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1001 - 1010 of 1221 results for: all courses

OSPFLOR 87: What is Love? The Amorous Discourse from Dante to Ferrante

Talking about love was the main reason humans ever began to speak in the first place. From the moment words were invented, they have been used to interpret and describe, in verse and prose, this powerful and mysterious force, in an attempt to interpret and describe our very selves. Lyric poetry was specifically designed for that, but even when telling stories about war, adventure, or the meaning of life and death, as well as when narrating comic or tragic events, countless writers have often endeavored to answer the question: What is love? By combining close readings of texts with a study of their literary, cultural, and historical context, and by paying attention to individual innovations as well as one's dialogue with tradition (a gendered tradition, that nonetheless stimulates fluid and even queer responses from the Renaissance forward), we will discover Dante's love, a means of damnation or salvation; Petrarch's love, which is sinful distraction, the source of poetry, and a path to more »
Talking about love was the main reason humans ever began to speak in the first place. From the moment words were invented, they have been used to interpret and describe, in verse and prose, this powerful and mysterious force, in an attempt to interpret and describe our very selves. Lyric poetry was specifically designed for that, but even when telling stories about war, adventure, or the meaning of life and death, as well as when narrating comic or tragic events, countless writers have often endeavored to answer the question: What is love? By combining close readings of texts with a study of their literary, cultural, and historical context, and by paying attention to individual innovations as well as one's dialogue with tradition (a gendered tradition, that nonetheless stimulates fluid and even queer responses from the Renaissance forward), we will discover Dante's love, a means of damnation or salvation; Petrarch's love, which is sinful distraction, the source of poetry, and a path to glory; Boccaccio's love, so sensual and yet so deeply rooted in the human soul as to cause the greatest joy or the deepest despair; Ariosto's love, a dangerous force that can drive people to madness in a world where, after all, everyone is somehow in love and therefore partly (and delightfully) crazy; Machiavelli's love, which can sharpen one's wits and bring with it great achievements, unless it clouds one's judgement and leads to failure; Aretino's love, so unabashedly physical and graphically explicit as to cause scandal and amazement all over Europe. We will also look at how love is described by Veronica Gambara, Vittoria Colonna, Gaspara Stampa and other women poets of the Renaissance who renewed the lyrical code from within, giving new meanings to old words. We will also listen to the various kinds of love put to music in operas from Don Giovanni to Traviata and Bohème, and we will investigate how love interrelates with history in Manzoni's Promessi sposi and other Romantic historical novels. Finally, we will explore how the previous (male) narratives about love were reconfigured and reinvented by female novelists of the 20th century such as Goliarda Sapienza, Natalia Ginzburg and Elsa Morante, who will lead us to delve into Elena Ferrante's works, where love constantly interplays with friendship, and often confirms that, for better or for worse, appearances can be deceiving. Instructor: L. Degl'Innocenti
Last offered: Summer 2023 | UG Reqs: WAY-A-II

OSPFLOR 96: Leonardo!

In this 500th anniversary year of the death of Leonardo this class will be an immersive and interactive experience with this most remarkable and complex artist and thinker. Focus on Leonardo's insights into human perception, tapping the very sounds and sights of the city that drove his fascination and inspired his work. Leonardo's conviction that the soul was the point of convergence of all the senses, prompted him to ponder how sensory information is received and processed. His writings foreshadow gestalt psychology and psychoacoustics centuries before these were studied by scientists. Leonardo's fascination with perception and emotion are manifest in his art and in his inventions. Together we will explore the city that inspired da Vinci's work, and delve into the deep implications of some of his insights and inventions as they effect contemporary art, science and life.
Last offered: Winter 2021 | UG Reqs: WAY-A-II, WAY-CE

OSPFLOR 111Y: Florence and the Renaissance: The 15th Century

Lectures, site visits, and readings reconstruct the circumstances that favored the flowering of architecture, sculpture, and painting in Florence and Italy, late 13th to early 16th century. Emphasis is on the classical roots; the particular relationship with nature; the commitment to human expressiveness; and rootedness in the real-world experience, translated in sculpture and painting as powerful plasticity, perspective space, and interest in movement and emotion.
Last offered: Autumn 2022 | UG Reqs: GER:DB-Hum, WAY-A-II

OSPFLOR 115Y: Building the Cathedral and the Town Hall: Constructing and Deconstructing Symbols of a Civilization

