Intro to Creative Activism:
This class is an introduction to creative activism: its history, its relation to both art and activism,
its tools, its strengths and its weaknesses. The class is a preliminary to a fall workshop led by
Mike Bonanno of the Yes Men. It will include a film screening of one of the Yes Men movies. It
can be taken as a stand-alone class or in conjunction with the Fall workshop, as a sort of primer
and foundation-laying. Students have the option of writing a paper or carrying out an act of
creative activism for the final project of the class. Students who take both this spring workshop
will be in positions of leadership if they also elect to take the fall continuation with Mike
Bonanno.
Food, Culture and Identity
Food is the foundation of culture and individual identity. From the earliest age, the influence of food and
rituals surrounding it begin to shape us. Over the course of an intensive weekend, we will examine food
in the context of the respective culture and the identity of its participant students. We will combine
readings, lectures, discussions and a hands-on workshop with My Lucky Tummy, in which participants will
explore how food has shaped and continues to shape them. In that context we will examine family
systems, holiday celebrations, the passing of traditions / rituals / practices from one generation to the
next. We will also look at how that relationship between culture and food can be represented in media,
art or an event. Students will then collaborate on a group projects for an April 26 th event.