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Christian Roots: Medieval and Renaissance Art & Science

Winter 2002 - Syllabus

In this program we will explore Medieval and Renaissance (1100 to 1750) European culture through studies in art and science. We will examine trends that emerged in religion, medicine, and visual arts with interest in how these values have changed and/or remained the same through the centuries. In the fall, we developed a grounding in medieval image-making and European ethnobotany. In the winter, we will address the emerging humanism that accompanies the Renaissance and how this shift in worldview transformed both the study of nature and the practice of the arts and sciences including medicine.

During the Middle Ages, Christian values influenced the field of science. Church leaders attempted to limit the findings of scientists to what corroborated their own beliefs. Christian values also determined the look and function of art created during the Middle Ages. The church developed a code of representation that involved a complex iconography for Christian images; it also was the primary patron of artists until the High Renaissance. With the establishment of institutions of higher learning and numerous translations of classic pagan works, the seeds for a cultural renaissance were planted in the Middle Ages. During the Renaissance, exploration and colonization of the "New World" resulted in a dramatic increase in knowledge about the world. Also new technologies, allowed for a deeper understanding of the workings of nature and a greater capacity to control it. During the Renaissance, the humanist obsession with science seeped into the arts as well. Science influenced the visual arts in the form of study and portrayal of human anatomy; studies of nature through illustration; and the development of complex systems of optics and perspective. The sciences had a pervasive impact on what had been a strictly spiritual content in art. In the process, the roles of artists changed from that of artisans to intellectuals. Science had its greatest impact on the way art was done -- in terms of perspective and observing nature and bodies, but it had less impact on content. Content moved in a variety of directions both humanistic (portraiture and historical paintings) and mythological. In the process art was liberated from strictly religious narratives because the field of science became more open.

This program investigates the following questions. How did humanism, the rise of science, and changing technology shape the way Renaissance Europeans knew the world? How did greater awareness of the natural world transform the way they made sense of the world? How did artists use imagery to give shape and meaning to the Renaissance world? How does the emphasis on the rational, scientific approach to knowing influence our life today? How does one research a period whose cultural products come from a specific set of beliefs, cultural customs, and practices, perhaps unknown to us? How does our understanding of the physical world influence our beliefs about our spiritual existence? How have these relationships changed from the Middle Ages, through the renaissance to the 21st century?

Faculty: Frederica Bowcutt, Lab II rm 3272, X 6744, bowcuttf@evergreen.edu Lisa Sweet, Sem rm 3168, phone X 6763, sweetl@evergreen.edu

Office hours for all faculty: Friday 9-11 am and by appt.

Weekly Schedule:

Tuesday Wednesday Thursday Friday

	9 am- 1 pm Writing Workshops SEM 3151 (FB) & 3153 (LS)		Weeks 1-5 SEE SYLLABUS
12:30-2:30 pm - All Group Mtg Lib 2205		Open Studio	Weeks 5-10 10 am-12 noon Seminar Lab I 3033 (Frederica) & Lib 2219 (Lisa)
3-5 pm - Seminars LabI 3033 (Frederica) & Lab II 2211 (Lisa)			Weeks 5-10 1-3 pm All Group Meeting – Lec Hall 2

Book List:

Texts Seminar Books

Shailor, The Medieval Book

Eco, The Name of the Rose

Sackville-West, Saint Joan of Arc

Crosby, The Measure of Reality

Harbinson, The Mirror of the Artist

Siraisi, Medieval & Early Renaissance Medicine

Jacob, The Scientific Revolution: Aspiration and Achievements

Jardine, Ingenious Pursuits: Building the Scientific Revolution

Davis, Tulipomania

Note: Students joining the program in winter need to read Huizinga, The Autumn of the Middle Ages (Chapters 1-9) prior to the first week of class. Recommended reading: Arber, Herbals.

