HC221H or HC231H - Body Politic and the Art of Perception

Professor: Anita Chari & Kate Mondloch

4.00 credits

  • CRN 22376: Tuesday & Thursday, 2:00-3:20pm @ ED 176

In this brand-new course, team taught by Professors Chari and Mondloch, we’ll explore the body’s significance in everyday life as well as in the realm of social movements. Throughout our time together, we will combine critical analysis of writing on the subjective and political implications of bodily experience with perceptual exercises and embodiment practices that will enable us to appreciate first-hand how we see and experience ourselves and others in everyday life. Our readings and discussions will draw on interdisciplinary research from modernity to the present, including the fields of Political Theory, Visual Studies, Art History, Media Studies, Indigenous, Race and Ethnic Studies, Queer Theory, Psychology, Contemplative Pedagogy, and Trauma Studies. Our “perception labs” will engage these intellectual theories through experiential practices designed to increase our awareness of how implicit and explicit bias and racism move through our bodies and thoughts, and to nurture a deeper comprehension of the intricate relationship between power dynamics and corporeal resistance.

Graduation Requirement: Students may elect to use this course to fulfill the Arts and Letters Inquiry requirement by enrolling in HC 221H (CRN 22376) or to fulfill the Social Science Inquiry requirement by enrolling in 231H (CRN 22385). The course will NOT fulfill both requirements and the course must be used to fulfill the requirement you register for. You will not be able to change it at a later date.