ABOUT BEYOND THE ALTAR COURSE MATERIAL
These topics range from highly accessible subjects that are pervasive throughout mainstream and pop culture, to topics which have historically been more embedded within academia and culturally obscure, even as they have impacted society, culture, arts, politics, and relations across time. Some of this material is, by design, very difficult; but that is part of our critique. We're here to break that down! Wherever possible, I'll be adding related materials that show up in our day-to-day media, arts, and culture.
I want to also add that the point is not always to "agree"; we don't have to agree with what we read. I'd argue that often, it's through disagreement that new points and new paths are laid. Authors are always building on the work of authors before them and it's often done because of a disagreement with some thesis. Everything is always evolving and changing, that is what we're here for. I think our conversations together will support that!
My hope is to present these materials in as approachable and relaxed a setting as possible. This isn't a formal presentation, it's a conversational one. There is no judgement and no grading. Take your time with the material, break it up into manageable chunks. Over the course of 4 weeks, we'll have some substantial materials to cover but if you can't go through it all, don't worry! Form some questions around whatever you were able to watch or read, and that will be part of the discussion! Beyond the Altar isn't about how much we've read, but how what we do interact with leaves an impression and changes the way we see the world, and what we do in it.
On academic language:
I try to avoid this wherever possible, but full disclosure—some of these texts will challenge the most adept of readers. Academic language has a lot of problems, and a lot of the time it's also just really bad writing, or at the very least, a very bad style and format of writing. I wanted to share some tips and tricks as to how I work with it, myself.
On the ethics of sharing resources:
Whenever possible, permission from contemporary authors has been given to use excerpts and chapters of books and materials. The distribution of resources for educational purposes is also covered under academic fair use which you can read about here. Under no circumstances will entire books be reproduced and provided. I am not selling, nor are you paying for or purchasing, pdfs or course materials. These are provided as supplementary educational resources to facilitate group discussion and independent study of various ideas presented throughout the course series. Ultimately, I always encourage the purchase of any and all books by the people who interest you, especially contemporary authors!
I want to also add that the point is not always to "agree"; we don't have to agree with what we read. I'd argue that often, it's through disagreement that new points and new paths are laid. Authors are always building on the work of authors before them and it's often done because of a disagreement with some thesis. Everything is always evolving and changing, that is what we're here for. I think our conversations together will support that!
My hope is to present these materials in as approachable and relaxed a setting as possible. This isn't a formal presentation, it's a conversational one. There is no judgement and no grading. Take your time with the material, break it up into manageable chunks. Over the course of 4 weeks, we'll have some substantial materials to cover but if you can't go through it all, don't worry! Form some questions around whatever you were able to watch or read, and that will be part of the discussion! Beyond the Altar isn't about how much we've read, but how what we do interact with leaves an impression and changes the way we see the world, and what we do in it.
On academic language:
I try to avoid this wherever possible, but full disclosure—some of these texts will challenge the most adept of readers. Academic language has a lot of problems, and a lot of the time it's also just really bad writing, or at the very least, a very bad style and format of writing. I wanted to share some tips and tricks as to how I work with it, myself.
- Break larger sections down into smaller ones, and even break each sentence down if you have to in order to tease out the idea. Academics seem to hate periods in favor of commas, semi-colons, and em dashes (ok I'm not an academic but I love an em dash) so if you imagine each punctation mark as a period, that can help separate complicated sentences into their individual ideas.
- Read the first and the last sentence of each paragraph. First and last sentences are usually—not always—a formation and conclusion of ideas in the paragraph. If it makes sense, you'll fill in the gap by either skimming the bulk of the paragraph or connecting these two ideas. Please don't judge me for my em dashes here. They're just so pretty.
- Skim the whole document, take notes from your impressions, and put it away. Believe me when I say you'll have absorbed more than you realize and even talking about the way people write is a huge part of the discussion. But just know that there's absolutely no need to force yourself to read something in painful detail that is boring, doesn't make sense, or feels like bashing your head on a wall!
- Find out which way of reading works best for you! Some people really like digital readers that allow them to make in-document notes. Other folks really prefer to print things out and write out notes by hand over the text. Still others will plug the documents into a reader and listen. Experiment to see what feels right. Whatever works for you, do that!
- What tips do you have for reading complex writing that have helped you? Let me know and I'll add them here!
