Critical Social Inquiry 0226 - Past Performed

This course immerses students in a creative process of hearing, interpreting and performing voices from the past. The voices are of ordinary people, describing their extra-ordinary experiences of living through the partition of India and Pakistan in 1947. Through a combination of creativity and historical inquiry, students explore what it means to 'hear' a voice from a different culture and time. In the first part of the course, students will work in groups, gathering information about the people behind these voices- their lives, their histories, the events they speak of - in order to understand. In the second part, students learn about the interpretative methods used by oral historians and use them to develop their own method of 'hearing'. The final and culminating part of the course conceptualises hearing as an active and creative process. Students use creative formats, such as acting, dance, movement etc. to reinterpret and perform voices from the past. No prior knowledge of South Asia is necessary, but some experience or comfort with performance and creativity is recommended.

Independent Work Multiple Cultural Perspectives