ANTH597 (Special Topics) DREAMS, VISIONS, AND ALTERED STATES OF CONSCIOUSNESS: INDIGENOUS PERSPECTIVES
(Cross-listed with Native American and Indigenous Studies Minor)

This course provides an introduction to topics in psychological anthropology through the lens of altered states of consciousness among indigenous peoples across the globe. We will consider both nighttime dreaming and waking-world visions and how these experiences are linked to concepts of community, cosmology, reality, and being. We will look at how knowledge gained from altered states has been harnessed both for ordinary, practical purposes and for extraordinary events. We will also consider the ongoing historical, economic, and political contexts of indigenous peoples, examining how global structures—and resistance against them—continue to impact indigenous communities. Additionally, we will explore the concept of decolonization and raise the question of why non-indigenous people are so often fascinated by indigenous ideas, as well as the ethical implications of cultural appropriation.