Cognitive Science 0219 - The Creative Citizen

The traditional ideal of the political citizen is in decline, and now is often understood as unrealizable. Many people don't have sufficient political knowledge or don't participate politically beyond making a campaign contribution. Instead, citizenship is experienced in popular-cultural terms, like being a fan. Politics becomes a game of style; attention to it through the media becomes a source of pleasure. Recognizing these new conditions, there are innovative experiments to channel the everyday creativity of citizens into small-scale, culture-oriented politics. These include the production of hyper-local news and virtual organizing for activism. This course will explore the "creative citizen" against a backdrop of mediated politics. Students will create a portfolio of examples and design new projects, including political theatre and activities in local schools and government. Our goal will be to test the feasibility of new kinds of political engagement that are documented in a recent 30-month British project (http://creativecitizens.co.uk/).

Mind, Brain, and Information Independent Work Writing and Research In this course, students are expected to spend at least six to eight hours a week of preparation and work outside of class time. This time includes reading, writing, research.