Week 1 January 7-11

Seminar Readings: Eco, The Name of the Rose

Workshop Readings: handout on letterpress

Optional Readings: Aristotle, "On Plants"

Tues, Jan 8

12:30-2:30 pm Orientation

3-5 pm Seminar on Eco, The Name of the Rose

Weds, January 9

9 am-1 pm Student Interviews (make an appt with your seminar leader)

Fri, Jan 11

9-11 am Letterpress Workshop in Print Studio with Steven Hendricks

11 am – 1 pm Letterpress Workshop in Print Studio with Steven Hendricks

2-4 pm Letterpress Workshop in Print Studio with Steven Hendricks

Note: the Print Studio is in the basement of Lab II

Week 2 January 14-18

Seminar Readings: Sackville-West, Saint Joan of Arc (Read all except skim chaps 8-11)

Workshop Readings: Shailor, The Medieval Book, pp. 3-68, "Making the Codex"

Tues, January 15

12:30-2:30 pm Guest Lecture: Victoria Scarlett on Illuminated Manuscripts

3-5 pm Seminar on Eco, The Name of the Rose

Weds, January 16

9 & 11 am Writing Workshops (Everyone attends/Group A papers)

Fri, January 18

9-11 am Letterpress Workshop in Print Studio with Steven Hendricks

11 am – 1 pm Letterpress Workshop in Print Studio with Steven Hendricks

2-4 pm Letterpress Workshop in Print Studio with Steven Hendricks

AND

11 am - 1 pm OR 2-4 pm Seminar on Sackville-West, Saint Joan of Arc

Meet in Lab I rm 3033

Sat, Jan 19 Burlesque Baroque: Handel, Vivaldi, and Friends (206) 322-3118

Week 3 January 21-25

Seminar Readings: Sackville-West, Saint Joan of Arc

Workshop Readings: Shailor, The Medieval Book, pp. 69-110, "Function and Form"

Tues, January 22

12:30-2:30 pm Film: The Passion of Joan of Arc (77 minutes)

3-5 pm Seminar on Sackville-West, Saint Joan of Arc

Weds, January 23

9 & 11 am Writing Groups (Everyone attends/Group B papers)

Fri, January 25

9-11 am Calligraphy and Hand-coloring Workshop in Lab I rm 1040

11 am – 1 pm Calligraphy and Hand-coloring Workshop in Lab I rm 1040

2-4 pm Calligraphy and Hand-coloring Workshop in Lab I rm 1040

Week 4 January 28- February 1

Seminar Readings: Crosby, The Measure of Reality

Optional Readings: Fowells, Chant Made Simple

Tues, January 29

12:30-2:30 pm Guest Lecture: Sean Williams on Music and Time

3-5 pm Seminar on Crosby, The Measure of Reality

Weds, January 30

9 & 11 am Writing Groups (Everyone attends/Group A papers)

Fri, February 1

9-11 am Binding and Codex Workshop in Lab I rm 1040

11 am – 1 pm Binding and Codex Workshop in Lab I rm 1040

2-4 pm Binding and Codex Workshop in Lab I rm 1040

Sat, February 2

1 pm A Visit by Hildegard and Eleanor, Medieval Women’s Choir

Rainier Valley Cultural Center, 3515 S. Alaska St., Seattle

(206) 325-7066 (This is a 45-minute performance geared for kids)

Week 5 February 4-8

Seminar Readings: Harbinson, The Mirror of the Artist

Tues, February 5

12:30-2:30 pm Lecture on the Northern Renaissance

3-5 pm Seminar on Harbinson, The Mirror of the Artist

Weds, February 6

9 & 11 am Writing Groups (Everyone attends/Group B papers)

Thurs, February 7

9 am-4 pm Mid-Quarter Check-In

Fri, February 8

9-11 am Binding and Codex Workshop in Lab I rm 1040

11 am – 1 pm Binding and Codex Workshop in Lab I rm 1040

2-4 pm Binding and Codex Workshop in Lab I rm 1040

Sat, February 9

8 pm Music in the Age of the Enlightenment @ Town Hall in Seattle

(206) 726-6088

Week 6 February 11-15

Seminar Readings: Siraisi, Medieval & Early Renaissance Medicine

Optional Readings: Stannard, "Dioscorides and Renaissance Materia Medica"

