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CLASSART 130 - Spring 2004
a class with the honorable Barry Katz and his excellency Michael Shanks
Mondays 1.15 to 3 - Building 160-127
Spring 2004
first class 5 April
last class 24 May
assignment due 4 June
“Artifacts” is a sustained inquiry into the nature of things:
Where do things come from?
Why do humans have such an extraordinary reliance upon artifacts of their own creation?
What do things mean, and How do things mean?
Drawing from an exceptionally wide range of disciplines—from archaeology to information theory and from economics to engineering, we will examine a diverse selection of modern and ancient artifacts with a view to how they function in defining our individual and collective lives.
In the end we will find that things may not be what they seem.
1. Completion of all reading assignments; attendance at all class meetings.
2. A project (essay, portfolio, report), due June 4, which examines the nature of an “artifact” in view of the theories and methods developed in the course.
Final grades will be determined by assessment of the depth of research, the originality of approach, the quality of argument, and the challenge of the topic.
will be distributed throughout the course