The sensation of an ocean breeze; the taste of watermelon; the smell of a familiar person: how to put such visceral experiences into words? While social scientists have focused on language as a way to communicate human experience, this course focuses on the visceral ways in which we interact with the world: through our body and our senses. Drawing on ethnographies, history, art, music, podcasts and films, we will look at how senses–touch, hearing, smell, taste, sight, movement and balance, and beyond–are experienced in different cultural, social and political contexts. We will go on mini-field trips to experience hands-on ways of knowing.
