ILC
Description
“If we speak of things as inert or inanimate objects, we deny their ability to actively engage and interact with us—we foreclose their capacity to reciprocate our attentions, to draw us into silent dialogue, to inform and instruct us.”
― David Abram, Becoming Animal
The American Heritage Dictionary of English Language defines animism as “Any of various primitive beliefs whereby natural phenomena and things animate and inanimate are held to possess an innate soul.“ In a time of rapid loss of biodiversity, increased technological stimuli/stimulus, and a growing belief in the illusion that humans stand apart from the rest of the biosphere, what does it mean to view the world through the lens of animism? What role does animism play, in light of current scientific understanding, in healing the deep cultural wounds of Western society? What effect could a deepening relationship with the more than human world have on human consciousness? In what ways has the commodification of bodies and consciousness contributed to anthropocentric thought? How could the decommodification of bodies and consciousness bring us back to animistic ways of being in the world?
For this ILC, the students will explore the role of animistic thought in shaping philosophical, political, and poetic ways of understanding our place in the living world. The students will challenge the outdated concept that considers animism a “primitive” way of viewing the world. Using The Handbook of Contemporary Animism and texts from Donna Haraway, David Abram, Timothy Morton, as well as somatic explorations, the students will develop an original body of writing that seeks to present a theory of connection and kinship, that stands in opposition to the idea that human and economic concerns outweigh the rights of all life on Earth. The students will seek to deepen their understanding of non-human forms of communication in an attempt to broaden their own bodily knowledge.
| Learning Objective | Activities | To Be Evaluated |
| The students will gain a deeper understanding of current theory in relation to animism and the anthropocene. | The students will read, discuss, and write reflective pieces on Staying with the Trouble by Donna Haraway, Dark Ecology by Timothy Morton, Becoming Animal by David Abram, The Handbook of Contemporary Animism edited by Graham Harvey, as well as selected essays by Martin Shaw, Leslie Marmon Silko, Keith Basso, and Daniel Quinn. | The students will follow a weekly reading schedule and write 3 to 4 page papers in response to their readings. The students will seminar to discuss their ideas on these readings, and these discussions will inform their writing. Students will create and maintain an ePortfolio to document their 25-30 hours per week of independent work, including a log of hours, scholarly resources, images, maps, and a weekly post describing their activities and learning. |
| The students will practice a variety of somatic explorations in order to engage the body, as well as the intellect, in this attempt to understand animistic ways of relating to the world. | Somatics is the study of the body from within, as it pertains to ones own reactions to sensory input.The students will practice walking meditation and engage in relational interactions with plants and non-human animals, both in the wild and in captivity. Activities will include trips to the zoo/aquarium, outdoor walks, sitting and ‘listening’ in wild and domesticated spaces in an attempt to use our bodies and senses to learn how to again become embodied animals in the world. | The students will submit weekly creative works and reflective journal entries of 2 to 3 pages in response to these experiences. Students will create and maintain an ePortfolio to document their 25-30 hours per week of independent work, including a log of hours, scholarly resources, images, maps, and a weekly post describing their activities and learning. |
| Students will devise a midterm evaluation assignment for the class, and complete the assignment to be used as examples | The students will read The Lives of Animals by J.M. Coetzee and discuss the book, devising a midterm evaluation assignment to be submitted to Sarah as well as completing the assignment themselves. | The students will turn in to Sarah the assignment and their own responses by Week 3. |
Mid-quarter Self Evaluation #1
Mid-quarter Self Evaluation #2
Program Self Evaluation