The history, history of art, and symbolism of the two principal monuments of Florence: the cathedral and the town hall. Common meaning and ideological differences between the religious and civic symbols of Florence's history from the time of Giotto and the first Guelf republic to Bronzino and Giovanni da Bologna and the Grand Duchy.
Last offered: Autumn 2021 | UG Reqs: GER:DB-Hum, WAY-A-II

OSPHONGK 25: Cultural History of China

Multi-disciplinary approach to the study of Chinese cultural history conceived of as a succession of modes of rationality (philosophical, bureaucratic, and economic processes of rationalization). Focus on the moments of paradigm shift from one mode of rationality to another. For moment, examine cultural facts and artifacts¿thought, literature, ritual¿in relationship to changing social, political, and economic systems. This semester, focus on the emergence of modern China in the Song-Yuan (960-1368) and of today's China 1850 to the present. How the modern attack on religion, redefined as "superstition", led not only to religious reform movements but also to a society in which science and the nation became the primary value systems promoted by the state.
Last offered: Autumn 2021 | UG Reqs: WAY-A-II

OSPHONGK 26: East Asian Film Genres in a Globalizing World

Connections between different cinemas within East Asia and between East Asia and the rest of the world explored from a genre perspective. Hong Kong and Korean gangster movies, Chinese swordplay and Japanese samurai films, and horror films from Japan and Thailand as examples of the transnational circulation of genres, involving processes of both localization and globalization. Focus on three interrelated genres: the martial arts film, the Eastern Western and the film noir/crime film. Explore Hollywood-centered genre theory, trace complex webs of creative influences, and appreciate the sameness and difference that characterizes both genre films and our globalizing world. Make a short "genre film" for screening at the end of the term
Last offered: Autumn 2020 | UG Reqs: WAY-A-II, WAY-CE

OSPHONGK 43: Mainstream Chinese Philosophical Thought

Introduction to the philosophical thought of Confucianism, Taoism, and Buddhism, to provide a deeper understanding of the roots of Chinese values and culture. As a cornerstone of Chinese culture, Confucianism contributes to the establishment of the human moral way by articulating a conception of humans as moral subjects. Taoism stresses the pursuit of an ideal life by understanding the changes of the universe, while Buddhism applies the concept of karma to show how the ultimate cause of human suffering lies in ignorance. Other Chinese philosophical thought such as Mohism, Legalism, and the School of Yin and Yang may be covered.
Last offered: Autumn 2020 | UG Reqs: WAY-A-II

OSPKYOTO 13: Contemporary Religion in Japan's Ancient Capital: Sustaining and Recasting Tradition

Japanese attitudes to religion and popular forms of religiosity. Syncretic nature of beliefs and practices drawn on a variety of interwoven concepts, beliefs, customs and religious activities of native Japanese, Korean, Chinese, and Indian origins as background. Topics include: pursuit of worldly benefits, religion and healing, fortune-telling, ascetic practices, pilgrimage, festivals (matsuri), new religions and their image, impact of the internet, response of religion in times of crisis.
Terms: Spr | Units: 3-4 | UG Reqs: GER:DB-Hum, WAY-A-II
Instructors: Ludvik, C. (PI)

OSPKYOTO 28: The Aesthetics and Ethics of Japanese Tea Practice

In this course, we will explore the history and aesthetics of Japanese tea practice, with particular attention to how the embodied forms of the practice and the material culture of the tea setting create the conditions for states of being and relating that reflect core ethical values. This course will combine lecture, reflection, discussion, and embodied experience as ways of inquiry. Our classroom will extend to the rich tea environs of Kyoto where we will experience historic and contemporary tea rooms from the Zen temple setting to the public garden. We will explore the poetic resonance of teaware at the family museum of a traditional lineage of teabowl artisans. We will sit as guests to tea, learn to make confections, and visit a tea farm where we will join in the harvesting of tea itself.
Terms: Spr | Units: 3 | UG Reqs: WAY-A-II
Instructors: Hamilton, N. (PI)

OSPKYOTO 42: Gardens of Kyoto: Spaces of Aesthetic and Spiritual Contemplation

Chronological stroll through Japanese gardens of different types and functions, spanning from the Heian period (794-1185), when the ancient capital of Kyoto was established, through to contemporary times. Weekly field trips to a selection of Kyoto gardens and garden-related activities, in order to gain an understanding of the historical development and functions of Japanese gardens, including their design principles, techniques, and elements.
Terms: Spr | Units: 3-4 | UG Reqs: WAY-A-II
Instructors: Ludvik, C. (PI)
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