What does it mean to pay attention? What do we see when we stop to look? We’ve been told our attentions are broken, fractured. In this class we will attempt to re-acquaint ourselves with seeing. To do so, we will try to look and wonder for longer than is comfortable: we will read 2 books—Marcel Proust’s Swann’s Way and Virginia Woolf’s To the Lighthouse—and look at a handful of paintings for extended periods. We will go in close on the textures and rhythms of each; think, talk, and write about how each re-calibrates our concept of seeing and then submit a final paper with a different eye toward engaging with sensations, ideas, questioning.
Distribution Area: LA
Other Requirements
Open to first-year undergraduates only.
