- Perception, Mind and Reality

Institution:

The Evergreen State College

Subject:

Description:

Faculty: Don Middendorf (biophysics), Ryo Imamura (psychology), Sean Williams (ethnomusicology) Major areas of study include Western psychology, ethnomusicology, sociology, Asian psychology, cultural studies, perception, psychophysics, consciousness studies and research. Class Standing: This Core program is designed for freshmen. This yearlong interdisciplinary program explores the role of perception in our understanding of the nature of reality. Drawing from a variety of fields including psychology, sociology and the arts, we will spend the year engaging ourselves in connections between the mind, body and spirit. What can we learn from our own experiences and the experiences of others, so that we can more fully connect to our families, friends, communities, and world How do we focus our perceptions so that we do more than simply react with fight-or-flight instincts to what we see, hear or feel What makes one person's experience more "real" than another's What if someone is colorblind or tone deaf We will try to gain access to diverse answers for these questions by putting theory into practice with workshops in psychology and playing music. During fall quarter, we will begin to explore the basics of Western psychology, cultural studies and music. We'll study perception, memory and learning from perspectives of psychology, biology and psychophysics. In winter quarter, we will expand into the science of music, psychomusicology, dreams and aspects of Asian psychology. In spring quarter, students will choose a faculty with whom to work extensively on more in-depth studies. Possible areas of exploration include Asian-American psychology, consciousness studies, ethnomusicology, transpersonal psychology and library research. Our work will include lectures, workshops, films, seminars, student-led activities and field trips. In addition, students will work on assignments such as writing preparatory papers for seminars, doing creative work with the aim of uncovering an important insight, researching and writing significant papers in preparation for oral presentations at the end of each quarter, and doing independent research on a topic connected to the program in spring quarter. This is a rigorous, full-time program. Students are expected to work about 50 hours each week (including class time) and will benefit most from a full year commitment. Students should be prepared to explore challenging and unfamiliar ideas in a cooperative and friendly manner. It will be a lot of work and a lot of fun. Total: 16 credits each quarter. Enrollment: 69 Special Expenses: Approximately $50 each quarter for field trips and concert tickets. Program is preparatory for careers and future studies in psychology, music and sociology.

Credits:

16.00

Credit Hours:

Prerequisites:

Corequisites:

Exclusions:

Level:

Instructional Type:

Lecture

Notes:

Additional Information:

Historical Version(s):

Institution Website:

www.evergreen.edu

Phone Number:

(360) 867-6170

Regional Accreditation:

Northwest Commission on Colleges and Universities

Calendar System:

Quarter

The Course Profile information is provided and updated by third parties including the respective institutions. While the institutions are able to update their information at any time, the information is not independently validated, and no party associated with this website can accept responsibility for its accuracy.