ARTH 387BArchitecture and the Body

Catalog

This course will examine the shifting nature of the relationship between architecture and the human body, which has, since antiquity, been put to use by architects as the basis of design. At times idealized and at others grotesque, the application of corporeal principles to the built environment serves as a key to deciphering the status of humanism in each of the eras we will examine. Using four themes-the body as metaphor, the body as marked, the body in motion, and the body mystified-we will analyze primary and secondary texts as well as the buildings they interpret. Fulfills AUS and post-1800 requirement for art history major or minor. Prerequisite: any ARTH 100- or 200-level course.