Prerequisites: Completion of first year writing requirements EXPOS-UA 1 Writing the Essay and EXPOS-UA 2 The Advanced College Essay

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1 SYLLABUS: LEONARDO AND THE ART OF ENGINEERING STS-UY 3904 Special Topic in Science and Technology Studies (Also a Humanities and Social Sciences Elective), 4 Credits Department of Technology, Culture & Society SPRING 2017 Dr. Matthew Landrus and Dr. Maurizio Porfiri Mondays & Wednesdays 12:30 2:20 pm, JAB 673 Dr. Matthew Landrus, mhl8@nyu.edu, cell ; Office Hours: Wednesday, 2:30-3:30 pm and by appointment Dr. Maurizio Porfiri, mporfiri@nyu.edu; Office: RH507; tel ; Office Hours: Monday, 5:30-6:30 pm and by appointment Prerequisites: Completion of first year writing requirements EXPOS-UA 1 Writing the Essay and EXPOS-UA 2 The Advanced College Essay Description This course frames Leonardo da Vinci s work as an engineer and natural scientist within the context of activities among his notable engineering contemporaries. With particular attention to civil and military engineering, the course addresses pre-modern and early modern practical and theoretical solutions to problems in mechanics, engineering, early physics, and the natural sciences. In this manner, and with reference to Leonardo s work, the course examines traditional and intellectual careers of practical men of the technical arts, expanding on their training in mathematics, geometry, the other arts, natural sciences and court culture, to assess their inventive and celebrated engineering strategies. The structure of the course will comprise of readings, lectures, hands-on demonstrations and discussions of Leonardo da Vinci s work, while also assessing the approaches of his predecessors, contemporaries, and followers. Modern elements of mechanics and engineering will be presented to help evaluate Leonardo s contribution and assess its value. Course Objectives The purpose of the course is to expand and develop your observational, analytical, research, and vocabulary skills when examining the investigative and inventive engineering and natural science projects of Leonardo, his predecessors, contemporaries, and followers. Beyond the study of technical and scientific contributions, the course will also introduce theories, purposes, and methods of the history and philosophy of early modern concepts of science. The main objectives of the class are: To understand and evaluate important materials and methods used by Leonardo and associated engineers and natural scientists to engage in a more scientific manner with their work and environments. To address assessments of meaning in works of early modern engineers and natural scientists that crossed disciplines, so that their methods compared with those of visual artists for painting or sculpture. To obtain a visual and intellectual knowledge of major works of early modern engineering and natural science focusing on Leonardo s work - that resulted from direct engagements with science-related methods and knowledge. To address the historical, social, political, and intellectual contexts of these works as a means of understanding the concepts shaping the approaches of engineers and natural scientists.

2 To understand the reception of Leonardo s work until the present time and develop an individual critical assessment on the basis of our current training in science and engineering. To reconstruct and reverse-engineer some of Leonardo s inventions through rapid prototyping and computer aided design. Required Readings Selections of these texts will be provided in PDFs via the NYU Library or NYU Classes (all reading assignments are available for free at NYU) Cianchi, Marco. Leonardo da Vinci's Machines. Florence: Becocci, [c. 1984]. Hart, Ivor Blashka. The World of Leonardo da Vinci: Man of Science, Engineer and Dreamer of Flight.London: Macdonald, Kemp, Martin. Leonardo da Vinci: The Marvellous Works of Nature and Man, Oxford: OUP, Landrus, Matthew. Leonardo da Vinci s Giant Crossbow. Foreword by Martin Kemp. Heidelberg: Springer, Moon, Francis C. The Machines of Leonardo da Vinci and Franz