1 Maymester HART 3790 / May 2017 Professors
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Maymester HART 3790 / May 2017 Professors Kevin D. Murphy and Betsey A. Robinson TA: Roxane Pajoul MONUMENTAL LANDSCAPES OF PROVENCE: NATURE, BUILDINGS, and SOCIETY (AXLE: HCA) Possible credit in Anthropology, Classical and Mediterranean Studies, Environmental & Sustainability Studies, European Studies, French The South of France is famous for its rich and varied history and spectacular land- and seascapes as well as lively street-markets and delicious foods and wines. It also offers almost infinite possibilities for studying the relationships between humans and the natural world, and among the diverse peoples who have coexisted in the region since antiquity. Gauls, Greeks, Romans, Crusaders, French Africans, and diverse others came together at this Mediterranean crossroads. Their diverse cultural production inspired countless artists and architects, as did the unspoiled natural environment. This Maymester course will explore the landscapes of southern France in geological time and across human history, sampling human inventions and experiences, from indigenous Celtic settlements to le Corbusier’s Unité d’habitation in Marseille. The course will be anchored in the landscape, and a recurring question will be how physical geography influences human experience. We shall take time to consider Southern France’s relation to the Mediterranean Sea and fresh water resources, the elements of art—from the mining of pigment and carving of stone to the handling of light and landscape in art and architecture, and the adaptation of architecture to the environment. Two major themes will develop: 1) the history of architecture and designed landscapes, including public and private buildings, temples, churches, monasteries, and cities; and 2) the artist’s gaze, and the “making” of the Provençal landscape by Vincent Van Gogh, Paul Cézanne, and others. The course will be based at Vanderbilt in France in Aix-en-Provence for three weeks, and in the great port-city of Marseille for the fourth. Classroom lectures and discussions will lay out the major themes and concepts, and walking tours and longer excursions will be integral to our program, leading to a fully immersive, and thoroughly transformative experience for students. Books Garrett, M. Provence: A Cultural History (Landscapes of the Imagination). Oxford, 2012. Baxter, J. French Riviera and its Artists: Art, Literature, Love, and Life on the Côte d’Azur. New York, 2015. --These are available in hard copy or on KINDLE format Scanned articles (pdfs) provided on Blackboard, bibliography below Websites, examples listed below Films: Man Ray, "Les Mystères du Château du Dé" (1929, Villa Noailles); The Price of Desire (2015, on E-1027, Gray, and le Corbusier); To Catch a Thief (1955, landscape); Connections: Faith in Numbers (1978, 10-minute section on Barbegal, Cistercian waterworks, and the industrial revolution) Transportation: Students travel independently to Aix-en-Provence, arrive by the evening of 7 May. Nearest airport: Marseille (MRS). Shuttle-bus (navette) to Aix-en-Provence center, or fly to Paris, then take TGV to Aix-en-Provence station and shuttle to Aix-en-Provence center. Lodging: 7-28 May: Adagio Aparthotel Hotel, 3-5 rue des Chartreux, Aix-en-Provence http://www.adagio -city.com/gb/hotel-6796-aparthotel-adagio-aix-en-provence-centre/index.shtml 1 28 May-3 June: Aparthotel Adagio Access Marseille Prado Périer, 161 avenue du Prado, 13008 Marseille Course learning objectives: Upon completion of the course, students will: • Understand the Provençal landscape, from the limestone calanques of the Marseillaise peninsula and the solitary Mont Sainte-Victoire to the Alps of the Riviera, and from inland river valleys to the Bouches- du-Rhône salt-marshes, and their fascinating ecosystems. They will have a sense of local products, from building stone and pigments to sea-salt and wine, sweets, soap, and perfume. • Be able to identify principal monuments of Southern France—Greek colonial, Roman provincial, medieval, and modern, and discuss them from a variety of points of view. • Be able to discuss major interpretive issues in landscape studies and history of art and architecture. • Be adept at using textual and visual evidence to support historical arguments. Attendance Policy: Attendance at all scheduled course meetings and site visits is required. Evaluation: The evaluation of a student’s performance and the determination of her/his grade will be determined as follows: • Class preparation/participation/attendance 50% • Journal (book and/or blog or Scalar presentation) 25% Sketching, reflections, and other contents to reflect your engagement with ideas and places • Final presentation 25% Distillation and development of major themes, personal reflections and conclusions, 15-minutes Grade Scale: 94-100: A 90-93: A- 86-89: B+ 83-85: B 80-82: B- 76-79: C+ 73-75: C 70-72: C- 65-69: D Below 65: F Honor Code: The instructors vigorously uphold the Vanderbilt Honor System, as described in the