Our faces—greeting cards to the world—are studied by Case students in SAGES class conducted by orthodontist
Studying human face part of “Thinking about the Social World” sequence
September 27, 2004 | For more information: Susan Griffith (216)-368-1004
 Wanted posters will appear in the next two weeks around the Case Western Reserve University and University Hospitals of Cleveland. The “Face First” class, a seminar in the SAGES undergraduate program taught by Mark Hans, associate professor and chair of the department of orthodontics at the Case School of Dental Medicine, will generate the mug shot. If you know the pictured suspect, turn them into face@case.edu for a $20 reward.
The mug shot is of no Case criminal but one of its popular on-campus celebrities. Constructing the computer-generated sketch is an exercise in learning about the face for the 18 students enrolled in the class.
 Generating personal mug shots and putting them up in class was one of the first homework assignments for Hans’ students. After a quick glance at his classmates’ sketches, Raju Shah, a second-year student at Case, exclaims, “I don’t recognize anyone!” As students in “Face First” stood beside each picture—similar to the ones the FBI generates to identify crime suspects—the matches became more evident.
The class was able to correctly identify about 75 percent of their classmates on the third day of class.
The exercise is an icebreaker for the class, which is part of Case’s new undergraduate program SAGES (the Seminar Approach to General Education and Scholarship). The course is offered through seminars in the “Thinking about the Social World” sequence. SAGES is transforming learning at Case and is part of the university’s initiative to create one of the most powerful learning environment in the world. “Face First” is an interdisciplinary class that incorporates anthropology, anatomy, art, sociology, literature, psychology and writing into the syllabus. Students will read great works of literature like Oscar Wilde’s The Picture of Dorian Gray, view films such as “The Elephant Man” and study how the face has been portrayed through history during classes at the Cleveland Museum of Art.
“Human beings greet the world face first,” said Hans. As a professor of orthodontics with a private practice, patients come to him to correct their teeth in an effort to improve their health and appearances.
Knowing what is considered a beautiful face is important for the specialty of orthodontics. While he readily admits that many of his students may never become orthodontists, understanding the role that the face plays in their lives has meaning.
Why do people reconstruct their faces such as Michael Jackson has done or transform themselves into an animal such as the tattooed “Lizard Man?” Students will explore those questions and others. Hans’ search for face aesthetics led to the genesis of the class five years ago on his first trip to the Louvre in Paris. He became enthralled, observing people flocking to the Venus di Milo statute and having their pictures taken.
“Venus di Milo is supposed to be the ideal for western beauty. It made me think that people do care about the face and face aesthetics—and that is a big part of society,” said Hans..
The incident drew Hans into conversations with others about what the face really means to people. Those talks turned into encouragement that Hans should teach a class about the meaning of the face.
This fall is the second time he will teach the class for SAGES. It is one of three classes that the dental school has designed or has under construction for Case undergraduates. Another is in forensic science, with a third being designed by Dr. Jerold Goldberg, dean of the dental school.
Laura Wine, a student from last year’s class, a polymer science and engineering major from Westerville, Ohio, noted, “I don’t think another class at Case deals with the human face, despite the fact that we look and judge faces every single day.”
One of her enjoyable moments in the class came from a visit to the Cleveland Institute of Art where they constructed a human ear.
“The course made me much more aware of facial beauty and its effect on society,” added Wine, who can now see the appeal of these makeover shows. “Being perceived as physically beautiful—and in some cases even normal—has a huge bearing on one’s feelings of self worth.”
This year, Hans comes prepared with additional information he gathered while on sabbatical last spring to Florence, Italy, where he spent part of the day teaching in the dental school at the University of Florence and free time roaming the art museums in search of works that highlighted his class objectives.
The Face First class is divided into topics on “Identity, Self-recognition;” “Diversity, Beauty, Perception;” “Facial Deformity, Marginality;” “Self-Presentation, Self-creation;” “Artistic Presentation:’ and “Facial Communication, Going Faceless, Anonymity.”
The class is team taught by Paulette Goll, an instructor from Case’s department of English, who designs writing projects that incorporates learning a number of writing styles through the class assignments.
Hans hopes the class generates as many discussions about the face in the dorm as it does in class and that students and their roommates play with the computer-generated sketch program. “The key to creating the most powerful learning environment is that students learn from each other as much as they learn from the faculty. Professors are facilitators, who turn on that learning,” added Hans.
About Case Western Reserve University
Case is among the nation's leading research institutions. Founded in 1826
and shaped by the unique merger of the Case Institute of Technology and Western
Reserve University, Case is distinguished by its strengths in education, research,
service, and experiential learning. Located in Cleveland, Case offers nationally
recognized programs in the Arts and Sciences, Dental Medicine, Engineering,
Law, Management, Medicine, Nursing, and Social Work. http://www.case.edu.
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