FRS 002 — Sec. 002 — (2 units) — CRN 73046 — W 4:10-6:00pm — 225 Wright Hall
Contemporary Shamanism

Instructor: Jade McCutcheon, Department of Theatre & Dance, College of Letters and Science

Description: This course will examine the recorded history of Shamanism from both Anthropological and Performance viewpoints and consider the place of this ‘way of being’ in today’s contemporary society. Shamanism is classified by anthropologists as an archaic magico-religious phenomenon in which the shaman is the great master of ecstasy. Shamanism itself was defined by the late Mircea Eliade as a technique of ecstasy. Ecstasy comes from the Latin root ex statis, to stand outside oneself. Shamans are in contact with and work creatively with the supernatural forces which aid them in their work. In all Tungus languages this term (saman/shaman) refers to persons of both sexes who have mastered spirits, who at their will can introduce these spirits into themselves and use their power over the spirits. Shamanism is not a religion, it has been called “a method, a psychic technique” with origins traced back to the Alpine Paleolithic period, 30,000 to 50,000 years ago. Contemporary Shamanism investigates the sites of interaction with the ‘spirit world’ and ‘psychic forces’ in our culture today. From television programs to modern day healing we will attempt to understand the contemporary shaman in a Western World.

Format: Dr. Jeanne Achterberg, associate professor and director of research in the Department of Rehabilitation Science states in her article entitled The Shaman: Master Healer in the Imaginary Realm:
‘The shaman is plugging into a data bank that can't be known in the normal, waking state of consciousness.’

Achterberg also writes that:
‘Medical historian, Gordon Risse (1972) claims that in the state of consciousness used in shamanism, mental resources are employed which modern persons either no longer have access to or are not interested in using.’

These statements will be the key driver to discussions in the seminar. Grading: There will be an 8-page paper investigating the students’ awareness of how aspects of “Shamanism” play out in their world today (50%) and classroom participation (50%).

Texts:
Doore, Gary (ed.) 1988 Shaman’s Path. Shambhala Publications, Boston, MA.
Harner, M. 1980 The Way of the Shaman, Bantam Books, Harper & Row. New York USA.

About the Instructor: Professor McCutcheon teaches in the Department of Theatre and Dance. She has presented her original acting approach, ‘The Actor as Shaman’ at international meetings in Holland, Eastern Europe, Australia, and as a Visiting Scholar at the world renowned Tisch School of the Arts in New York. The originality of her work also has been noted by international associations for the performing arts as evident from her selection as Convener for a workgroup of the International Federation for Theater Research. Among her publications are articles in Consciousness, Literature and the Arts, the International Journal of Humanities and The Media and Cultural Review.