I Want to Learn How to Think Beyond Academic Disciplines
Nanjing University Intensive Lecture Series
(for Students in Nanjing)
Fiscal Year 2010 "Body Theory"
2014.Jun.02
- Outline
Whether we think of the body as a prison where our souls are confined or think that the mind forms the body, we exist with/as our bodies. That is why, from ancient mythical stories to present day Sci-Fi works, our imagination has continually feared and yearned for the body's ‹expansion›, ‹modification›, ‹alteration› or the ‹anomalously embodied› body, the bodies with shapes that differ from what we conventionally conceive of as such. In particular, recent developments of engineering technology and information technology, advancements of brain science and cognitive science/philosophy, the rise of academic disciplines such as disability studies and trans studies that seek to re-question the concept of the body from ‹different bodies› and social movements and artistic endeavors that work with them, influencing and relating to each other, continue to throw up various insights into what we think of as the body or where we mark boundaries between the body and the non-body, and what possibilities and problems should be found in these boundaries. In the Theme Lectures this year, we aim to provide new perspectives for thinking about the ‹ body› across fields such as philosophy, sciences, disability studies and culture and representation, recognizing the aforementioned scholarly achievements, setting keywords like ‹expansion›, ‹modification›, ‹alteration› and ‹anomalous embodiment›. Go to this page for details on Evaluation will be based on comments posted on the homepage of each lecture and final paper. Go to this page for details on paper assignment.