First-Year Seminars 110GY - Art in Paleontology

Paleontological art brings ancient organisms back to life. In this course we will consider the role that art itself plays as a mode of scientific discovery. We will examine how artists can uncover key information about prehistoric life well in advance of its recognition by the scientific community. Coursework will track the evolution of paleoart from 1830s representations of Mary Anning's fossil discoveries to the emergence of digital art and CGI. In a collaborative class project, we will identify the best and most representative works for a proposed exhibition at the Mount Holyoke College Museum of Art. For individual final class projects, students may choose between a research paper and presentation, and their own paleontological artwork in any visual medium.

First-year students only, by placement.