How do we know what we know? This course offers students the opportunity to consider what counts as knowledge and how that knowledge does (or does not) become a shared resource for understanding, collaboration, and problem solving. With a focus on the production of “scientific” knowledge and the impacts of global media, we will study the work of writers, artists, and other cultural producers to help us think about the past/present/future of indigenous knowledge, the historical domination of European scientific practices, and the ongoing impacts of capitalism, slavery, and colonization. Together, through discussion and creative project presentations, we’ll explore our connections through various media—from cities, songs, and seafaring, to cloth, print, and the Internet—and then survey a field of sustainable, restorative approaches to complex global problems like inequality, pandemics, and the climate crisis. Circumstances permitting, one or two field trips will be planned.Foundations in Critical Studies introduces critical thinking skills essential to college-level work in the humanities and sciences. Students develop their critical capacities through close reading and active response to cultural texts and phenomena drawn from multiple disciplines and reflecting diverse perspectives on major themes or topics in contemporary life.

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