COGS 222: Embodied Writing and Communication

In this course, we'll trace abstract scientific concepts back to their embodied origins. We'll use our bodies and the physical environment to think, learn, communicate, and observe our own metacognitive processes. Drawing from principles of embodied cognition in cognitive science, yoga, performing arts and traditional storytelling, we'll expand and deepen our holistic understanding of the bodily origins of abstract concepts. This is a communication intensive course. Students will use writing and oral/multimodal communication to explore the relationship between embodied cognition and communication, and to build communication skills. The course has a significant focus on refining writing processes and composing research-based arguments, fostered through writing and communication instruction. The class will provide opportunities to practice physical, mental, and social activities that promote well-being and help reduce stress and anxiety, including movement and breath, acting and vocalizing, sensory journaling, and reconnecting to nature. This work will allow students to develop and apply wellness-related knowledge in pursuit of a healthy lifestyle and improved quality of life for themselves and their communities. Part of each class will take place outside.