2 pages Reflection
homework #2
mapping kinstillations: spiritual genealogies and intellectual kinships
Throughout this course, we have covered a variety of texts, ranging from visual to poetic, memoir to critical academic writing, historical literature and legal narrative. While we have been focused on Indigenous worldviews, lifeways, and political realities, I hope each of you has had an opportunity to reflect on your own storied peoples, your personal or community-based cultural practices, and relationship to spirit, worldview, and/or the world(s) around you.
In a continuation of the inherently reflective process of learning about spiritualities and philosophies, I want each of you to spend some time mapping the ideas, people, other than human, cultural, spiritual, and/or intellectual kin that shape your own worldview. This can be as intimate as a personal prayer practice, as collaborative as a community action, or as informal as a particular instagram account cranking out generative or resonant memes. I invite you to reflect on the beliefs that influence your presence and practice in the world.
This exercise, inspired by diagrams included in Dr. Renee Pualani Louis’ Kanaka Hawaiʻi Cartography: Hula, Navigation, and Oratory, is not only a personal reflection but an opportunity to engage an important citational practice. Too often, especially in formal academic environments, the inclusion of intellectual or creative influences that live outside of academic spaces are overlooked - despite their critical contributions to many fields. But, for many of us, our knowledge is supported by constellations of relationships, stories, lived experiences, places, or movements.
Draw inspiration from Dr. Pualani Louis’ personal cartography (attached to this assignment) but work with mediums, structures, or visual vocabularies that most resonate with you. For some of you, this may turn into quite an expansive project - I invite more detailed images or maps as part of your creative reflection journal entries as well!
This assignment will be due instead of a week eleven discussion forum post. Students may receive extra credit in the attendance + participation category for uploading their “map” of spiritual genealogies and spiritual kinships alongside a brief description (which can be taken from the text reflection required for this assignment).
requirements:
1. visual representation of your spiritual genealogy/intellectual kinships
2. 500 word (minimum) text-based reflection giving the viewer context for your process - this can be a straightforward explanation, a creative or poetic response, or read as an “artist statement” more broadly. Use the form and style that best compliments your practice.
3. 12-pt font
4. MLA or Chicago Style format (see “format + style guidelines” module)
5. include name, course number, assignment name, due date, and word count
6. include at least two citations from assigned readings and/or supplementary materials and a works cited page - one citation must be from week eleven’s readings.
· Some students may find that integration of quotes can be worked into the narrative, cited with appropriate in-text citations. Others who are taking a more creative approach may want to avoid interrupting the flow of creative text - footnotes can be an excellent strategy to cite without interruption. Less-direct references or those that require additional context can also be cited as footnotes.
· Resources on use of footnotes in creative writing:
· https://www.writerswrite.co.za/5-creative-ways-use-footnotes-fiction/
· See resources and style guide below:
· https://study.com/academy/lesson/what-is-a-footnote-examples-styles-quiz.html
· see: https://www.ultius.com/help/citation-styles/chicago-style/footnotes.html (Links to an external site.)Links to an external site. (Links to an external site.) for CMS formatting of footnotes
· see : https://owl.purdue.edu/owl/research_and_citation/mla_style/mla_formatting_and_style_guide/mla_endnotes_and_footnotes.html (Links to an external site.) for MLA formatting of footnotes