Reuleaux: Kinematics of Machines from the Renaissance to the 20 th Century. History of Mechanism and Machine Science, vol. 2. Heidelberg: Springer, Nanni, Romano. Leonardo and the artes mechanicae, Milan: Skira, Rosheim, Mark Elling. Leonardo s Lost Robots. Heidelberg: Springer, Exams Your comprehension of this material will be assessed with exam essays, theoretical and hands-on technical engineering problems, and in-class presentations, which will also develop your research skills and promote the development of analytic and critical thinking. There will be two mid-term exams and one final project. The mid-term exams will be administered in class and will test the student s comprehension and ability to apply material learned in class and through assignments. Mid-term exams are in-class, closed books, closed notes. Every page of every exam submission should have the student full name and section number. Illegible work and loose sheets will not be graded. Students must complete the exam on their own. The final project will consist of a written essay and an in-class presentation, featuring original prototypes built on the basis of Leonardo s work. The presentation will last ten minutes, delivered extemporaneously. The essay should be based on rigorous bibliographic research and the prototyping component should demonstrate the overarching idea of the project. Before the day of your presentation you are required to your presentation to mhl8@nyu.edu and mporfiri@nyu.edu, along with requisite computer files for generating the prototypes (possibly as a link). The presentation should be in a Keynote or Powerpoint format, and the attachment should be ed with its suffix, ending in.key, or.pptx. The essay must consist of approximately 5000 words. Class Attendance and Absences You are expected to actively participate in class lectures (attendance is essential because lectures will cover topics and issues not addressed in the readings). An unexcused absence will result in the loss of half of your class participation grade. An absence may only be excused with an acceptable submission of a doctor s note as evidence of the unavoidable circumstance, such as a hospital emergency room visit at the time of the class. You must earn the class participation grade, which is for genuine class discussions. An occasional brief comment or question is not sufficient engagement. This course component is assessed not simply on the volume of your participation but especially on the quality and thoughtfulness of your contribution in class. Questions and ideas are welcome. You should always be on time; late arrivals disrupt the class. There are no opportunities for extra credit. Arriving noticeably late to class, or leaving class early will cause the class participation grade to be reduced by a half. You should not use computers or cell phones in class, unless asked to do so. 2

3 Moses Center If you are student with a disability who is requesting accommodations, please contact New York University s Moses Center for Students with Disabilities at or mosescsd@nyu.edu. You must be registered with CSD to receive accommodations. Information about the Moses Center can be found at The Moses Center is located at 726 Broadway on the 2nd floor. Honor System The honor system is in strictly enforced for this course. It is assumed that all work submitted by a student is done so under the honor system code. Grading Policy Participation: 10% Mid-term 1: 25% Mid-term 2: 25% Final project: 40% List of Topics 1] 23 Jan Introductory and Overview (Monday, ML) 2] 25 Jan Introduction to Leonardo and pyramidal law (Wednesday, ML), Read: Nanni, pp (Foreword); Kemp, pp ] 30 Jan The disputation about the arts in the mirror of Angelo Poliziano s Panepistemon (Monday, ML), Read: Cianchi, pp. 8-18, ff; Nanni, pp ] 1 Feb Rapid prototyping (Wednesday, MP) 5] 6 Feb Leonardo s art and engineering in the 1470s and early 1480s (Monday, ML), Last day to drop/add, Read: Kemp, pp ] 8 Feb Machinae ad majestate imperii and textile manufacturing machines (Wednesday, ML), Read: Nanni, pp ] 13 Feb Statics (Monday, MP), Read: Hart, pp ] 15 Feb Statics (Wednesday, MP), Read: Hart, pp ] 20 Feb President s day 9] 22 Feb Statics and Scientific instruments (Wednesday, MP), Read: Hart, pp , ] 27 Feb Leonardo s engineering proposals at the Sforza Court (Wednesday ML), Read: Landrus, pp ; Kemp, pp

