Heraldy

The course provides an understanding of heraldry as a sociocultural phenomenon of European pre-modern civilization, its conceptual framework, and its place within the system of global emblematic practices, as well as its role in contemporary culture. Familiarity with the discipline involves discussing current issues in modern heraldry from an interdisciplinary perspective, including the emergence, social and geographical distribution of coats of arms as visual symbols, the development of a specialized technical language of heraldry, its legal regulation, and a wide range of functions.

The course will cover the structure of coats of arms, typology, colors and figures, approaches to their interpretation, and heraldry as a representation of social structures and worldviews of the era, particularly vividly represented in imagined coats of arms and mythology. The course provides the necessary volume of theory and practical exercises in proper blazoning, interpretation, analysis, and design of coats of arms. The elective contributes to understanding the historical traditions of European and Russian visual culture in comparison; it introduces images and ideas that are fundamental to a number of contemporary representative practices.