Welcome to South Asian Sensoriums! What are exactly are the senses? Are they the sense organs (ears, eyes, tongue, skin, olfactory receptors), neural transmissions, psychological sensory ‘impressions’, or the objects of the senses themselves? Do different physical and cultural environments lead to experiencing sensory input in different ways? Can we train or shape our senses to experience the world differently?
In this course we will explore the senses heuristically—meaning that in addition to reading texts about how the senses ‘work’, we will pursue activities in which we will use our senses to apprehend information and reflect on their functioning. In other words, we will be tasting spices, smelling fragrances, looking at visual art, listening to music, and handling substances in order to better understand how sensory regimes (and the ‘meanings’ of sensory experience) are constructed.
In addition to meeting twice a week for lecture-demonstrations, we will visit the Art Institute of Chicago, a local temple, cook with spices and oils, meet and listen to practitioners of Hindustani classical music, and speak with various faculty and researchers from the University of Chicago.
Check out the following video for more information: