3.0

credits

Average Course Rating

From humankind's earliest artistic expressions on the walls of caves, animals have figured centrally in the human imagination. One can argue, in fact, that much of early art and literature does not differentiate fully between the human and the animal, that human self-awareness evolved, in part, through interactions with animals, and through the imaginative fusion of human and animal forms. This course will study the representation of animals and of human/animal hybrids in the ancient and medieval worlds, weaving together stories presented through visual art and literature. Our journey will take us through East and West, touching on texts including (but not limited to) the Epic of Gilgamesh, the Hebrew Scriptures, the Vedas, and Ovid’s Metamorphoses.