ANT 195-01 - Introductory Special Topic: Sumak Kaway and Ikigai: Living Well and Finding Meaning in a Global World

4 credits (Spring)

Cross-listed as: GWS 195-01. Sumak Kawsay, is a tenet of Quechua cosmology meaning ”living well” and Ikigai, an 8th century Japanese concept translated as finding meaning in life.
While cultural origins differ, both concepts ponder what constitutes a “good life.” The terms decolonize Western assumptions about the body and health and re-appropriate?ways of being and knowing in their emphasis on ancestral knowledge, healing, and eco-spiritual practices. Simultaneously, they are deployed politically and heavily commercialized. This course centers the history and current understanding of sumak kawsay and ikigai to consider health and wellness holistically, historically, and cross-culturally. Students will be traveling to Japan after finals in May, 2023.

First-year students interested in this course will need to complete an application due October 10th in addition to doing the normal course registration process. The application materials are available here: https://www.grinnell.edu/academics/global/flag/glp/spring-2023.

Students selected to participate in the Global Learning Program will be required to pay a $415 participation fee (most other required travel expenses will be covered). This fee will be added to the student tuition bill and will be due by the first day of classes. If payment of this fee causes you financial concern, please contact Megan Jones in the Financial Aid Office to discuss loan options to cover this additional cost of attendance.

Prerequisite: None.
Instructor: Lewis. Tapias