2013–14 Academic Catalog

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Somatic Studies [clear]

Title		Offering	Standing	Credits	Credits	When	F	W	S	Su	Description	Preparatory	Faculty	Days	Multiple Standings	Start Quarters	Open Quarters
Bodies and Music in Motion Andrea Gullickson and Robert Esposito cultural studies dance history music somatic studies Signature Required: Winter		Program	FR–SOFreshmen–Sophomore	16	16	Day	F 13 Fall	W 14Winter			How do our experiences in the performing arts impact our understanding of and relationship to our environment? How can music and dance be used to transform lives? This two-quarter, core program will focus on the study of music and dance as powerful methods for both exploring and expressing our experiences in the world. Throughout the program we will examine fundamental concepts of music and dance and consider cultural and historical environments that influence the development of and give meaning to the arts. Our work with progressive skill development will require physical immersion into the practices of listening, moving, dancing and making music. Theory and literature studies will require the development of a common working vocabulary, writing skills, quantitative reasoning, and critical thinking skills.Weekly activities will include readings, lectures, seminars and interactive workshops, which will provide the basis for focused consideration of the ways in which our relationship with sound and motion impact our daily lives. Weekly in-program performance workshops will provide opportunities to gain first-hand understanding of fundamental skills and concepts as well as the transformative possibilities that exist through honest confrontation of challenging experiences. Weekly writing workshops and assignments will encourage thoughtful consideration of a broad range of program topics with a particular emphasis on developing an understanding of the power and importance of bringing one’s own voice into the conversation.This balanced approach to the development of physical craft, artistry and intellectual engagement is expected to culminate in a significant written and performance work each quarter.		Andrea Gullickson Robert Esposito	Mon Tue Wed Thu	Freshmen FR Sophomore SO	Fall	Fall Winter
Dance of Life: Creative Process in Motion Robert Esposito aesthetics dance linguistics somatic studies theater visual arts		Program	FR–SRFreshmen–Senior	16	16	Day			S 14Spring		How can dance serve as a central metaphor for the holistic organization and transformation of personal life experience into aesthetic objects expressing the dynamic connectivity of self, world, and others? Using an expressive arts therapy model, movement study will be integrated with work in writing, drawing, and music in this multidimensional modern dance program exploring an integrative approach to choreography. It will involve disciplined physical and intellectual study, including weekly dance composition homework assignments.Studio activities will include progressive study in Nikolais/Louis dance technique, theory/improvisation, composition, and performance. Readings, self-inventories, and seminars in the philosophy and psychology of the creative process, designed to broaden and enhance the student’s palette of creative choice, will explore factors such as self-image, linguistics, cultural and educational conditioning, and multiple learning styles. In solo and group collaboration, students will workshop formal craft elements of composition, such as shape, space, time, and motion. Workshops will use various media to draw and integrate content from students’ life experiences and/or past interdisciplinary study in order to create original multimedia work. Compositions will be shared in weekly performance forums that include faculty and student-centered critique and analysis.Texts will be used to explore the development of dance and movement therapy, draw distinctions between art and psychology, and explore the creative and therapeutic effects of the expressive arts. Seminar discussions will emphasize critical analysis in order to situate texts, art, film, and student work in historical and sociocultural contexts. Writing assignments will balance creative, analytical, and research styles, with a comparative overview of linguistic and communications theory. The program culminates with a Week 10 studio recital of selected student work.		Robert Esposito	Mon Tue Wed Thu	Freshmen FR Sophomore SO Junior JR Senior SR	Spring	Spring
Individual Study: East-West Psychology Ryo Imamura anthropology communications consciousness studies cultural studies education environmental studies field studies health history international studies music philosophy psychology religious studies sociology somatic studies sustainability studies Signature Required: Spring		Contract	SO–SRSophomore–Senior	16	16	Day			S 14Spring		This is an opportunity for sophomore, junior and senior students to create their own course of study and research, including internship, community service, and study abroad options. Before the beginning of spring quarter, interested students should submit an Individual Learning or Internship Contract to Ryo Imamura, which clearly states the work to be completed. Possible areas of study are Western psychology, Asian psychology, Buddhism, counseling, social work, cross-cultural studies, Asian-American studies, religious studies, nonprofit organizations, aging, death and dying, deep ecology and peace studies. Areas of study other than those listed above will be considered on a case-by-case basis.		Ryo Imamura		Sophomore SO Junior JR Senior SR	Spring	Spring
