Garden as Metaphor and Sustenance: Memory and Broadcasting the Future
Gardens are embodied scripts sown in anticipation of the future. Who decides what grows, how, and why? In an era of real and perceived crisis, how do we distinguish and make material our contributions to what Timothy Morton names as “hyperobjects” such as climate change and racism? What kind of futures might we craft, for whom, and with which seeds? We will explore and apply critical analyses to the Knoll’s planting plans for 2023 and 2024, framed by perspectives of political economy, the formation of institutions, ideas of sovereignty, and rooted in the materiality of the Knoll, our physical forms, and our interdependent communities. Potential texts include seed catalogs as primary sources, Kloppenburg, Twitty, Shiva, Penniman, Fukuoka, and Baszile. 3 hrs seminar. This course counts as a social science cognate for environmental studies majors.