herbst house

Mailing Address:
University of Colorado at Boulder
437 UCB
Boulder, Colorado 80309-0437

Physical Location:
2501 Colorado Avenue
Boulder, Colorado 80302

Information:
Phone: 303.492.4777
FAX : 303.735.1783
Email: herbst@colorado.edu

Program Director:
Dr. Diane Sieber
303.492.6399
ECOT 411

The Herbst Program

Since 1989, the Herbst Program has equipped engineering students with the right tools to gain intelligent and relevant access to the great ongoing conversations of human existence. Our core classes are small (12-14), highly interactive and practical. We emphasize the development of communication and thinking skills that will enhance both your life and your career. As a program of "applied humanities," we wrestle with how a more skillful engagement of literature, philosophy, film, drama, music and art can enrich, inform, transform and enliven how we choose to engage ourselves, others and our world.

All Herbst classes count toward Humanities and Social Sciences distribution requirements in the College of Engineering and Applied Science.

Herbst Lunchtime Seminars for Faculty and Staff 
Wednesdays, 12:00 noon - 12:50 pm, ECOT 831
The Herbst Program of Humanities is hosting a series of brownbag seminars for Engineering Faculty and Staff throughout the academic year on a variety of Great Books. Come to learn and to join in the conversation.  Bring your lunch and join us for one session or many!

Send your suggestions for next year's books to Herbst Humanities!


April 18, 2012
12:00 Noon - 1:00 pm
Presented by: Diane Sieber


04/18/12:  The topic for this final week will focus on some of Leonardo Da Vinci's art.  If you have any specific work of art or topic of interest you would like discussed, please email Diane and she will do her best to have that material prepared. 

Location:  ECOT 831.



Selections from The Notebooks of Leonardo Da Vinci
Leonardo da Vinci has become emblematic of creativity and innovation in Western culture. New entrepreneurial ventures proclaim, as IBM recently did: "If da Vinci were alive today, he'd be working with us."  Why does this Renaissance figure continue to fascinate us? What can we learn about the intersections among science, technology and culture by studying him? These 2 sessions examine selections from his notebooks, looking at his range of interests and accomplishments in such fields as engineering, painting, architecture, physics, geology and physiology. We will ask ourselves what Leonardo knew, how he acquired that knowledge, and where his knowledge stood in relation to the activities of other creators and innovators in his time.  We will provide an introduction to his context, the society of Renaissance Italy, and ask:  why did his world produce a Leonardo?

4/04/12:  da Vinci notebook selectionda Vinci historical context and images
4/11/12:  da Vinci notebook selection