4 11] 1 Mar Mid-term 1 (Monday, ML) 12] 6 Mar Leonardo as court engineer at the Sforza Court (Monday, ML), Read: Kemp, pp ] 8 Mar Mechanics and machine models between the fifteenth and seventeenth centuries (Monday, ML), Read: Rosheim, pp , ; Nanni, pp [] 13, 15 Mar Spring recess 14] 20 Mar Kinematics of machines (Wednesday, MP), Read: Moon, pp , ] 22 Mar Kinematics of machines (Wednesday, MP), Read: Moon, pp ] 27 Mar Changes in the structure of the practice of geometry between Piero della Francesca and Leonardo (Monday, ML), Read: Nanni, pp ] 29 Mar Leonardo as court engineer in the 1490s (Wednesday, ML), Read: Kemp, pp ] 3 Apr Dynamics (Monday, MP), Read: Hart, pp ] 5 Apr Dynamics (Wednesday, MP), Read: Hart, pp ] 10 Apr Dynamics and Leonardo s robots (Wednesday, MP), Rosheim, pp ; Read: Hart, pp ] 12 Apr The pluralism of conventions: drawing machines between the Middle Ages and the Renaissance (Wednesday, ML), Read: Moon, pp ; Nanni, pp ] 17 Apr Leonardo s independent career as an engineer (Monday, ML), Read: Kemp, pp ] 19 Apr Leonardo s later career, c (Wednesday ML), Read: Kemp, pp ] 24 Apr Mid-term 2 (Monday, MP) 21] 26 Apr Flying machines (Wednesday, MP), Read: Hart, pp ] 1 May Leonardo s Legacy (Monday, MP), Read: Moon, pp. 3-98,

5 23] 3 May Open discussion and take-home messages (Wednesday, ML) 24] 8 May Final presentation ABET a-k Criteria Compliance a b c d e f g h i j k 1a 1b STS-UY 3904 x x x x x x x x (a) an ability to apply knowledge of mathematics, science, and engineering (b) an ability to design and conduct experiments, as well as to analyze and interpret data (c) an ability to design a system, component, or process to meet desired needs (d) an ability to function on multi-disciplinary teams (e) an ability to identify, formulate, and solve engineering problems (f) an understanding of professional and ethical responsibility (g) an ability to communicate effectively (h) the broad education necessary to understand the impact of engineering solutions in a global and societal context (i) a recognition of the need for, and an ability to engage in life-long learning (j) a knowledge of contemporary issues (k) an ability to use the techniques, skills, and modern engineering tools necessary for engineering practice. (1a) an ability to apply principles of engineering, basic science, and math to model, analyze, design and realize physical systems, components or processes (1b) an ability to work professionally in both thermal and mechanical systems areas Grading Scale A: 90+ B+: 83+ C+: 73+ D+: 63+ F: <60 A-: 87+ B: 80+ C: 70+ D: 60+ B-: 77+ C-: 67+ Additional Resources (not required, though useful) Excerpts from: Claire Farago and Matthew Landrus, Oxford Bibliographies Online: Renaissance and Reformation: Leonardo da Vinci, Oxford: Oxford University Press, Monographs Keele, Kenneth D. Leonardo da Vinci s Elements of Science of Man. London: Academic Press, Zubov, Vassilii Pavlovich. Leonardo da Vinci. Translated by David Kraus, Cambridge: Harvard University Press, Current Editions and English Translations of Leonardo s manuscripts - Comune di Vinci. Biblioteca Leonardiana, e-leo. History of Science and Technology Digital Archive, at LeonardoDigitale.com [ Most of the other Windsor drawings by Leonardo are available at the Royal Collection website, Manuscripts A M - Manoscritti de l Institut de France: Mss. A M. Transcribed by Augusto Marinoni. 12 vols. Florence: Giunti, See also: The Manuscripts of Leonardo da Vinci in the Institut de France. Manuscript A [ through Manuscript M]. English translation and annotation by John Venerella. Milan: Ente Raccolta Vinciana, Castello Sforzesco,

