Norway

This course examines the main political and cultural features of early modern Islamic empires from the Balkans to Bengal, and acknowledges that they represent much more than a region waiting to be expanded upon by Europeans. The secondary perspective of the course is to explore a historical depth that can be used to contextualize contemporary legitimacy claims and the use of imperial history in political discussions. The course does this by providing students with in-depth knowledge of a rich Islamic tradition that shaped and brought together a wide geographic area – one that is markedly different from what is typically emphasized in courses on political Islam.

Gender and kinship are key issues in anthropology. Drawing on a cross-cultural perspective, and with a view to critical reflection, the course explores the kinds of contemporary phenomena that kinship and gender help to elucidate and how these two core modes of relatedness come together. As this course demonstrates, both kinship and gender are central to our understandings of contemporary societies.

The content, form of teaching, and form of assessment for the Current Topics in Art History course vary from semester to semester. The spring 2022 course discusses the following topics.

Why would Duke Phillip the Good of Burgundy want to eat the face of Christ? This seemingly bizarre question becomes answerable during this course, which explores the fascinating world of medieval religious objects and images (ca. 1050-1500 CE). In this period a broad array of items - ranging from unsightly pieces of bone and rock as well as simple images in woodprint, to outstandingly fine paintings, sculpture and architecture - offered those interested a means of connecting higher powers and practicing religious devotion. Why and how could these holy items play such an instrumental role? Which ideas formed the ideological basis for their production and consumption? This course considers the broader religious culture at the time to answer these questions.

This is a beginner`s Norwegian language course for international students. Students develop basic communicative skills in Norwegian. Students learn to make themselves understood both orally and in writing using basic vocabulary and basic grammatical structures. Examples of topics covered are talking about oneself and one’s family, studies, hobbies, and work life. After completing the course, the students are able to communicate about topics covered in the course. Students are able to express themselves coherently both orally and in writing. They are able to express thoughts and opinions about everyday topics. Their pronunciation is good enough to not disrupt communication. They are able to use and understand basic grammar covered in the course.