Advanced Topics in Mind and Body

Modality: Face-to-Face with class occurring outdoors Theme: Embodied Futures The world has changed dramatically and is changing dramatically. With the growing complexity of the world we need a radical new inquiry, a new worldview, perhaps even a different conception of self. Through an in depth 10 week course we will look through the cross pollination of interdisciplinary studies that gives insight to this new world. It is at the edges of academic disciplines that innovations and discovery of new understanding occur. The ground that gives continuity to this course will be the body, but more specifically the growing field of somatics. Soma is Greek for the "lived experience" or the interdisciplinary investigation of life lived from the inside out. Embodied Futures will investigate the edges of interwoven relationships between our self, our communities, our world and effects of media, technologies and science. The multitude of disciplines will include, but are limited to; somatics, neuroscience, psychophysiology, philosophy, neurobiology, and biopsychosocial studies. Not only will this course be demanding on an academic level, but also core to this investigation will be personal experiential investigations. Understanding solution-based change will require that we ask essential questions about our "lived experience" and how we relate to the world. This class will explore how to support change, growth and development in behavior, in learning, and in our communities. The Soma is the interface of experience for the outer world and must be studied in relationship to exponential complexity. This is an unprecedented time in human history where we have more access to infinite forms of information/data/media and technological power. How are we changing our behavior with these new forces? Are these forces disembodying? How do we become synthesizers of seemingly disparate information to create new order, new patterns and learn to work in collaborative ways? We will be exploring alternative ways to facilitate learning, understanding, and empathy. This course is a radical re-orientation to learning and sharing learning to inspire a shift in ourselves and in our world. This is indeed an experimental course that will require each of us to take a new positioning in the learning experience. We will work in multimodal ways: lecture, cognitive, body centered, media, movement, art, left and right brain, and collaboratively. Texts: Thomas Lewis et al, A General Theory of Love; Peter Hershock, Buddhism in the Public Sphere Credit/Evaluation: Regular attendance and informed discussion. Weekly Journals . Demonstration of synthesized information through three collaborative group projects and finally a paper expressing one's learning. "The creative edge of truth begins to shift from knowledge to wisdom...[thus moving] on to the challenges of balance, perspective, sustainability and integration." Charles M. Johnston