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2017 Social Ecology Intensive: June 10-15, San Francisco

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Linking Protest and Social Transformation:
Social Ecology and the Future of Our Movements

June 10 – 15, 2017  |  San Francisco, California Institute of Integral Studies

Program and Course Descriptions

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Photo by Peg Hunter, Creative Commons

The past year has brought disappointment and fear, but also powerful visions of the possible. The presidential election reinforced the worst of the status quo and brought new levels of racism and neofascism to the forefront. In 2017, the repressive excesses of the new presidential administration in the US have triggered an unprecedented and widespread popular uprising, including a resurgence of interest in the potential for rebel cities and towns to overturn regressive national policies. Now is the time to boldly assert our most transformative visions for a free and liberated society, amidst the failure of neoliberalism and the threats posed by resurgent white supremacy, nationalism and misogyny.

This June in San Francisco, the Institute for Social Ecology will offer an Intensive Seminar which will bring together activists, students, academics and community leaders for a dynamic week of exploring the struggle for a free society in theory and praxis. This two-tiered seminar will offer a full 6-day experience and a weekend-only option. The weekend will provide a focused overview of social ecology, an interdisciplinary body of ideas that examines social and ecological problems from a transformative and holistic perspective, with particular focus on movement building today. Then over the following four days we will delve deeper into our conversations about the wide scope of social ecology’s theoretical and practical ideas, and also get out into the community for several action-tours. This course series will take place from Saturday, June 10 to Thursday, June 15th in partnership with the Anthropology and Social Change Department of the California Institute of Integral Studies in San Francisco, California.

Following thLife after msilatipace integrative perspective of social ecology, ISE intensives are more than the sum of their parts. Emphasizing the crucial relationship between theory and praxis, we collaborate with participants to address the social and political issues that impact their activist work, academic studies, and everyday lives. The objective of this program is to offer a holistic political perspective that challenges participants to hone radical social-ecological critiques and cultivate new visions of a free society.

ISE intensives combine lectures, workshops, guest speakers and field trips – a typical day begins around 9 AM and lasts until about 7 or 8 PM. Guest speakers, community events, study groups, and informal hangout sessions take place in the evenings after class. We are proud to collaborate with guest speakers from organizations and communities from across the Bay Area. 

Seminar topics include:

  • The Outlook of Social Ecology
  • Direct Democracy, Popular Power and the State
  • Organizing, Movement Building and Democratic Praxis
  • Capitalism: Critiques and Alternatives
  • Solidarity, Accountability and Anti-Racist Organizing
  • History of the U.S. Left
  • From Radical Ecology to Climate Justice
  • Reconstructive Visions: Reclaiming Utopia

Full program and course descriptions here.

Our Partner: the Anthropology and Social Change Department of the California Institute of Integral Studies

The intensive will be held at the California Institute of Integral Studies, hosted by the Department of Anthropology and Social Change.  CIIS will provide breakfast, snacks, and will arrange local housing for participants. CIIS and the ISE have worked together to develop a curriculum uniquely suited to our current times and circumstances.

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Anthropology and Social Change is a small innovative graduate department with a particular focus on radical activist scholarship, critical theory, and social change. We offer both master’s and doctoral degree programs. Our unique approach to ethnographic research methodology dissolves traditional barriers between researchers and communities of struggle; we aim to liberate existing alternative knowledges, and to co-create new emancipatory knowledges with those communities. As radical anthropologists, we explore real alternatives and possibilities for systemic change in the world. California Institute of Integral Studies (CIIS), established in 1968, is an accredited university that strives to embody spirit, intellect, and wisdom in service to individuals, communities, and the earth. CIIS expands the boundaries of traditional degree programs with transdisciplinary, cross-cultural, and applied studies utilizing face-to-face, hybrid, and online pedagogical approaches. CIIS is located in the heart of San Francisco, CA, on 10th and Mission.

Tuition for the full 6 days is $60-$300 sliding scale,  $40 – 85 for the weekend, and $30 for an individual course. We won’t turn anyone away for lack of funds, so if you can afford it please consider giving more to help us keep this event accessible. 

To register for the course, please fill out the form below and pay a $20 deposit here.

For more information, email us at: social-ecology@mail.mayfirst.org

Social Ecology Intensive Registration

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