On the ethics of sharing resources:
Whenever possible, permission from contemporary authors has been given to use excerpts and chapters of books and materials. The distribution of resources for educational purposes is also covered under academic fair use which you can read about here. Under no circumstances will entire books be reproduced and provided. I am not selling, nor are you paying for or purchasing, pdfs or course materials. These are provided as supplementary educational resources to facilitate group discussion and independent study of various ideas presented throughout the course series. Ultimately, I always encourage the purchase of any and all books by the people who interest you, especially contemporary authors!
PAST COURSES, DESCRIPTIONS, & RESOURCES FROM 2022/2023
MAY: SPECTACLE
The spectacle, as described by the Situationist theory of Guy Debord, permeates every aspect of our lives in contemporary society. As the pervasive and dominating presence of media and consumer culture progresses, lines between reality and illusion become increasingly blurred, and we find it more difficult to distinguish fact from fiction. With the proliferation of increasingly disturbing politics and political behavior, sensationalist news sources, image-based social media, and the emergence of AI-generated content across the internet, the spectacle has gained an eerie sense of omnipotence, creating circumstances that cause us to question the certainty of what we see and read. However, when we’re aware of the spectacle and its effects, we can begin to resist its control and seek to reclaim our agency and authenticity. Therefore it’s crucial to examine and question the images and narratives that are presented to us, to cultivate our own unique perspectives, and engage with the world in a way that aligns with our values and aspirations—even if it means resisting the pull of the spectacle. Through criticality and care, we can begin to navigate this strange and increasingly surreal world in more grounded ways.
We’ll spend May in independent study, reading a few select essays and watching contemporary films and documentaries to prepare our own thoughts, questions, opinions, rebuttals, and conclusions.
Live 1 hr Zoom discussion Saturday 3 June at 11am PDT/12MDT/1CD
EXAMPLES OF RESOURCES FOR THIS CLASS
Movies and TV:
Heath Shultz, The Society of the Spectacle (a contemporary revision of Guy Debord's film of the same name)
Nope
Don't Look Up
The Hunger Games
Black Mirror episodes:
S1E1: The National Anthem
S1E2: Fifteen Million Merits
S2E2: White Bear
Excerpts from literature:
Claire Bishop, Participation and Spectacle: Where Are We Now? Lecture for Creative Time’s Living as Form, Cooper Union, New York, May 2011
Jean Baudrillard, Simulacra and Simulation
Guy Debord, Society of the Spectacle
We’ll spend May in independent study, reading a few select essays and watching contemporary films and documentaries to prepare our own thoughts, questions, opinions, rebuttals, and conclusions.
Live 1 hr Zoom discussion Saturday 3 June at 11am PDT/12MDT/1CD
EXAMPLES OF RESOURCES FOR THIS CLASS
Movies and TV:
Heath Shultz, The Society of the Spectacle (a contemporary revision of Guy Debord's film of the same name)
Nope
Don't Look Up
The Hunger Games
Black Mirror episodes:
S1E1: The National Anthem
S1E2: Fifteen Million Merits
S2E2: White Bear
Excerpts from literature:
Claire Bishop, Participation and Spectacle: Where Are We Now? Lecture for Creative Time’s Living as Form, Cooper Union, New York, May 2011
Jean Baudrillard, Simulacra and Simulation
Guy Debord, Society of the Spectacle
APRIL: REALITY
We're beginning to slip towards weirder terrain this month on Beyond the Altar: Reality! What is reality?
If there was ever a question without a definitive answer, it’s this one. This is the question that sets us and our humanity upon the precarious edge of an indeterminable void. We know that reality is something that is both universally lived, and subjectively perceived. Knowing the expansiveness of our brain’s ability to create and construct ideas, we know that these ideas in turn shape our experiences of the world—our reality. What comes first? The influence of our surroundings upon perception, thought, and understanding? Or do our thoughts and perception shape understanding of our surroundings? These questions teeter on the brink of many things, not the least of them being the question of what it means to be able to perceive not just the self as located within the world; but the self as interior, amidst a vastness that is inconceivable—it becomes entirely uncertain as to what is more real: the physical world, or the immaterial one of our emotional and spiritual being. Of course it is both, and more—reality is a palimpsest of perceiving and being. But, it means we have to question what we believe to be the very nature of human-formed realities.
