A drawing of a skeleton

Mediating the Human Body: A History

This advanced class investigates the history of collection and mediation by studying the fascinating history of visual representations of anatomical specimens. Students will study the visual transmission of human anatomy in the West from the 1540s to the 1940s. In this hands-on class, we will be working with the CU Art Museum and partnering with medical humanities students at Duquesne University in Pittsburgh to learn the history of dissection and surgery along with the technologies that transmitted anatomical knowledge throughout the medical community--things like printmaking, photography and med school "theatre" dissections. Students will have the opportunity to examine rare materials from Anchutz and Norlin’s Special Collections and to conduct labs on the technologies of reproductive printmaking, historical book-making technique, and microscopy. Expect interactions with librarians and curators, as well as partnerships with remote students working on the same material. Limited to ten students.

Studies specialized topics in the history, theory, and practice of media, such as the history of the book, the theory of digital media, and the theory and practice of multimedia forms. Specially designed for English majors. Topics vary year to year.

Repeatable: Repeatable for up to 6.00 total credit hours.
Requisites: Restricted to students with 57-180 credits (Juniors or Seniors).
Additional Information:Arts Sci Gen Ed: Distribution-Arts Humanities
Departmental Category: Advanced Theory, Genre Studies and Popular Culture

Taught by Thora Brylowe.