HISTORY 345 - Whole Earths,Globalizations,and World Pictures

Institution:

Reed College

Subject:

Description:

Full course for one semester. Hear the word "Earth" or "world" and the image likely to flash through the mind is a photo known as "Whole Earth" (1972), which reveals the disk of our terraqueous planet suspended alone in the void. It is reputed to be the most widely distributed photograph in human history, and together with other views of the Earth from beyond has prompted a revolution in the global imagination. The aim of this research seminar is to assess the plausibility of that claim, by situating these images in their diverse historical contexts. These contexts include the history of humankind's imaginative self-projection into the beyond from ancient times to our day; how the "whole earth" image has been mobilized by environmental campaigns, political movements, and commercial enterprises; how the view of Earth has figured in economics, aesthetics, anthropology, philosophy, and the natural sciences; and how this pictorial imaginary has become integrated into the unthought ways we inhabit our natural and human-built worlds. Confe

Credits:

3.00

Credit Hours:

Prerequisites:

Corequisites:

Exclusions:

Level:

Instructional Type:

Lecture

Notes:

Additional Information:

Historical Version(s):

Institution Website:

www.reed.edu

Phone Number:

(503) 771-1112

Regional Accreditation:

Northwest Commission on Colleges and Universities

Calendar System:

Semester

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