EXAMPLES OF RESOURCES FOR THIS CLASS
Paprika
Dreams
The Truman Show
Solaris (old and new)
Brazil
The Matrix
Her
Westworld
Inception
If there was ever a question without a definitive answer, it’s this one. This is the question that sets us and our humanity upon the precarious edge of an indeterminable void. We know that reality is something that is both universally lived, and subjectively perceived. Knowing the expansiveness of our brain’s ability to create and construct ideas, we know that these ideas in turn shape our experiences of the world—our reality. What comes first? The influence of our surroundings upon perception, thought, and understanding? Or do our thoughts and perception shape understanding of our surroundings? These questions teeter on the brink of many things, not the least of them being the question of what it means to be able to perceive not just the self as located within the world; but the self as interior, amidst a vastness that is inconceivable—it becomes entirely uncertain as to what is more real: the physical world, or the immaterial one of our emotional and spiritual being. Of course it is both, and more—reality is a palimpsest of perceiving and being. But, it means we have to question what we believe to be the very nature of human-formed realities.
EXAMPLES OF RESOURCES FOR THIS CLASS
Paprika
Dreams
The Truman Show
Solaris (old and new)
Brazil
The Matrix
Her
Westworld
Inception
MARCH: PHILOSOPHY
This month on Beyond the Altar: Philosophy! Philosophy has inspired some of the greatest, most confounding questions throughout time. Philosophy still compels us today because it brings a richness to our life, encouraging us to look at our world, the universe, and each other, as the complex, multifaceted, infinitely dimensional wonders we are. Philosophy is about the contextualization and synthesis of the immaterial with the material, together. We can apply it concretely, or mystically. It creates space to think deeply. Of course thinking takes time. But we have that. Thinking is not the sole purview of the scholar—we’re always thinking, all of us. Whatever we’re doing as we work, wherever we work, our thoughts are with us. Philosophy is a way of processing and examining something that changes the way we think but also the way we act in the world. If we’re given to a discipline that requires us to slow down, consider multiple perspectives and views, to weigh out ethics and possibilities of the known and unknown, then it stands to reason that our behaviors in the world will follow suit.
EXAMPLE OF RESOURCES FOR THIS CLASS
Individual author's works:
Donna Haraway, Staying With the Trouble: Making Kin in the Chthulucene, San Francisco Art Institute YouTube, April 2017
Ibn Sina's Floating Man thought experiment, Wikipedia page
Rosi Braidotti, Posthuman Knowledge, Harvard GSD YouTube, March 2019
Blogs/articles on some of these authors, and more:
Charles Shafaieh, We were never considered fully human, so why should we care about this crisis? Rosi Braidotti on collective positivity in the face of human extinction, Harvard University Graduate School of Design, March 2019
Moira Weigel, Feminist cyborg scholar Donna Haraway: The disorder of our era isn’t necessary, The Guardian, June 2019
Peter Adamson, What can Avicenna teach us about the mind-body problem? Aeon, September 2016
Scotty Hendricks, 10 Golden Age Philosophers, and Why You Should Know Them, Big Think, November 2016
Stephen Muecke, The generous philosopher, Aeon, October 2022
EXAMPLE OF RESOURCES FOR THIS CLASS
Individual author's works:
Donna Haraway, Staying With the Trouble: Making Kin in the Chthulucene, San Francisco Art Institute YouTube, April 2017
Ibn Sina's Floating Man thought experiment, Wikipedia page
Rosi Braidotti, Posthuman Knowledge, Harvard GSD YouTube, March 2019
Blogs/articles on some of these authors, and more:
Charles Shafaieh, We were never considered fully human, so why should we care about this crisis? Rosi Braidotti on collective positivity in the face of human extinction, Harvard University Graduate School of Design, March 2019
Moira Weigel, Feminist cyborg scholar Donna Haraway: The disorder of our era isn’t necessary, The Guardian, June 2019
Peter Adamson, What can Avicenna teach us about the mind-body problem? Aeon, September 2016
Scotty Hendricks, 10 Golden Age Philosophers, and Why You Should Know Them, Big Think, November 2016
Stephen Muecke, The generous philosopher, Aeon, October 2022
FEBRUARY: CRITICALITY
To be critical doesn’t mean disparaging, dismissive, or disbelieving. What it means is that when exercising criticality, we’re practicing healthy skepticism, not taking things for face value, seeking more than one source for information, and drawing conclusions based on multiple streams of evidence. It means asking how this information came about, and where it came from, and in which context it appears. It means exercising caution before engaging. It means analyzing the situation, breaking down language and the way it's used. Criticality is a useful tool for identifying insidious and harmful rhetoric in our communities, from government entities to white supremacist ideology. It can be applied to oneself, too—in drawing conclusions, making claims, or otherwise exercising judgment or flexing an opinion; we may turn criticality inward to ask these same questions of ourselves, to employ the same lenses of examination and analysis to ourselves; to push ourselves beyond the surface read, treatment, and statement to dig deeper below the layers. We are peeling back the strata and substrata to understand how the soil is formed, as well as nurtured. Criticality, critical thinking, discernment, and inquiry—these are the tools we use to excavate.