Tues, February 12

12:30-2:30 pm Lecture on Medieval and Renaissance Medicine

3-5 pm Seminar on Siraisi, Medieval & Early Renaissance Medicine

Weds, February 13

9 & 11 am Writing Groups (Everyone attends/Group A papers)

Fri, February 15

10 am-12 noon Seminar on Siraisi, Medieval & Early Renaissance Medicine

1-3 pm Guest Lecture: Stacey Davis on Reformation

Week 7 February 18-22

Seminar Readings: Jacob, The Scientific Revolution: Aspiration and Achievements

Tues, February 19

12:30-2:30 pm Discussion of Student Work (Bring: Minimum of 10 pages of book)

3-5 pm Seminar on Jacob, The Scientific Revolution

Weds, February 20

9 & 11 am Writing Groups (Everyone attends/Group B papers)

Fri, February 22

10 am-12 noon Seminar on Jacob, The Scientific Revolution

1-3 pm Lecture on the Scientific Revolution

Week 8 February 24-March 1

Seminar Readings: Jardine, Ingenious Pursuits

Optional Readings: Schiebinger, "The Loves of the Plants"

Tues, February 25

12:30-2:30 Lecture on Renaissance Architecture

3-5 pm Seminar on Jardine, Ingenious Pursuits

Weds, February 26

9 & 11 am Writing Groups (Everyone attends/Group A papers)

Fri, March 1

10 am-12 noon Seminar on Jardine, Ingenious Pursuits

1-3 pm Lecture on Natural History Collecting

Sat, March 2 @ 8 pm and Sun, March 3 @ 3 pm

Vespers for the Feast of the Annunciation (206) 322-3118

Week 9 March 4-8

Seminar Readings: Davis, Tulipomania

Optional Reading: essay on tobacco

Tues, March 5

12:30-2:30 pm Lecture on Tulips and Renaissance Horticulture

3-5 pm Seminar on Davis, Tulipomania

Weds, March 6

9 & 11 am Writing Groups (Everyone attends/Group B papers)

Fri, March 8

10 am-12 noon Seminar on Davis, Tulipomania

1-3 pm Lecture on Renaissance Painting and Perspective

Sat, March 9

8 pm Recorder Superstars @ Town Hall, Seattle (206) 726-6088

Week 10 March 11-15 DUE: Portfolios due on Weds, March 13 @ 5 pm

Tues, March 12

12:30-2:30 pm Final Exam

3-5 pm Wrap-up Seminar

Weds, March 13

9 & 11 am Writing Groups (bring 7 copies of self evaluation)

5 pm Portfolios Due (leave in your seminar leader’s mail box or at their door)

Fri, March 15

11-1 pm Medieval Feast – Cedar Room in Longhouse

1-3 pm Wrap-up Cedar Room in Longhouse

Required Papers and Portfolio Materials

detailed journal entries for each seminar book inclu ding questions to raise in seminar

detailed journal entry for the film including discussion of film maker’s intent

hand-made book(s) following the class assignment

four essays (2 pages each, type-written and double spaced)

four rewrites (turn into seminar leader one week after first draft is due along with all commented on first drafts; LATE PAPERS NOT ACCEPTED)

final exam

self evaluation

EVALUATIONS WEEK: March 18-22 Individual Conferences with Faculty

Please bring your faculty and self evaluations to your evaluation meeting.

(Note: a self evaluation is a required document for credit in the program)

Your evaluation will be based on:

the quality of required work (listed above),
performance on the final exam,
attendance, and
participation.

Expectations of Evergreen Graduates

articulate and assume responsibility for your own work

participate collaboratively and responsibly in our diverse society

communicate creatively and effectively

demonstrate integrative, independent and critical thinking

apply qualitative, quantitative, and creative modes of inquiry appropriately to practical and theoretical problems across disciplines

as a culmination of your education, demonstrate depth, breadth, and synthesis of learning and the ability to reflect on the personal and social significance of that learning

Note: For more information on concerts go to the Early Music Guild’s webpage (www.earlymusicguild.org)