We chart a course across uneven terrains and disparate territories guided by the basic question of chaos theory (Prigogine and Stengers): how can we account for the world as deterministic and predictable (think Newtonian physics, 1990s New Economy computationalism, algorithmic behaviorist psychology, the inevitable heat death of the universe) given our experience suggesting it is otherwise radically open and indeterminate (accidents, relationality and group social dynamics, evolutionary biology’s sensitivity to rare events in sexual selection, the fallibility of weather prediction, and unforeseeable “Black Swan” events such as 9/11, Covid, gender revelation, or falling in love)?
A flashpoint in this tension between predictability and uncertainty took place in 1970s Chile. Santiago's 1968's student led university occupations informed Biologists-turned cyberneticists Humberto Maturana and Francisco Varela's concept of life as autopoietic system (approximately: self organization) as a kind of temporary autonomous resistance to the deterministic certainty of entropy.
The heterodox process philosophy of mathematician physicist Alfred North Whitehead, whose inheritors include, incredibly, both the philosophy of science and technology and Kode 9’s Hyperdub record label, demands we see feeling and thinking as co-imbricated processes that unfurl reality.
These processes play out relationally and politically, against coloniality, in the Caribbean philosopher poet Eduardo Glissant’s Poetics of Relation and Mexican filmmaker Carlos Reygadas’s nonlinear and experiential Post Tenebras Lux.
(An)architect of chaos theory Isabelle Stengers returns, casting climate change as an “intrusion of Gaia” that creates the rare opportunity for us to understand our political, ecological, and spiritual situation with the help of activist witchcraft, sci-fi, and Whitehead.
Adrift in their rowboat on the waters of the Hood Canal, geographer-artist Asa Sakrison catalyzes our capacity to think and feel climate change in and across our climate-changed bodies.
In a becoming-animal, Elizabeth Grosz writes of art not in terms of Rationalist notions of beauty and judgement, but driven instead by an improvised dance with evolutionary forces which stakes territory, devises courtship ritual, and generates unforeseeable futures.
We arrive on a plateau where:
Art is not about communicating anything at all— it is an equipment for cracking open the protective shell of “what we all know” and jettisoning into the indeterminate, a turbulent communion with the chaosmos (chaos-cosmos) that cuts across mental, social, and environmental ecologies. The artist returns having woven together variations of sensation that scramble the very possibilities of what we believed our bodies could do.
The artist creates the conditions for generating new modes of embodied moving, thinking, feeling, acting; art practice experiments in sensuous seduction, a surfing and surfacing flows of desire. They recode chaos into metastable existential territories, temporarily autonomous ways of life.
Art is a fucking scream, a fucking-screaming-throwing up rhythms of perception composing chaos, (trans)mutating the mundane, and engendering socio-genetic anomaly.
This class is a 3-hour credit course. During an average week, you will be expected to spend 6 hours on homework per class. Homework will primarily consist of assignment completions, project development, project documentation, and written assignments. See the SAIC Contact / Credit hour policy for a detailed explanation for how homework time is calculated on a per-credit-hour basis.
Students are expected to attend all classes regularly and arrive on time. Full participation is required in all aspects of a course—including in-person sessions, synchronous online classes, and independent study.
Instructors may permit students up to two absences per semester—inclusive of absences due to illness and/or family/personal emergencies. If a student registers late during the add/drop period, they are responsible for catching up on all missed content and assignments; instructors may count those missed classes as absences.
Instructors have the discretion to define expectations around student tardiness, including policies related to late arrivals, mid-class breaks, and early departures. These expectations should be clearly outlined in the course syllabus and communicated to students during the first class to ensure transparency and consistency.
Instructors grant credit only to students who meet the standards and expectations of the course.
Students who are ill and unable to attend class should notify their instructor(s) by email or leave a message with the department office on the day they are absent. For extended absences due to illness, the student should contact Health Services, who will notify instructors. For other extenuating circumstances, students should reach out to the Academic Advising office. Please note that the written notification does not excuse a student from classes.
Federal Financial Aid Attendance Requirement: Recipients of federal aid must have begun attendance in classes for which their eligibility is based upon at the time of disbursement and, in the case of Federal Direct Loans (Subsidized, Unsubsidized, and PLUS), be enrolled at least half-time.
Religious Holiday Observance: SAIC recognizes the diverse religious and cultural practices of our community. Students are expected to notify their instructors early in the semester to discuss reasonable accommodations for holidays they observe.
Progress Reports are an important tool in SAIC's academic support for students. The primary purpose of a Progress Report is to initiate further dialogue between the student and faculty member regarding concerns about a student's progress in their course. Instructors should submit CPRs through Navigate. Progress Report instructions and FAQ can be found here. The secondary purpose of Progress Reports is to make Academic Advising aware of faculty concerns: Academic Advisors review Progress Reports and reach out appropriately to students when a message (or combination of messages) indicates concern.
