The Uses of the Erotic: Feminist & Anti-Racist Philosophies of Feeling [ONLINE]

Full Tuition: $340 — Sliding-scale options are available in the drop-down menu. To pay in installments, choose to pay with PayPal or Klarna at check out.

Instructor: Annu Dahiya | 5-Weeks | Tuesdays | July 28-August 25 | 6:00-8:00 PM ET | ONLINE

The poet philosopher Audre Lorde invites us to think philosophy anew by centering feeling. In this five-week course, we will take Lorde’s invitation as a starting point for investigating a long history of philosophical engagement with erotics and feeling.  

In her 1977 essay “Poetry is not a Luxury,” Audre Lorde writes: “The white fathers told us: I think, therefore I am. The Black mother within each of us - the poet - whispers in our dreams: I feel, therefore I can be free.” Lorde challenges the Western philosophical privileging of reason and mind over eros, feeling, and the body. Likewise, in her 1978 essay “The Uses of the Erotic,” she defines the erotic as a kind of creative life force rooted in a deep sense of intuition and knowing that includes but also extends beyond sexuality. In this class, we’ll study how the erotic generates new ways for us to feel, exist, and know. 

Grounded in both ancient and contemporary philosophical texts and lived experience, we will think about how the erotic appears in our everyday lives: in attraction and intimacy, in the search for meaning and connection, in creative expression, and in our desire for freedom. Together, we’ll read Plato to examine how he discusses eros and desire in Symposium and Phaedrus, read sensual poems from Sappho, June Jordan, and Lorde, and trace how contemporary thinkers like Amber Jamilla Musser, Elena Gambino, Mimi Sheller, Jallicia Jolly, and Lyndon K. Gill use the Lordean erotic to imagine social and political change.

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The Fine Print:

Gift certificates may only be redeemed at the full tuition tier.

SLIDING SCALE TUITION

Full tuition is the cost per-student of running the class. If you choose a tier below full tuition, you are receiving a discount. If you choose to make a donation in addition to full tuition, you are helping to cover the cost for students who are not able to pay the full amount.

The mid-level tier is a discounted rate for people whose household income is at or above living wage but who have limited discretionary income. 

The low-level tier and the full-scholarship tier are for people whose household income is below living wage or who need extra assistance to meet their needs.

SCHOLARSHIPS

Through our fundraising efforts, we are able to offer three full scholarships per class. The full-scholarship tier is a nonrefundable offering. Each student may only take one full-scholarship class at a time. Because our scholarship funding is limited, if a student selects multiple overlapping classes at the full-scholarship level, they will be disenrolled from all classes.

All sliding-scale and scholarship needs are self-assessed, and we will never request or require proof of need.

RECORDINGS: We do not offer access to class recordings. Instructors may opt to record classes for record-keeping purposes only.

ASYNCHRONOUS ENROLLMENT is not available.

Please see our FAQ for more information, including installment plans, refund policy, and sick and inclement weather policy.