Moving Towards Health Mukti Khanna and Cynthia Kennedy consciousness studies dance health leadership studies psychology somatic studies Signature Required: Winter		Program	FR–SOFreshmen–Sophomore	16	16	Day	F 13 Fall	W 14Winter			This two-quarter program explores the creation of health through mind-body perspectives. How can we engage in transformational conversations about the connections between personal, community and planetary health? Knowing that in every moment choices we make can move us toward health, or away from it, this program will explore the myriad ways we can embody choices that keep us and our communities vital and alive. Throughout the program, we will recognize that our individual choices can help us create both personal health and a sustainable environment, a conscious life and a positive presence in society.Fall quarter we will explore systems of health and healing from multicultural, neurobiological and ecopsychological lenses. There is a synergistic relationship between planetary and personal well-being; the health of one is related to the health of the other. We will explore the relationship between the body and the natural world. We'll also explore somatic (body-based) literacy as it relates to leadership, communication and engagement with social issues. Somatic literacy includes listening and acting on information from the body. Winter quarter will allow students to design their own health-based project studies while continuing to explore self-leadership, creativity, emotional intelligence, health and self-image.Students will have an opportunity to learn in many ways using diverse modalities and multiple intelligences. We will integrate somatic learning into our studies, including movement workshops (no prior experience necessary). Our inquiry will ask us to attune ourselves to the wisdom that is available and present in our mind-body awareness. We will participate in community readings, community service, rigorous writing assignments and critical study of important texts. Learning through multiple intelligences can be enjoyable.Come join us!		Mukti Khanna Cynthia Kennedy		Freshmen FR Sophomore SO	Fall	Fall Winter
Radical Acts: Cheap Art, Performance and Play in the Streets Cynthia Kennedy and Walter Grodzik aesthetics consciousness studies dance somatic studies theater		Program	FR–SRFreshmen–Senior	16	16	Day and Weekend			S 14Spring		This one-quarter long, introductory program is a ten-week examination of the role that cheap art, performance and play have fulfilled in society, not only historically, but also in more modern times. Because of the powerful role they can play in shaping human consciousness, we will explore ways of returning them to their popular roots where they can thrive outside the reign of corporate control, mainstream media, and money. Together we will investigate ways cheap art (such as masks, puppets and costumes made with everyday inexpensive materials) and performance can have meaning that is created by “regular” people and for “regular” people rather than fed us by the entertainment industry. We will explore the answers to many questions. What is it like for performance art to spring from our imaginations without the need for large amounts of money? What if performance art was accessible to all people, not just those with the means and education to consume it? What would it be like if performance art reflected deeply felt social truths that connected to our own lives? How does street theater interrupt everyday life in the public sphere in a way that helps us connect to our own humanity? How does the use of material objects (puppets, masks, signs, banners), as well as performers voices and bodies, connect performer and audience in ways that create meaning? Our program will approach these questions in two ways. On the one hand, we will have a strong academic component in which students will acquire knowledge about the history of performance and art in the hands of the people, looking at its aesthetics, theories, and controversies. We will examine the rich cultural heritage of performance in the streets and connect it to the people and places where it lives on today. Our exploration will be situated in an international context, and we will use film and text to examine performance throughout history and around the world, such as, but not limited to, political street theater, Carnival, Mardi Gras, the Bread and Butter Puppet Theater, Anna Halprin’s Planetary Dance and more. On the other hand, we will engage in large doses of experiential learning as we use simple materials like recycled fabrics, cardboard, scraps of wood, paper, reused items and other inexpensive materials to create our own cheap art and performance, which we will share with our friends and neighbors in the local streets of Olympia (or other surrounding areas) and the college campus. During the first half of the quarter we will participate in , Olympia's yearly one-of-a-kind celebration of the natural world, held in conjunction with Earth Day. 2014 will mark the 20th year of this community celebration, which often draws crowds of up to 30,000 and has serious creative intent. The Procession was designed to bring a deep love of life into the heart, and onto the streets, of Olympia. In preparation, students will work in one of the largest community art studios in the country where people of all ages create costumes, masks and puppets from inexpensive and recycled materials. Participation in this part of the program will require three Sunday evening rehearsals in the community, as well as the Saturday afternoon Procession. During the second half of the quarter we will continue to use the street as a live public space, a radical act in response to the privatization of such public space by radio, television and film. We will use unorthodox methods to create our own cheap art, performances, celebrations, protests, and social commentary, which we will develop in response to current events happening both locally and around the world. Throughout the quarter our work together will develop our visual imaginations, critical thinking and writing skills, all of which are essential to academic learning and readily transferable to any profession or vocation.No performance or art experience is necessary for this program.		Cynthia Kennedy Walter Grodzik		Freshmen FR Sophomore SO Junior JR Senior SR	Spring	Spring