ANTH 210H Geometry of Beauty and Purpose
This course will address the Enduring Question, 'What is beauty, goodness, and truth?' Have you ever wondered why some things in our World are considered beautiful and others are not? Why does Beauty exist, besides being aesthetically pleasing? Can there be objective Beauty? To try to answer these questions, we will take a deep dive into the history of arts and crafts. We will study universal principles of balance, harmony, proportion, repetition, and variation. We will sharpen our eye to find Beauty in its manifold forms in culture (and nature, too). And we will apply practical methods of composition with paper and pencil. Our key will be Geometry - not the abstract dry one that you recall from school, but as an accessible problem-solving toolkit. It is the hidden thread for a veritable cornucopia of applications. Local field trips will include e.g. the Jefferson Memorial. Exercises and assignments will practice applications from various historical periods to deepen the understanding and appreciation. All submittals will be accompanied by short reflective essays. The final project will select an exemplification of Beauty and investigate it further in a scholarly essay. This course does not require any technical or drawing skills and is open to all university students.
Cross Listed Courses
ENGR/ART/
ANTH 210/210H & E500
Prerequisite
Open only to students in the University Honors Program