Think Like Leonardo da Vinci

Catalog description

This course introduces you to college study and research through emulation of the Renaissance genius Leonardo da Vinci (1452-1519). To coincide with the 500th anniversary of his death, you will be invited to keep notebooks just like he did. We will examine Leonardo’s artworks as a way to investigate Renaissance ideas of nature, its transformative potential, and the natural and built environment. Each week you will you be tasked with a theme to explore that relates to one of his fields of interest. After viewing his drawings and writings (in English!), you too will investigate subjects that interested Leonardo and his peers—such as botany, anatomy, machine design, and flight—and learn to articulate in your notebooks your own insights and approaches to studying these topics. You’ll have ample opportunity to get to know New Orleans through prompts that invite you to study in New Orleans like Leonardo might have done: you’ll be invited to visit the New Orleans Museum of Art, the Pharmacy Museum, and Audubon Park. Weekly discussions will discuss the artist’s approaches and your own. For your notebooks, you will not be assessed on artistic merit, but rather for the depth of your engagement with the assignment.