FSSY 141 - "Renaissance" Men and Women: Polymaths from Late Antiquity to Leonardo Da Vinci

Institution:

Case Western Reserve University

Subject:

Description:

The term "Renaissance man" is often used to refer to a polymath, someone whose expertise spans numerous and diverse subject areas. Leonardo da Vinci (1452-1519), perhaps the most famous polymath of all, was an artist, scientist, engineer, musician, and indeed a man who lived during the Renaissance. Yet already in late antiquity and the Middle Ages many of the great thinkers were polymaths, and they were not all men. This course examines the intellectual contributions of Leonardo da Vinci and two earlier polymaths: Saint Augustine (390-430CE), a north African bishop, philosopher, and theologian who became a Doctor of the Church; and Hildegard of Bingen (1098-1179), a German nun who was a composer, philosopher, herbalist, and mystic visionary. Through discussion of writings by these three figures and of secondary literature about them, the course explores their intellectual diversity and the cultural forces that shaped them. It also examines what it meant to be a polymath at various points in history, why polymaths have become associated with the Renaissance and with men specifically, and why there are relatively few polymaths today.

Credits:

4.00

Credit Hours:

Prerequisites:

Corequisites:

Exclusions:

Level:

Instructional Type:

Lecture

Notes:

Additional Information:

Historical Version(s):

Institution Website:

www.case.edu

Phone Number:

(216) 368-2000

Regional Accreditation:

North Central Association of Colleges and Schools

Calendar System:

Semester

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