Program Overview

Program Overview

The university program focuses on the subjects of visual sensations, light, and colour, providing an opportunity for dialogue between the arts and humanities, the humanities and social sciences, and the natural sciences.

Course Details

Chairman and Speaker

The course is chaired by Libero Zuppiroli, Professor at EPFL, and the speaker is Jacob Lachat, Assistant Professor at UNIL.

Semester and Schedule

The course takes place in the Autumn 2014 semester, with lectures scheduled on Fridays from 13:15 to 15:00.

Classroom and Duration

The course is held in a designated classroom, with a total of 28 hours of instruction. An optional additional hour is provided at the end of the course for students who require clarification and additional information.

Type of Teaching

The course combines lectures and integrated practical work to provide a comprehensive learning experience.

Objective and Content

Objective

The course aims to better define the place of science in subjects related to visual sensation, light, and colour, which are of profound interest to human beings.

Content

The course explores various themes, including:

• The colours of the artisan, the scholar, and the artist
• The Goethe-Newton controversy over the nature of colour
• The question of whether colour can be measured or learned individually
• The legitimacy of scientific interest in the harmony of colours
• An anthropology of colour
• Natural and artificial lighting as an example of a debate on energy
• The visual system as seen by biologists and physiologists

Mode of Evaluation

Students are assessed through an essay on a theme that links scientific and human approaches. An essay proposed mid-semester contributes to the final mark.