Initially, the primary users will be students in a first-year, Faculty of Arts seminar at Wilfrid Laurier University in Waterloo, Ontario: AF101e Walking: paths to discovery, to be offered starting in September, 2011. Here is the description of that seminar:
Walking, for most of us, is an everyday practice and part of our taken-for-granted world. This simple activity is worth scrutiny and reflection. In this seminar we will examine walking from multidisciplinary perspectives, in various places, and at various times in history. We will consider walking both as a topic to be researched and as a method of enquiry. As a research topic, we will investigate: the representation of pedestrian activity in various cultural forms; the role of walking as a contemplative and expressive practice; walking as a means of engaging with and reading the city; and how walking reflects the democratic possibilities of urban public space. We will consider the relevance of walking to policy concerns including healthy living and sustainable transportation. We will also learn how walking is a method of enquiry and will undertake research based on walking experiences. Various tools and techniques will be introduced that enable the researcher to capture, analyze and represent their findings from walking.I look forward to seeing how this develops. B. Sharpe, Wilfrid Laurier University, August, 2011
