A Grand Tour: Travels in the South Caucasus (Joint ISAC–ARISC class)

8 weeks, Mondays, June 29th–August 17th, 4–6 pm Central/5–7pm Eastern. Class will meet on Zoom but the class be recorded and posted on CANVAS for attendees to watch later.

Cost: Non-members ($392), ISAC and ARISC Members ($314), ISAC Docents/Volunteers and UChicago Alumni ($157), University of Chicago Lab/Charter, Students, Faculty, and Staff and the Students, Faculty, and Staff at institutions that are ARISC-institutional members ($98).

This class is an exploration of the sites of the South Caucasus as viewed through the eyes of 19th and early 20th century travelers. The course would explore topics such as photography, painting, music, and literature that discuss visits to the region, the sites people explored, and the entertainments that they enjoyed. Join experts from ARISC and University of Chicago for this unique joint class!

The 19th century brought about a revolution in travel. Thanks to the invention of the railroad, many more people were able to travel, leading to the rise of the package holiday as well as more travelers journeying further afield than ever before. Even previously inaccessible regions were suddenly available to a much wider number of people. One such place that people began to visit in greater numbers was the South Caucasus. At the time under the control of the Russian Empire, and subsequently the Soviet Union, the now independent countries of Armenia, Azerbaijan, and Georgia were an attractive location for the adventurous traveler. Not only was it visited by those from within the Russian Empire and the Soviet Union, but also other European and North American travelers found their way to this region. From the famous diarist Anne Lister who visited Georgia with her partner Ann Walker and died at Kutaisi in 1840, to Alexander Dumas père, the author of The Three Musketeers who marveled at the fire temple of Baku in Azerbaijan in 1858, and the Russian poet Alexander Pushkin's visit to Armenia in 1829, the region has fascinated travelers.

Join us as we journey across this region and look at the music that people played and the art and literature that they encountered, as well as what they themselves created as a result of their experiences. Through this course, we can gain a better appreciation and understanding of the region in this period on the cusp of modernity.

Schedule

Week One, June 29: Introduction and Painting in the South Caucasus: Polina Kasian, Renaissance Society, University of Chicago and Tasha Vorderstrasse, Manager, Continuing Education Program, ISAC

Week Two, July 6: Photography in the South Caucasus. Polina Kasian, Renaissance Society, University of Chicago and Tasha Vorderstrasse, Manager, Continuing Education Program, ISAC

Week Three, July 13: Music: Armenia. Alyssa Mathias, Assistant Professor of Music, Knox College

Week Four, July 20: Music: Georgia. Brian Fairley, Postdoctoral Scholar, University of Pittsburgh. Center for Russian, East European, and Eurasian Studies

Week Five (July 27): Music: Azerbaijan. Anna Oldfield, Professor, Coastal Carolina University

Week Six (August 3): Literature: Georgia. Rebecca Ruth Gould, Distinguished Professor of Comparative Poetics and Global Politics, SOAS University of London

Week Seven (August 10): Literature: Armenia. Arpi Movsesian, Assistant Professor of Slavic and Eurasian Studies, University of Notre Dame

Week Eight (August 17): Literature: Azerbaijan. Rebecca Ruth Gould, Distinguished Professor of Comparative Poetics and Global Politics, SOAS University of London

ARISC:

ARISC is an American Overseas Research Center, an independent not-for-profit, that supports research in and about Armenia, Azerbaijan and Georgia, both in the South Caucasus and the US. ARISC’s mission is to promote and encourage American research in the region and to foster intellectual inquiry across boundaries within the South Caucasus as well as between the South Caucasus and its neighbors. The exchange of scholars and scholarly information will be encouraged by ARISC’s support for conferences, fellowships, publications, teaching resources, and other forms of cooperation for use both in the United States and in the host countries where the Institute is located. To join ARISC click here.