student handbook: http://www.vanderbilt.edu/student_handbook/chapter2.html. In this course we support the free exchange of ideas among creative, well-informed, rigorous, honest thinkers. To make this possible—and to maintain integrity and credibility within a community of scholars—it is crucial to acknowledge the sources of our ideas, both in conversation and in writing. I encourage you to share and engage with each other’s ideas while talking inside and outside of class. For group work in class, you may represent the group as a whole without crediting individuals. All writing submitted under your individual name must be your distinctive and original work; as you engage with others’ words or ideas, always credit them through appropriate methods of citation. Plagiarism or any other violation of Vanderbilt’s Honor Code in this course will be subject to disciplinary action. 2 PART I: Aix-en-Provence 8 – 27 May (3 weeks) M 8 May 0930-1100: Welcome, organization, introductions. Aix and its history 11:00-12:00: Orientation/logistics/safety meeting with Vanderbilt-in-France team 1700-1900: Survival French 1900 Welcome reception at Vanderbilt-in-France (snacks/light dinner) Read: Garrett, M. Provence: A Cultural History, selections; Blue Guide excerpts; Barrthes, “The Blue Guide” T 9 May 0930-1100: Landscape and human geography (w/ guest: Vincent Ollivier, Aix-Marseille University) 1100-1300: Opening the book: journaling Provence (discussion of the materials to include in the journal, sketching exercise). 1700-1900: Survival French Read: Garrett, M. Provence: A Cultural History, selections; Morris, “Introduction” W 10 May 0930-1030: Archaeology of Colonialism: Greeks in southern France 1030-1130: The Invention of the French Nation PM: Fieldtrip to Marseille (Musée d'Histoire de Marseille, Docks, Mucem), public transportation, with guest-speaker, Sophie Bouffier, Aix-Marseille University Read: ʠ Burgin, on Marseille; ʠ Dietler, “2. Archaeologies of Colonialism”; ʠ Cleere, Guide, on Marseille Th 11 May: 0930-1030: Coming of Empire: What did the Romans Do for Us? 1030-1200: "Lieux de Mémoire," reading and discussion 1300-: Student team-work on walking tours by neighborhood (four groups of five). 1700-1900 Survival French Read: ʠ Anderson, Roman Architecture in Provence, selections; ʠ Nora, “Between Memory and History: Lieux de Mémoire”; and on Aixoise architecture: http://www.archi-guide.com/VL/Fra/aix_en_provence.htm F 12 May: 0930-1030 Neoclassicism to the Origins of Impressionism 1030-1200: Working at the Granet Museum: Entremont, and Granet to Cézanne 1300-1600: Afternoon fieldtrip (local bus) to Entremont and Atelier de Cézanne 1700-1800 Survival French 3 Read: ʠ Cleere, Guide: Entremont; Shiff, “Defining ‘Impressionism’ and the ‘Impression.’” Explore: Gauls in Provence: Oppidum of Entremont website: http://www.entremont.culture.gouv.fr/en/index2.html S 13 May: EXCURSION 1: Arles (Forum, Cryptoporticus, Amphitheater, baths), Barbegal (mills), Glanum/St.-Rémy Read: ʠ Cleere, Guide: Arles, Barbegal, Glanum; ʠ Leveau, “The Barbegal Water-mill in its Environment”; ʠ Arles and Vincent Van Gogh (Arles Tourism Board tour handout) S 14 May: Free day M 15 May: 0930-1045 The Annalistes and the Longue Durée in French history 1045-1200: Aix Walking Tour #1: Center West 1300-1415: Aix Walking Tour #2: Center East 1700-1900: Survival French Read: ʠ Braudel, “Memory and the Mediterranean” 3-16, plus Murray’s “Introduction” OR ʠ Trevor- Roper, “Braudel, the Annales, and the Mediterranean” T 16 May 0930-1030: Roman Nîmes and the taming of the Bouches-du-Rhône 1045-1200: Aix Walking Tour #3: Northwest Area 1300-1415: Aix Walking Tour #4: Northeast Area 1700-1900: Cistercians, Crusaders, and Popes (skype by E. Moodey), discussion Read: Schapiro, "On the Aesthetic Attitude in Romanesque Art"; Morris, “Medieval Towns” GROUP DINNER: Le Riad, 7:30 pm W 17 May-Th 18 May EXCURSION 2 Wednesday am: Depart Aix, pass through Avignon (walls, bridge); Pont du Gard and the garrigue Wednesday pm: Nîmes (Tour Magne, Fontaine, Maison Carrée, Amphitheater). Overnight in Nîmes Thursday am: Aigues Mortes—walls, streets, and history of a medieval bastide Thursday pm: Salin d’Aigues Mortes (1:45-3), Stes. Maries de la Mer, return to Aix. Read: ʠ Hauck, “The Roman Aqueduct of Nîmes”; ʠ Cleere, Guide: Nîmes; ʠ Bellet & Florençon, The City of Aigues-Mortes F 18 May 0930-1030: The Classical Tradition and Historicism 1045-1200: The Birth of Modernism F 19 May, after lunch through S 21 May: free weekend. Return to hotel by Sunday night! M 22 May-T 23 May EXCURSION 3 Monday am: Depart Aix, visit archaeological site of Olbia. Lunch by the beach. 4 Monday pm: Villa Noailles, then drive to Beausoleil. Late pm visit to C. Garnier’s Casino at Monte Carlo Tuesday am: Train to Villa Kerylos, train back to Roquebrune/Cap Martin, Plage de Buse picnic lunch Tuesday pm: Cap Moderne, return to Aix via la Turbie Read: ʠ Villa Noailles handout packet; ʠ Cleere, Guide: Olbia and La Turbie. ʠ Archinote: Roquebrune-Cap Martin: Cap Moderne; Divide and conquer ʠ Prelorenzo selections.