History of the Body

Catalog description

The human body has always had an important role in constructing social, political, and cultural relations. Although it seems as though the body is a fixed, a-historical category, in recent years, historians found it to be a valuable source to understand questions of race, gender, sexuality, class, nationalism, citizenship, as well as political and social institutions. In this course, readings, lectures, discussions, and writing assignments will all explore the body as a locus of social meaning, giving a special attention to the aesthetics of the body and notions of beauty. We will examine how different characterizations of bodies -- male and female, enslaved and free, healthy and sick, able and disable, active and idle, natural and artificial, normal and deviant -- were constructed and imagined for different purposes, giving special attention to how the diversity of lived experiences of bodies as well as their symbolic meanings can shed light on social, political and historical processes. In addition, class readings, discussions, and assignments will encourage students to critically examine the political meanings of bodies and the ethical questions that derive from the social organization and definitions of different bodies, considering issues such as slavery, eugenics, disability, and medical ethics. Counts as a CAS Global & Cultural Diversity course. Counts as a Communication Intensive course. Counts as a Human Diversity & Commonality course. Counts as a Moral & Ethical Reasoning course.