the arts, language, and history of Spain over the same period and taught a course in the arts of Spain of which this class is a part. Helping students open their eyes and minds to the aesthetics and meanings of art has been her great joy and she looks forward to sharing Islamic Spain with Wonderlust participants.
COST: $75
When my husband and I were looking for our place to retire, one of the places we visited was Bozeman. While we were here we went to the library, where I happened to pick up a Wonderlust brochure. Here was university-quality instruction by experts in a huge number of subjects. No homework, no exams, no papers, just a chance to learn new things or review things we’d already studied. It was also an opportunity to meet people with a wide variety of interests. I was hooked! Over the past several years, I’ve come to feel strongly about supporting this valuable community resource for lifelong learning, and fortunately there’s a community of dedicated volunteers who feel the same way.