EXAMPLE OF RESOURCES FOR THIS CLASS
The “Radical Edits” of Alexandra Bell, by Doreen St. Félix , The New Yorker, 2017
Did a Fourth Grader Write This? Or the New Chatbot? by Claire Cain Miller, Adam Playford, Larry Buchanan and Aaron Krolik, The New York Times, December 2022
George Orwell, The Politics of the English Language, Horizon Magazine, 1946
EXAMPLE OF RESOURCES FOR THIS CLASS
The “Radical Edits” of Alexandra Bell, by Doreen St. Félix , The New Yorker, 2017
Did a Fourth Grader Write This? Or the New Chatbot? by Claire Cain Miller, Adam Playford, Larry Buchanan and Aaron Krolik, The New York Times, December 2022
George Orwell, The Politics of the English Language, Horizon Magazine, 1946
JANUARY: CONVERSATION
Why do conversations happen, historically and now? Towards what purpose do we converse, what does conversation lead to? And how does conversation propose a danger to authority? Conversation is a story, but told to convey something important or meaningful, pertinent or relevant, fictitious or lyrical. This series of resources will guide us to look at the way conversation is an exchange of information and knowledge; histories and opinions; curiosities and wonders.
EXAMPLE OF RESOURCES FOR THIS CLASS
Michel Foucault, The Archaeology of Knowledge and The Discourse on Language, Pantheon Books, New York
Rachel Adams, Michel Foucault: Discourse, Critical Legal Thinking, 2017 (online)
Excerpts from a couple of chapters in Ralph S. Hattox, Coffee and Coffeehouses, The Origins of a Social Beverage in the Medieval Near East, University of Washington Press, Seattle and London, 1985
EXAMPLE OF RESOURCES FOR THIS CLASS
Michel Foucault, The Archaeology of Knowledge and The Discourse on Language, Pantheon Books, New York
Rachel Adams, Michel Foucault: Discourse, Critical Legal Thinking, 2017 (online)
Excerpts from a couple of chapters in Ralph S. Hattox, Coffee and Coffeehouses, The Origins of a Social Beverage in the Medieval Near East, University of Washington Press, Seattle and London, 1985
DECEMBER: CURIOSITY
Nothing creative ever came about without the presence of curiosity; not even the sciences which we mistakenly perceive as being unemotional and passionless. What would happen if…? and Where does x come from? or Why/how does/do we/they/this/that/the world/the universe …? are questions that reflect humankind’s timeless and enduring curiosity. This series of readings and other resources, and subsequent discussions are meant to look at curiosity as an important and critical function for us in knowing our world.
EXAMPLE OF RESOURCES FOR THIS CLASS
Cassini Nazir, "curiosity, everywhere : a beginner's guide" (video)
Select writings from or related to Ilhan Inan, The Philosophy of Curiosity, Routledge, New York & London, 2012
Philip Ursprung and Hans Ulrich Obrist, "Curiosity Is the Motor of the Entire Interview Project": Hans Ulrich Obrist in Conversation with Philip Ursprung, The Art Bulletin, Vol. 94, No. 1 (March 2012), pp. 42-49
EXAMPLE OF RESOURCES FOR THIS CLASS
Cassini Nazir, "curiosity, everywhere : a beginner's guide" (video)
Select writings from or related to Ilhan Inan, The Philosophy of Curiosity, Routledge, New York & London, 2012
Philip Ursprung and Hans Ulrich Obrist, "Curiosity Is the Motor of the Entire Interview Project": Hans Ulrich Obrist in Conversation with Philip Ursprung, The Art Bulletin, Vol. 94, No. 1 (March 2012), pp. 42-49
NOVEMBER: PERCEIVING
This third module investigates perception beginning with the question, “What does it mean to perceive?” I think in order to know this, firstly, it’s contextual but we also have to begin with the question: what are we looking, for? This series of readings, other resources, and subsequent discussions are meant to look at “perception” over “sight”, as well as examine the idea that who we are and how we've been shaped by structures and systems shapes the way we observe, perceive, and experience the world.