6 The Forster Codices - I Codici Forster del Victoria and Albert Museum di Londra. Transcription by Augusto Marinoni. Florence: Giunti, Codex Arundel - Il Codice Arundel 263 nella British Library: edizione in facsimile nel riordinamento cronologico dei suoi fascicoli. Edited by Carlo Pedretti. Transcription and annotation by Carlo Vecce. 2 vols. Florence: Giunti, Madrid Codices - Madrid Codices. Transcription and English translation by Ladislao Reti, 5 vols. New York: McGraw Hill, Codex Atlanticus - Il Codice Atlantico della Biblioteca Ambrosiana di Milano. Transcription by Augusto Marinoni. Preface by Carlo Pedretti. 24 vols. Florence: Giunti, Codex on the Flight of Birds - Il codice sul volo degli uccelli di Leonardo da Vinci nella Biblioteca Reale di Torino. Transcriptions and annotations by August Marinoni. Florence: Giunti Codex Leicester - The Codex Hammer of Leonardo da Vinci, English translation and annotations by Carlo Pedretti. [Transcription by Gerolamo Calvi]. Florence: Giunti, Codex Trivulzianus - Codice Trivulziano: Il Codice 2162 della Biblioteca Trivulziana di Milano. Introduction, transcription, glossary, and index by Augusto Marinoni, with a note by André Chastel. Milan: Arcadia, Electa, 1980; and Il Codice di Leonardo da Vinci nella Biblioteca Trivulziano di Milano. Transcription and annotations by Anna Maria Brizio, Florence: Giunti, 1980., See also: Marani, Pietro and Giovanni Piazza, eds. Il Codice di Leonardo da Vinci nel Castello Sforzesco. With a CD-ROM. Milan: Electa, Windsor anatomical folios, Windsor Castle, Royal Library, Windsor - Leonardo da Vinci: Corpus of Anatomical Studies in the Collection of Her Majesty the Queen at Windsor Castle. Transcription, English translation and edited by Kenneth Keele, and arranged chronologically by Carlo Pedretti. 3 vols. (2 vols. and a boxed set of 400 facsimiles) Florence: Giunti Treatise on Painting - Leonardo da Vinci. Treatise on Painting [Codex Urbinas Latinus 1270]. Translated by A. Philip McMahon, with an introduction by Ludwig Heydenreich. 2 vols. Princeton: Princeton University Press, See also: Farago, Claire. Leonardo da Vinci s Paragone : A Critical Interpretation with a New Edition and an English Translation of the Text in the Codex Urbinas Leiden: E. J. Brill, Leonardo s written work and notebooks - Pedretti, Carlo. The Literary Works of Leonardo da Vinci, Compiled and Edited from the Original Manuscripts by Jean Paul Richter: Commentary. 2 vols. Berkeley: University of California Press, Anatomy and the Human Body Clayton, Martin, and Ron Philo. Leonardo da Vinci, The Mechanics of Man. Los Angeles: J. Paul Getty, Keele, Kenneth. Leonardo da Vinci s Elements of the Science of Man. New York: Academic Press, Kwakkelstein, Michael. Leonardo da Vinci as a Physiognomist: Theory and Drawing Practice. Leiden: Primavera, Laurenza, Domenico. Leonardo: L anatomia, Florence: Giunti, O'Malley, Charles D., and J[ohn] B[ertrand] de C[usance] M[orant] Saunders. Leonardo da Vinci on the Human Body: The Anatomical, Physiological, and Embryological Drawings of Leonardo da Vinci. New York: Schuman, Arithmetic, Geometry, Physical Sciences, Engineering, and Technology 6

7 Hart, Ivor Blashka. The Mechanical Investigations of Leonardo da Vinci. London: Chapman and Hall, Reti, Ladislao, ed. The Unknown Leonardo. Designed by Emil M. Bührer. New York: McGraw Hill, Physical Sciences Emboden, William. Leonardo da Vinci on Plants and Gardens. Portland: Discordia Press, Ligabue, Giancarlo. Leonardo da Vinci e i Fossili. Vicenza: Neri Pozza, Macagno, Enzo. Leonardian Fluid Mechanics. Iowa Institute of Hydraulic Research. Iowa City: University of Iowa, Michelena, Santos Eduardo. Apuntes sobre los dibujos hidráulicos de Leonardo da Vinci; Notes on the Hydraulic Drawings of Leonardo da Vinci. Caracas: Hidroven, Starnazzi, Carlo. Leonardo: From Tuscany to the Loire. Perugia: Cartei & Bianchi, Engineering Marinoni, Augusto. Leonardo ingegnere militare. Exh. cat. Shell Italia. Milan: Arcadia, Marani, Pietro. L Architettura fortificata negli studi di Leonardo da Vinci. Florence: Olschki, Leonardo da Vinci: Engineer and Architect. ed. Paolo Galluzzi. Exh. cat. Montreal: Montreal Museum of Fine Arts, Galluzzi, Paolo, ed. The Art of Invention, Leonardo and Renaissance Engineers. Florence: Giunti, Laurenza, Domenico, Mario Taddei and Edoardo Zanon. Leonardo's