The concept of place is deceptively simple. A place may be a location, a set of relationships, or an orientation. Places may be constructed by, for example, naming a street. Or they may emerge organically through shared associations and impressions, including memories, dialects, sights, sounds, and atmospheres. Place can channel the experience of the world into language or artistic expression. It can also describe the material properties of land, soil, and water. In thinking about place, we must also address displacement—the expulsion of people from a place they call home, or the movement of an idea or object into a new social context. The two terms go hand-in-hand, grounding ideas of belonging, power, and resistance. We'll explore these issues through writing, visual interpretation, and the creation of documentary moving-image projects.
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.
- Instructor: Nicholas Morrissey-Gamso
- Instructor: Praba Pilar