The year 1492 is a defining moment in history, marked by groundbreaking discoveries and artistic innovation that reshaped the world. From Christopher Columbus’ voyage to the achievements of Leonardo da Vinci and Albrecht Dürer, discovery and innovation sparked a period of unprecedented creativity. Renaissance art historian Elaine Ruffolo examines how the convergence of exploration, scientific progress, and artistic mastery shaped a transformative age of cultural and intellectual growth. (World Art History Certificate elective, 1/2 credit)
From its start in the early 1950s, the talk show has been one of television’s most durable formats. Pioneering programs like “Today,” “Person-to-Person,” and “Tonight” established the basic features that have guided the format, later embraced by Oprah Winfrey, David Letterman, and Jon Stewart, among others. Media historian Brian Rose looks at the history of the television talk show and examines its changing appeal.
The Thorne Miniature Rooms are a collection of 68 interiors at the Art Institute of Chicago. Crafted on a 1:12 scale by Narcissa Niblack Thorne and her colleagues in the 1930s and ’40s, each recreates in perfect detail a room from the 16th to the 20th century. Author Marianne Malone delves into the history of Thorne’s project and how her childhood obsession with it inspired her series for young readers set in the magical world of the Thorne Rooms. (World Art History Certificate elective, 1/2 credit)
The stone statues in Bamiyan, Afghanistan, were the largest representations of standing Buddhas in the world until their destruction by the Taliban in 2001. Historian Justin M. Jacobs delves into the history of the Bamiyan Buddhas, their construction and original purpose and function, and how they exemplified Buddhist civilization in Central Asia. He also examines their complex and surprising relationship with successive Muslim rulers of Afghanistan.
Shakespeare’s Sonnets offer a remarkable example of his poetic genius and the revolutionary use of language that also marks his legendary work as the author of such plays as Hamlet, Othello, and King Lear. Literature professor Joseph Luzzi takes a close look at the sonnets’ poetic elements, themes, and techniques. He also compares Shakespeare the sonnet writer to other illustrious practitioners of the form, including John Milton and Francis Petrarch.
When Elisabeth of Austria married Emperor Franz Joseph and Eugénie of France married Napoleon III, they became two of the most famous women of the 19th century. Young and beautiful, each represented a new kind of empress—one who rebelled against traditional expectations and restrictions. Historian Nancy Goldstone discusses the lives of these two glamorous women and how they played a pivotal role in ruling their realms.
From Fyodor Dostoyevsky’s Notes from a Dead House to Octavia Butler’s Parable of the Sower, literature offers a powerful medium for delving into profound questions about existence, free will, and the essence of reality. Philosophical counselor Samir Chopra examines philosophical themes found in literary genres such as the legal novel, post-apocalyptic fiction, and religious literature as he explores how literature can serve as a tool for moral education and instruction.
Death is the one thing all humans throughout history have in common, and yet it is still a mystery. Robert Garland, a professor emeritus of classics, explores the death-related beliefs and practices of a range of ancient cultures and traditions, including Egyptian, Jewish, Zoroastrian, Etruscan, Greek, Roman, early Christian, and Islamic. Garland puts himself in the sandals of ancient peoples and imagines how they sought—in ways that turn out to be remarkably similar to ours—to assist the dead on their journey to the next world and to understand life’s greatest mystery.
