Anthropologists and evolutionary psychologists find a sophistication in the shaman's cultivation and the use of certain procedures for altering conscious experience that go beyond what is currently available in more industrialized societies. This course presents lectures and experiential exercises to illustrate shamanic use of language and art as instructive in regard to the utility of metaphors and symbols in social interactions as well as their therapeutic value. Rituals and methods used in shamanic healing are reviewed. (5 units for undergraduate level students/4 units for graduate level students)
- Instructor: Michelle Dexter