Machines: Secrets and Inventions in the Da Vinci Codices. Florence: Giunti, Technology Hollister-Short, Graham and Romano Nanni. Les Machines proto-industrielles de Léonard. Journal de la Renaissance 5. Centre d Études Supérieures de la Renaissance, Tours. Turnhout: Brepols, pp Marani, Pietro, ed. Disegni di Leonardo dal Codice Atlantico. Exh. cats. Biblioteca Ambrosiana. Milan: DeAgostini, Moon, Francis C. The Machines of Leonardo da Vinci and Franz Reuleaux: Kinematics of Machines from the Renaissance to the 20 th Century. History of Mechanism and Machine Science, vol. 2. Heidelberg: Springer, Ponting, Kenneth. Leonardo da Vinci: Drawings of Textile Machines. Wiltshire: Moonraker Press, Taglialagamba, Sara, and Gabriele Niccolai. Leonardo da Vinci: Automazioni e Robotica; Leonardo da Vinci: Automations and Robotics. Poggio a Caiano: Cartei & Bianchi, Zanon, Edoardo. Il libro del Codice del Volo: Dallo studio del volo degli uccelli alla macchina volante; The book of the Codex on Flight: From the study of bird flight to the flying machine. Milan: Leonardo3, Exhibition Catalogues Kemp, Martin, and Jane Roberts. Leonardo da Vinci. Preface by Ernst Gombrich. Hayward Gallery. Exh. cat, New Haven: Yale University Press, Bambach, Carmen, ed. Leonardo da Vinci: Master Draftsman. Metropolitan Museum. New Haven: Yale University Press, Galluzzi, Paolo, ed. The Mind of Leonardo: The Universal Genius at Work. Exh. cat. Florence: Giunti, Kemp, Martin. Leonardo da Vinci: Experience, Experiment, and Design. Victoria and Albert Museum. London: V&A Publications,

8 Marani, Pietro, ed. Disegni di Leonardo dal Codice Atlantico. Exh. cats. Biblioteca Ambrosiana. Milan: DeAgostini, Marani, Pietro, ed. Leonardo da Vinci, : il disegno del mondo, Milan: Skira, Additional Resources, specific to Art and Science K. Andersen, The Geometry of an Art, Springer, C. Barnes, Jr., The Portfolio of Villard de Honnecourt: A New Critical Edition and Color Facsimile, Burlington VT, J. Bennett, The Divided Circle, Oxford, F. Camerota, ed., Linear Perspective in the Age of Gallileo: Ludovico Cigoli s Prospettiva pratica, Florence, R.J.W. Evans and A. Marr, eds., Curiosity and Wonder from the Renaissance to the Enlightenment, Aldershot, J.V. Field, The Invention of Infinity: Mathematics and Art in the Renaissance, Oxford, J.V. Field, Perspective and the Paris Academy, in: C. Farago, ed., Re-Reading Leonardo: The Treatise on Painting across Europe, , Farnham, 2009, pp P. della Francesca, De Prospectiva pingendi, ed. G. Fasola, Florence, 1942 (new edition with notes and bibliography by E. Battisti, F. Ghione and R. Paccani, Florence, 1984). P. Galison, Judgement against Objectivity, in C.A. Jones and P. Galison, eds., Picturing Science, Producing Art, New York, 1998, pp M. Kemp, The Human Animal in Western Art and Science, Chicago, M. Kemp, The Science of Art, Optical Themes in Western Art from Brunelleschi to Seurat, New Haven, M. Kemp, Seen Unseen: Art, Science, and Intuition from Leonardo to the Hubble Telescope, Oxford, W. Lefèvre, ed., Picturing Machines, , Cambridge, MA, M. Livingstone, Vision and Art: the biology of seeing, New York: Abrams, P.O. Long, Openness, Secrecy, Authorship: Technical Arts and the Culture of Knowledge from Antiquity to the Renaissance, Baltimore, E. Panofsky, The Codex Huygens and Leonardo da Vinci s art theory: the Pierpont Morgan Library, Codex M.A. 1139, London, E. Panofksy, The Life and Art of Albrecht Dürer, Princeton, D. Pedoe, Geometry and the Visual Arts, New York, D. Preziosi and C. Farago, eds., Grasping the World: The Idea of the Museum, Aldershot, P.H. Smith and T. Beentjes, Nature and Art, Making and Knowledge: Reconstructing Sixteenth- Century Life-Casting Techniques, Renaissance Quarterly 63: 1 (Spring 2010), P. Smith, The Body of the Artisan: Art and Experience in the Scientific Revolution, Chicago, E. Strosberg, Art and Science, New York, D. Summers, The Judgment of Sense, Cambridge, K. Williams, L. March, and S. Wassell, eds., The Mathematical Works of Leon Battista Alberti, Basel, J. Wolfe, Humanism, Machinery and Renaissance Literature, Cambridge,