3.0

credits

Average Course Rating

We’re taught to understand our bodies as natural. Everyone has one. They are universal objects, consistent across humanity. But, people around the world have differing conceptions of what bodies are, what they can do, and where they begin and end. Moreover, people’s experiences of their bodies are highly variant. Even at Peabody, for example, what lips do are very different if you are a dancer, a singer, a horn player, or a flautist. In this class, we will learn how the experiences of living in and encountering the world in our bodies are shaped by and shape culture, history, and politics. Students’ major project will be to take up a new bodily practice of their choosing (past projects have included meditation, a BuzzFeed fitness challenge, standing while studying, and knitting) and reflect on how their own knowledge about their bodies are shaped by the things they do with them. The class is designed to give students new ways of approaching their crafts by introducing them to multiple perspectives on how bodies do things in the world.