Course Name: ARTE 41089/51089 Through the Lens of the Renaissance and Today: Design Thinking Applications to Any Field of Study
Description: The purpose of this course is to guide students in creating potential impactful solutions to challenges that relate to their major area of study or personal lives. Students will use design thinking — a problem solving process that may be used in life and careers. Through the study of Renaissance design and invention, they will apply similar innovative thinking to a design challenge.
Florence is often named the birthplace of the Renaissance. It is an historical period from the 14th-16th centuries. The inventions, arts, literature and politics of the time changed the way people understood the world around them and have influenced the way we live today. Those considered to be Renaissance innovative thinkers were Leonardo da Vinci, Rene Descartes, Galileo, Dante, Milton, Shakespeare, Michelangelo, Botticelli, among others.
By studying objects that people create, students are informed of the measurements of progress and a relationship to the human condition. Studying Renaissance architecture, inventions, fashion, city design, and landscape architecture in Florence will provide a foundation for understanding how objects of the 14th-16th century symbolized life. This study will address some of the economic, political, spiritual, practical, and social aspects of life shown through the form and function of designed objects. Viewing these objects in their physical context, as well as learning about the historical context, will establish links between the relationship of life then and today.
Credit Hours: 3
Prerequisites: None
