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LEARNING OUTCOMES

Participants will learn basic skill needed to continue working with horses and gain an insight to contemporary equestrian culture. While learning practical skill, participants will develop an understanding of the complex field of posthumanism and learn to recognize how humancentric modes of design affect non-humans. The course will provide tools for reading build environments using observational techniques which evoke sentiments of attachment and solidarity. This can aid in the development of designs and technologies which are depended on collaborations with non-human life.

Credits: 3

Schedule: 22.04.2022 - 27.05.2022

Teacher in charge (valid for whole curriculum period):

Teacher in charge (applies in this implementation): Tim Smith, Eero Yli-Vakkuri

Contact information for the course (applies in this implementation):

CEFR level (valid for whole curriculum period):

Language of instruction and studies (applies in this implementation):

Teaching language: English. Languages of study attainment: English

CONTENT, ASSESSMENT AND WORKLOAD

Content

• valid for whole curriculum period:

  The course merges manual labor with critical thinking and introduces posthumanism as a design praxis. Posthumanism as design praxis is depended on face-to-face collaboration and dialogue with nonhuman critters. Participants will engage in chores which are necessary for maintaining the wellbeing of horses, who live (and work) at the Tapiolan ratsastuskoulu stables. After gaining insight to the animals behavior and needs, participant will learn the basics of horse grooming and riding. While learning how horses are cared for, participants will begin developing critical observational techniques for reading build environments ( observation walks ). The technique stems from the traditions of contact improvisation and aims to keep the wellbeing of non-human creatures in consideration. All activities involve group work. The work with horses is counter-balanced by lectures which offer insight to posthumanism as a field of critical thinking and the historical role horses have had in the development of European cities. The lectures will focus on infrastructure which has been made with (and sometimes for) horses. Weekly reading and writing are expected. Participants will maintain a collective online study journal, through which the group can share links and observations. Participants will prepare presentations for the group which express how they have been affected by their engagement with horses (presentations can be prepared in groups). The presentations will be documented to the study journal, which will be edited into a zine and shared publicly.

Assessment Methods and Criteria

• valid for whole curriculum period:

  Participation in stable chores, learning horse handling, taking part in observation technique exercises and lectures is assumed. Participation in group discussions and writing to the collective study journal is expected. Participants will prepare presentation which express how they have been affected by being introduced to horses. Presentations will be made for the group at the stables (presentations can also be prepared and executed in small groups). Presentations should be documented into the study journal. All of the text in the study journal will edited and published as a simple zine.

  85% Participation in Stable Chores, Observation Exercises, Lectures

  15% Involvement in Study journal writing and Zine editing

Workload

• valid for whole curriculum period:

  The course consists of 24 hours of contact teaching and voluntary independent work (study journal / zine editing). Attendance to activities at the horse stables is compulsory. Arrive on time, horses don't wait.

DETAILS

Study Material

• valid for whole curriculum period:

  We will be working mostly outdoors and face dusty/muddy conditions. A detailed gear and wardrobe recommendation list will be provided before the course starts. It is recommended to wear work clothes and gloves and to prepare for the possibility of rain (Rubber-boots aka Wellingtons). On the days we will learn horseback riding, participants are advised to wear tight jeans (cotton or other natural textile) & shoes which have pointy toe caps and slightly elevated heels. For daily communications (regarding weather conditions, unexpected changes etc.) participants will be asked to install Wire app personal messengers (https://app.wire.com/ ). We will use a web-based collaborative word processor (similar to Google docs), with our personal mobile devices to write the collective study journal.

  We will read text weekly. Texts discuss human perception of living habitats (Ingold), how arc

Substitutes for Courses

• valid for whole curriculum period:

  Substitutes for Courses

Prerequisites

• valid for whole curriculum period:

  Prerequisites

SDG: Sustainable Development Goals

10 Reduced Inequality

15 Life on Land

17 Partnerships for the Goals

FURTHER INFORMATION

Further Information

• valid for whole curriculum period:

  UWAS course selection criteria: Registration order is not the primary selection criteria for this course. In order to ensure that students from different programs and schools of Aalto University may take UWAS courses, the selection is also based on the variety of students' disciplines. Master's students are also welcome.

  Minimum amount of students: 7

  Teaching Period:

  2020-2021 Spring V

  2021-2022 Spring V

  Course Homepage: https://mycourses.aalto.fi/course/search.php?search=UWAS-C0071

  Registration for Courses: Sisu replaces Oodi on 9 August, 2021. Priority order to courses is according to the order of priority decided by the Academic committee for School of Arts, Design and Architecture: https://www.aalto.fi/en/services/registering-to-courses-and-the-order-of-priority-in-aalto-arts

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