First-Year Seminar: Body Images in the Ancient Americas

3 units

In this seminar, students will examine how the human body was understood, manipulated, and represented in a variety of ancient American cultures, including the Olmec, Maya, Aztec, Moche, and Inka. Through analysis of various arts (e.g., stone sculpture, ceramics, murals, metalwork, textiles, architecture) and archaeological evidence, we will explore the physical body as locus for culturally specific ideals, political ideologies, and the maintenance of social order. Discussion and scholarly readings will cover topics including facial piercing, cranial modification, bloodletting, costume, gender, and disease. Assignments and class meetings will incorporate multisensory, digital, and active learning methods in recognition of the diverse ways that individuals and ancient cultures accumulated knowledge. The course includes an in-depth research project of an object of the student's choice on view at the Saint Louis Art Museum.