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Fall 2022︎︎︎ SUNY Purchase College ︎︎︎ (DES4100) Community Design

What is Community? 

(A video series)


This class will primarily be centered on the question, what is community? We’ll examine, through work and discussion, what this question means, to us as individuals and as a class. 

What do communities look like?


picture of the Rajneeshpuram cult/commune A picture of the Aum Shinrikyo cult picture from the infamous "Grand Prix Richmond Crackstyle" reddit thread Still from The Florida Project (2017) still from Midsommar (2019) a Purchase Zoom session near the end of the year. Still from Kids (1995) gif from the "I'd like to teach the world to sing" Coca-Cola commercial.

Self-examination

  • What communities are you are part of?
  • What works for you about them?
  • How big are those communities?
  • What does “membership” mean in these communities?
  • What other names would they go by? 
  • What aspect of these groups are socially constructed and culturally fed back to you?

Process + Expectations

Previously, I’ve grouped the viewings into groups of about three videos. For a myriad of reasons, the discussions surrounding these viewings have not gone as well as I’d like. By that I mean the discussions were not active. To facilitate this, I will separate into smaller, more manageable single videos. 

I will also be putting people into groups specifically for these discussions. Please be prepared to talk in these smaller groups. I will also expect you to take detailed notes to supplement your viewing experience and our collective discussions. 

Be ready to bring in your takes, opinions, reactions, the result of your thoughtful contemplation and reasons for the above to class. Also I will be using the cards to call on folks!

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