EXAMPLE OF RESOURCES FOR THIS CLASS
Anne D’Alleva, Semiotics, from Methods and Theories of Art History
bell hooks, The Oppositional Gaze
Jeanette Winterson, Art Objects
Stuart Hall Encoding and Decoding in the Television Discourse
EXAMPLE OF RESOURCES FOR THIS CLASS
Anne D’Alleva, Semiotics, from Methods and Theories of Art History
bell hooks, The Oppositional Gaze
Jeanette Winterson, Art Objects
Stuart Hall Encoding and Decoding in the Television Discourse
OCTOBER: QUEERNESS
Our second module turns its examination to the lens and framework of queerness and queering to set the pace for the rest of the modules in the series. This series of readings, podcasts, other resources, and subsequent discussions are meant to look at queer experiences and some queer theory, interrogate what queerness might be and how queerness doesn’t just shape us, but also the way we look at the world, interpret what we see, and engage with our surroundings.
EXAMPLE OF RESOURCES FOR THIS CLASS
Catriona Mortimer-Sandilands, Unnatural Passions?: Notes toward a Queer Ecology, InVisible Culture: An Electronic Journal for Visual Culture, Issue 9: Nature Loving, October 2005 (online)
Southern Bramble S2E14: Queerness and Gender in Witchcraft (podcast)
Judith Butler, Critically Queer
So and Pinar Sinopoulos-Lloyd, Beyond the Human, Volume 6: Beyond, Atmos Magazine, 2022 (online)
EXAMPLE OF RESOURCES FOR THIS CLASS
Catriona Mortimer-Sandilands, Unnatural Passions?: Notes toward a Queer Ecology, InVisible Culture: An Electronic Journal for Visual Culture, Issue 9: Nature Loving, October 2005 (online)
Southern Bramble S2E14: Queerness and Gender in Witchcraft (podcast)
Judith Butler, Critically Queer
So and Pinar Sinopoulos-Lloyd, Beyond the Human, Volume 6: Beyond, Atmos Magazine, 2022 (online)
SEPTEMBER: THEORY
Beyond the Altar begins with the examination of theory itself, and why it’s important. What is “theory”? Theory is a way of examining, thinking about or analyzing, and looking at the world. It incorporates ways of asking questions to identify and interpret things—usually social, cultural, and political issues, circumstances, patterns, and behaviors. It reveals the patterns throughout time that impact all corners of our histories, cultures, trends, and ways of thinking. Theory is a way of making connections between the impacts of ideas and circumstances across time, culture, identity, and politics. Theory is also helpful in thinking about how to take action by examining multiple components of our structured reality together, and determine concrete steps or actions to effect change.
EXAMPLE OF RESOURCES FOR THIS CLASS
Anne D'Alleva, Thinking about theory; from Methods & Theories of Art History, Laurence King Publishing Ltd, London, 2005
bell hooks, Theory As Liberatory Practice, Yale Journal of Law & Feminism: Vol. 4: Iss. 1, Article 2 1991
Boris Groys, Under the Gaze of Theory, Eflux: Journal #35, May 2012
Jason Ānanda Josephson Storm, Metamodernism: The Future of Theory, Chicago, University of Chicago Press, 2021 (excerpts from final chapter)
Susan Sontag, Against Interpretation, 1964; from her book Against Interpretation and Other Essays, Farrar, Straus and Giroux, New York, 1966
EXAMPLE OF RESOURCES FOR THIS CLASS
Anne D'Alleva, Thinking about theory; from Methods & Theories of Art History, Laurence King Publishing Ltd, London, 2005
bell hooks, Theory As Liberatory Practice, Yale Journal of Law & Feminism: Vol. 4: Iss. 1, Article 2 1991
Boris Groys, Under the Gaze of Theory, Eflux: Journal #35, May 2012
Jason Ānanda Josephson Storm, Metamodernism: The Future of Theory, Chicago, University of Chicago Press, 2021 (excerpts from final chapter)
Susan Sontag, Against Interpretation, 1964; from her book Against Interpretation and Other Essays, Farrar, Straus and Giroux, New York, 1966