Class Progress Reports (CPRs) are used to communicate between faculty, students, and academic advisors to give feedback on class performance. You may receive a CPR if you have missed class, or missed an assignment, critique, etc. These communications are intended to help you understand what you need to do to stay on track or get back on track and succeed in this class.
SAIC is fully committed to complying with all laws ensuring equal opportunities for students with disabilities. Students with known or suspected disabilities are encouraged to contact the Disability and Learning Resource Center (DLRC) to schedule a virtual appointment. During this appointment, DLRC staff will review the student’s documentation and work collaboratively to determine reasonable accommodations.
Once accommodations are approved, the DLRC will email a letter outlining the accommodations to both the student and their instructors. Students should be aware that not all approved accommodations will be applicable to every course. It is recommended that students speak with each instructor to discuss how their accommodations may be applied in the context of each class before they are implemented. To ensure timely support, students should contact the DLRC as early in the semester as possible. The DLRC can be reached via phone at 312.499.4278 or email at dlrc@saic.edu.
Students approved for accommodations through the DLRC are responsible for communicating with their instructors regarding the use and application of those accommodations. The implementation of accommodations requires an interactive process between the student and the instructor to determine how accommodations might be applied in the context of each specific course. Because course content, assignments, and learning objectives vary, accommodations must be considered on a course-by-course basis to ensure that they are both appropriate and do not compromise essential learning outcomes, which students are still expected to meet.
Accommodations do not excuse students from the standard requirements of communication and attendance. If a student needs to miss class or modify participation due to an approved accommodation, they must communicate with the instructor in advance whenever possible. In situations where advance notice is not feasible, students must notify the instructor within 24 hours of the missed class or academic activity. Failure on the student’s part to communicate in a timely manner may result in the inability to apply the accommodation for that specific instance.
Tutors are available in person and online to help students achieve their writing goals at any stage of their writing process. All students are welcome, and they can work on essays, artist statements, application materials, presentation texts, theses, proposals, creative writing, or social media posts. The Writing Center tutors are kind, encouraging, and interested!
Writing Center Hours (CST): Monday – Thursday: 9:15 AM - 7:15 PM and Friday: 9:15 AM - 5:15 PM
Though drop-ins are welcome, the best way to guarantee an appointment is to schedule one via Navigate: https://www.saic.edu/academics/writing-center or email wcenter@saic.edu
116 S. Michigan Ave., 10th Floor
Phone: 312-499-4138
From the SAIC Student Handbook (p.12)
Academic misconduct includes both plagiarism and cheating, and may consist of: the submission of the work of another as one’s own; unauthorized assistance (as defined by individual instructors and laid out in the course syllabus) on a test or assignment; submission of the same work for more than one class without the knowledge and consent of all instructors; or the failure to properly cite texts or ideas from other sources. Academic misconduct also includes the falsification of academic or student-related records, such as transcripts, evaluations, and letters of recommendation.
Academic misconduct extends to all spaces on campus, including satellite locations and online education.
Academic integrity is expected in all coursework, including online learning. It is assumed that the person receiving the credit for the course is the person completing the work. SAIC has processes in place, including LDAP authentication, to verify student identity.
The Office of Students Affairs is here to help students achieve success in and outside of the classroom and studios. Staff members are available to assist students with a wide-range of issues and concerns, including mental and physical health concerns, food and housing insecurity, conflicts with others, and much more. We are available during typical business hours (9-5pm, Mon-Friday); however, we also have staff available after-hours to address emergency concerns.
In case of an emergency, please contact SAIC Campus Security, 24 hours a day, by visiting any campus security desk or calling 312.899.1230. They can assist you and/or connect you with a staff member who can provide support for you.
If you have difficulty affording groceries or accessing food every day, and/or do not have a safe and stable place to live, please contact the Office of Student Affairs - (312) 629-6800 / studenthelp@saic.edu during business hours. If you contact them after hours, someone will respond the next business day. You can also find links and resources at this site, curated by Student Affairs: Student Support Resources and Information
Spoonful Food Pantry is available to current SAIC students who are experiencing difficulty accessing food because of a financial emergency or ongoing constraints. Students can request a pre-packaged bag of non-perishable groceries (vegan and gluten free available) by completing the online form. Once approved, students will receive a pre-packaged bag of non-perishable groceries.
The SAIC Wellness Center, which includes Counseling Services, Health Services, and the Disability and Learning Resource Center, is also here to support students' mental health, physical health, and accessibility needs. You may contact them at: