Admission requirements
This course is jointly organized by Art History and Biomedical sciences and open to art history students (10 EC) and biomedical students (who take the course for 5 EC). Students from other faculties are also welcome to apply.
Description
In this course students examine ethical and humanistic dimensions of life sciences through art. From the onset of medical research in history, the cultural worlds of art and science have interacted. More recently, artists have been directly inspired by genetic and biomedical sciences. The science-art relationship has become an exciting and dynamic field where controversial ethical issues, societal consequences of science, and the art of science itself are being addressed. How do artworks on biomedicine provoke new ways of thinking about science and the world? What moral and critical dilemmas are involved in the intersections between science and society and how can art play a role in this?
In this course, six subjects addressed by biomedical art are discussed:
1 Artist and anatomy: science and art in an historical perspective;
2 Brains: Visual representations, personality and research;
3 Enhancement and beyond: embryo research and biomaterials;
4 The business of biomedicine: tissue culture, organs and commerce;
5 Animals or alternatives?: animal models in research and art;
6 No magic bullets: media and art on biotechnology for pharmacy;
7 Big bang data: bioinformatics, privacy and security.
Course objectives
The student:
will reflect on the biomedical research practice by discussing biomedical art;
will gain insights into social and cultural consequences of biomedical sciences by study of art works;
will be able to signal ethical issues and controversies in science addressed by art;
will broaden his/her perspective on science by working in interdisciplinary groups of Science and Art students.
will be given an opportunity to articulate their biomedical- moral attitudes, and explore during meetings other reasoned arguments that challenge their existing assumptions and ethical positions.
Timetable
The timetable is available on the Master Arts and Culture website
Starting February 2018; sessions once a week (Thursdays) for thirteen weeks. (Last session May 2018).
Mode of instruction
Tutorials once per week, lectures once per three weeks, four group visits to lab or museum. Students will furthermore work on a case study of their choice and produce a paper/reviews and give a joint presentation about a case study.
Attendance is compulsory. Students are allowed to miss a maximum of two seminars, provided they present a valid reason beforehand. Students who have missed more than two seminars will have to aply to the Examination Board of the Ma Arts and Culture in order to obtain permission to further follow and complete the course.
Course Load
for art history students 10 EC (280 hours)
for biomedical students 5 EC (140 hours)
Art History students
Total course load is 10 ec x 28 hours = 280 hours:
seminars: 3 hours per week x 13 weeks = 39 hours;
studying compulsory readings for seminars = 210 pages a 7 pages per hour = 30 hours;
preparing presentations for site visits & written evaluations of exhibitions, practical and location visits, 4×3 hours + 5×8 hours= 52 hours (reading and reviewing extra texts, prepare 1 presentation for site visit, preparing 4 written reviews of exhibits/practical/site visits);
preparing final presentation exhibition proposal, 3 days = 24 hours (preparing exhibition proposal and PowerPoint presentation in groups from the start of the seminar);
writing of final course paper = 280 – 145 = 135 hours (rereading texts, collecting research material, searching and reading additional literature, composing and writing of paper, 4500 words).
Biomedical Sciences students
Total course load is 5 ec x 28 hours = 140 hours:
seminars: 3 hours per week x 13 weeks = 39 hours;
studying compulsory readings for seminars = 210 pages a 7 pages per hour = 30 hours;
site visits, practical, 4×3 hours= 12 hours;
preparing final presentation exhibition proposal, 3 days = 24 hours (preparing exhibition proposal and PowerPoint presentation in groups from the start of the seminar);
writing of final course paper = 140 – 105 = 35 hours (rereading texts, collecting research material, searching and reading additional literature, composing and writing of paper, 1000 words).
Assessment method
Art History students (10 EC)
participation in discussions, presentations and reports site visits (25%);
group presentation of case study during final symposium on art & science (25%);
written paper of 4500 words (50%).
Biomedical Sciences students (5 EC)
participation in discussions and assignment preparations (25%);
group presentation of case study during final symposium on art & science (25%);
written paper of 1000 words (50%).
Weighing
For all students, the final grade is the average of the three grades (25%, 25%, 50%), as mentioned. This average must be 6.0 minimal in order to pass the seminar.
Re-sit
For relevant component.
Deadlines
Please note that if you do not hand in your essay before the first deadline, your essay will be considered as the resit.
For the time tables exams 2017-2018 see; Timetable
Exam Review
How and when an exam review will take place will be disclosed together with the publication of the exam results at the latest. If a student requests a review within 30 days after publication of the exam results, an exam review will have to be organized.
Blackboard
Blackboard will be used for:
readings;
shared course documents;
shared documents of assignments;
panel presentations.
Reading list
To be assigned later.
Registration
Enrolment through uSis is mandatory.
General information about uSis is available in English and Dutch
Registration Studeren à la carte and Contractonderwijs
Not applicable
Contact
For questions about the content of the course, you can contact the teacher: Prof. Dr. Ing. Rob Zwijnenberg