First-Year Seminars 110BG - Biol. & the Other Humanities

Living things have been a part of the human experience from its beginning. In this class, we will look at biology from perspectives that we usually associate with the humanities. We will read Aristotle and Lucretius, and we will examine insects painted into the margins of illuminated manuscripts. We will compare the evolution of sacred texts, the evolution of languages, and the evolution of life. Topics drawn from modern work include deep history (the study of human history before there were written records), the role of metaphor in biology, and whether we share our sense of what is beautiful with the other higher animals.

First-year students only, by placement.