THURS MAY 14, 21, & 28 · 6 - 8 PM · Three Session Online Workshop
Teens & Adults · Come dip your toes into the world of critical theory and how it can be used to evaluate our world. This three session workshop will cover introductions to critical ways of looking at texts and media, and conclude with you creating a city based on your own experiences, values, and imagination!
At its heart, critical theory is a process of reading and observing that seeks to move beyond the obvious meanings of a text, conversation, song, advertisement, article, etc. It is an energizing process that allows you to deeply question the messages you are receiving and the purposes behind them.
Too often, critical theory is inaccessible either because its conversations are only happening at universities or because the resources dedicated to it are weighed down by unnecessarily confusing language, or behind pay walls. This three day, introductory course will provide tools for embracing critical thinking and addressing questions such as: What is theory? What does it mean to think critically? and, How can this impact my life? We will also explore brief foundations in several schools of critical and cultural theory.
Beyond critically thinking about what we see and read, critical theory can also help us to imagine new futures. To make this tangible, the course will culminate in each participant applying theoretical tools to the creation of an art or literary project. The prompt for this project will be to design new cities that we want to live in. We will consider how public spaces are created, often unintentionally, with underlying assumptions and biases. Our cities, then, will be created intentionally, drawing on participants' lived experiences, talents, and imagination. Your city can have one million citizens, or one. It can be the size of a country, or the size of a bedroom. We'll consider what flexible boundaries surrounding places would mean. Ideally, participants will come away feeling more empowered to be active readers of their own lives and to start building civic spaces that work for them.
In light of the current global pandemic, this workshop will be offered online. It will utilize Sutori as a collaborative platform for posting projects, sharing resources, and engaging in written discussion. Participants who are available will also be invited to three weekly, one-hour sessions over video conferencing to further discuss ideas, learn discursively, and provide support to one another during this particularly isolating time.
Once you register through Eventbrite you will be sent an email before the first session with information on how to join through Zoom!