I make every effort to map out the entire semester before the "semester" begins, so we all know what we’re in for. Yet we might need to make a few small alterations to our schedule: we might host a guest who’s passing through town, I might seek your input on texts or activities that better speak to your needs and interests, I might decide to cut a couple of our readings or substitute new material that’s published over the course of the semester, etc. Any changes will be noted, with plenty of advance notice, on our class website. And any revisions will only maintain or decrease, never increase, your workload!

If you’re accustomed to syllabi that consist of little more than a weekly schedule and a list of readings, our website might look a bit – or a lot! – intimidating. Fear not! Most of what you see here is my attempt to provide context and intellectual framing! I explain why I’ve chosen particular texts, and what I hope you’ll gain from reading, watching, or listening to them. I offer tips regarding what to focus on. I pose questions that I hope you’ll keep in mind as you engage. In short, the voluminous text you’ll see under each bullet point is intended to serve as a friendly guide to your weekly preparations. It’ll ideally make your reading more directed and meaningful 🙂

What's more: I try to assemble lists of varying lengths, intensities, and formats. You won't be reading four dense academic articles in a single week. On occasion, I’ll encourage you simply to skim or browse or "check out" some resources; in those cases, I mostly want you to know those resources exist, and to appreciate the breadth of what they have to offer so you can potentially return to them later. I’m hoping these materials prove useful for your own research – or inspire a new interest, or introduce you to some cool new stuff, or connect you to a new community! Sometimes, rather than assigning a whole book, I invite you to read a review or an interview with the author. And I occasionally recommend videos or podcasts in lieu of written texts. I invite you to walk or lie on your chaise lounge or sit in a park or ride your Peloton or row a boat while you watch and listen to these materials.

Finally, you don't have to read any of this stuff :) Nobody's tracking you! Yet I did choose these texts because I find them informative and provocative and exciting — and I think that, collectively, they'll help us cultivate a prismatic view of each week's theme. They'll also prepare us to be engaged, generous guests and hosts to the folks who have kindly agreed to join us each week — and to be intellectually accountable to one another 🪴.