Undergraduate Course: Picturing Science in Premodern Manuscripts and Printed Books (HIAR10186)
Course Outline
School | Edinburgh College of Art |
College | College of Arts, Humanities and Social Sciences |
Credit level (Normal year taken) | SCQF Level 10 (Year 3 Undergraduate) |
Availability | Available to all students |
SCQF Credits | 20 |
ECTS Credits | 10 |
Summary | Science is a sensual enterprise. Phenomena are observed and imaged, often in books. This course examines the ways that this was done in pre-modern Europe between 500 and 1500 through a series of case studies. Although manuscripts in Latin and European vernaculars are the focus, they will be put into dialogue with books from other periods and cultures. The course takes advantage of the rich holdings of the University and nearby collections and, where possible, involves hands-on exercises. The basics of paleography and codicology will be covered. |
Course description |
Medieval science has been called ¿livresque¿, that is, set down and largely conducted in books. While challenging this claim, this course takes advantage of the wealth of medieval and early renaissance manuscripts and printed books that gave rise to it. Science, derived from the Latin ¿scientia¿, carried different connotations in the Middle Ages than it does today. It meant simply ¿knowledge¿ and often referred to expertise or skill in any domain. In certain contexts, however, it denoted absolute truth, divine in origin; as such, its exclusive sources were deemed to be the Bible and the mathematical disciplines of arithmetic, geometry, astronomy and music. This course embraces medieval scientia in all its varied forms. Students will look at books devoted to everything from multiplication to machine construction, time reckoning to land surveying, optics to elephants. Such tracts, which in the not-so-distant past were deemed to be largely beyond the scope of art historical study, are often filled with pictures. Students will consider the diverse conceptual roles these pictures played, exploring questions of precision, style and efficacy in light of production, transmission and use.
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Information for Visiting Students
Pre-requisites | Visiting students should have at least 3 History of Art courses at grade B or above (or be predicted to obtain this). We will only consider University/College level courses. As numbers are limited, visiting students should contact the Visiting Student Office directly for admission to this course. |
High Demand Course? |
Yes |
Course Delivery Information
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Academic year 2023/24, Available to all students (SV1)
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Quota: 18 |
Course Start |
Semester 2 |
Timetable |
Timetable |
Learning and Teaching activities (Further Info) |
Total Hours:
200
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Seminar/Tutorial Hours 20,
Formative Assessment Hours 1,
Summative Assessment Hours 2,
Revision Session Hours 1,
Programme Level Learning and Teaching Hours 4,
Directed Learning and Independent Learning Hours
172 )
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Assessment (Further Info) |
Written Exam
50 %,
Coursework
50 %,
Practical Exam
0 %
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Additional Information (Assessment) |
You will be assessed for this course in two ways:«br /»
(1) ESSAY (worth 50% of your overall mark)«br /»
One 2,000 word essay, the title to be chosen from a list supplied; due at the end of the semester.«br /»
(2) EXAM (worth 50% of your overall mark)«br /»
One 3-hour online exam in May diet.«br /»
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Both summative components of assessment are assessed against all five course Learning Outcomes. Each Learning Outcome is equally weighted, and therefore comprises 20% of overall final course summative grade.«br /»
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Feedback |
Students are given feedback on FORMATIVE ASSESSMENT as follows:
You will be asked to prepare a presentation to deliver to the class and to submit a short (c.300 word) summary of your presentation with references. You will receive verbal feedback at a one-to-one meeting afterwards. The presentation will demonstrate knowledge and understanding that will contribute to your performance in your summative assessment.
SUMMATIVE ASSESSMENT: There will be an essay and an exam, equally weighted. Written feedback on student essays will be provided, in addition to the opportunity for a one-to-one meeting towards the end of semester.
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Exam Information |
Exam Diet |
Paper Name |
Hours & Minutes |
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Main Exam Diet S2 (April/May) | 3-hour online exam | 3:00 | |
Learning Outcomes
On completion of this course, the student will be able to:
- Demonstrate skills of visual analysis and interpretation of premodern books¿their structure, material and pictures.
- Demonstrate understanding of medieval science and its verbal and visual manifestations, and a detailed knowledge of selected key works .
- Demonstrate knowledge of medieval theories of cognition and the diverse roles that images were thought to play in thought and revelation
- Demonstrate a critical awareness of the way that medieval science has been treated by scholars over time and in different disciplines, especially the history of science and art history
- Demonstrate confidence in identifying, conceptualising and expressing novel problems raised by the material
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Reading List
Bredekamp, Horst, Vera Dünkel, and Birgit Schneider, eds. The Technical Image: A History of Styles in Scientific Imagery. Chicago: The University of Chicago Press, 2015.
Hamburger, Jeffrey F. Diagramming Devotion: Berthold of Nuremberg¿s Transformation of Hrabanus Maurus¿s Poems in Praise of the Cross. Chicago: Chicago University Press, 2020.
Morrison, Elizabeth, ed. with assistance from Larisa Grollemond, Book of Beasts: The Bestiary in the Medieval World. Los Angeles: The J. Paul Getty Museum, 2019.
Murdoch, John Emery. Album of Science: Antiquity and the Middle Ages. New York: Scribner, 1984.
Vorholt, Hanna. Shaping Knowledge: The Transmission of the Liber Floridus. London: The Warburg Institute, 2017.
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Additional Information
Graduate Attributes and Skills |
Visual and critical analysis; Clear thinking and the development of an argument; Independent research; Presentation and communication skills; Organisation and planning. |
Keywords | Manuscripts,Printed Books,Medieval,Renaissance,Science,Text and Image,Diagrams,Style |
Contacts
Course organiser | Dr Megan McNamee
Tel:
Email: |
Course secretary | Miss Chloe Hancock
Tel: (0131 6)50 4124
Email: |
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