In this seminar, we will explore the emergence of research-creation as an academic field that highlights the potential of artistic practice as research and making as a form of knowledge creation in and of itself.  We will contextualize this field’s emergence as sharing roots with various social movements across the Americas. By framing the turn towards research-creation as a critique of dominant epistemologies and disciplinary boundaries, we will highlight and understand its connections to feminisms, critical race theory, and decolonial approaches.

The course will be a reading-intensive, extended seminar-style investigation of debates in research-creation as it relates to feminisms, critical race theory, and decolonial approaches across the Americas. To emphasize the relevance of these readings for research-creation projects, each set of readings will be paired with a series of art projects. Each week students will develop oral presentations and guide discussions on the readings and case studies assigned.  For the final project, students will be given the option to write a final essay based on course readings, a critical artist’s statement about their own creative work, or to develop a new or work on an existing research-creation project.

Course level- educational goals:

The student will be able to:

Assignments and Evaluation

A. Weekly discussion presentation – 20%

Each week a student (or group of students) will be responsible for leading the seminar.

** Depending on the number of students the discussions may be led by an individual student or by a group of students. Guidelines and expectations on how to conduct a discussion will be provided on the first day of classes.

B. Weekly Reading Summaries – 25%

At the beginning of each seminar, all students will post a summary of the readings assigned for that week. The summaries should be no more than 1500 words. They should identify the main arguments in the readings, draw connections between them and discuss how they relate with your own field of research. The summaries should be written in correct English grammar and properly cited. The objective of the summaries is to prepare you for in-class discussion; help you develop the framework for your final project; and advance your AB if relevant.

C. Final Project – 45%

  1. Proposal Presentation: (500 words Abstract and Annotated Bibliography) (10%)
  2. Peer Review: You will review the proposal of another student, not your own project. (10%)
  3. Final Essay/Project (see options below) (25%)

Option 1: Write a 5000-word argumentative essay or critical analysis based on the readings and/or an art project presented in class. This option could be used as a conference paper or a book review or to advance an article or your AB.

Option 2: Write a 5000- self-reflective essay on one or various the themes of the class focusing on how they’ve changed your approach to research and/or your research project.: How would your current project look like if it was situated within a Research-Creation framework? What media/format would you use to develop it? How would it circulate across disciplines (as a boundary object)? Where would you publish and/or exhibit it? What kind of questions could you ask? What are its limits? This self-reflective essay can incorporate notes, reflections, reading summaries, images, etc.

Option 3: Develop a Research-Creation Project. This project can be based on an existing project or a new project. If it is an existing project, there should be clear evidence of advances/changes done in the context of this class and should be situated within a Research-Creation framework.  It will combine independent research and creative output, based on each student’s skills and interests. The creative portion will be a small-scale prototype (depending on skills and access to materials). Emphasis will be placed on process, questions, problem-solving, and evolution, rather than on a polished finished “product.”  This could be a place to test a method considered within the reasonable scope of the semester.  This project includes a written justification of 3000-5000 words + the small-scale prototype.

Option 4: Produce a critical artist statement about the student’s own previous creative work, considering and situating it within the Research-Creation framework.  This statement could later become part of the dissertation or could be used as a conference paper, or an exhibition/performance statement, etc. This option could be useful for students with an active artistic/creative practice.

D. General Attendance and Participation – (10%) mandatory

In a discussion-based graduate seminar like this one, attendance and participation in class discussions are of crucial importance. If you face any difficulties attending class, please be pro-active and speak to me in advance to make other arrangements for your participation. If you miss more than one class, you will jeopardize your standing in the seminar.

 

WEEK 1 – INTRODUCTIONS

Readings Assigned for WK 2:

 Other Resources:

 

WEEK 2  WHAT IS RESEARCH-CREATION?
Discussion of Readings Assigned  (WK 1) and Reading Summary

Readings Assigned for WK 3:

Other Resources:

 

WEEK 3-  INTERSECTIONALITY & INTERDISCIPLINARITY
Discussion of Readings Assigned (WK2) and Reading Summary.

Readings assigned for WK 4:

Other Resources:

 

WEEK 4- SUBJECTS
Special Guest  Chantal Gibson
Discussion of Readings Assigned  (WK 3) and Reading Summary

Readings assigned for WK 5:

Other Resources:

 

WEEK 5-  RACE AND TECHNOLOGY
Discussion of Readings Assigned (WK4) and Reading Summary WK 4

Readings assigned for WK 8

Other Resources:

WEEK 6- READING BREAK
Students prepare presentations of final project proposals and bring boundary objects/things to think with.

 

WEEK 7-  STUDENT PRESENTATIONS
Special Guest- Kate Hennessy
Student’s Project Proposal Presentations

 

WEEK 8 – OBJECTS & THINGS TO THINK WITH
Discussion of Readings Assigned (WK 8) and Reading Summary

Readings assigned for WK.9

 

WEEK 9 – ART AS RESEARCH
Discussion of Readings Assigned (WK 9) and Reading Summary

Readings assigned for WK 10:

Other Resources:

 

WEEK 10 FAILURES AND ETHICS  & STUDENT PRESENTATIONS
Discussion of Readings Assigned (WK 10) and Reading Summary

Readings assigned for WK 11 :

 

WEEK 11 – DECOLONIAL HORIZONS AND OTHER POSSIBLE WORLDS & STUDENT PRESENTATIONS
Discussion of Readings Assigned (WK 10) and Reading Summary

WEEK 12 – No classes

WEEK 13 – FINAL PROJECT PRESENTATIONS