Living in Relation: Being, Knowing, Caring, Creating

(BIO 591 20980 - ELS 591 21087 - SOS 591 21082)

Description: This Spring 2026 Reading and Reflection Seminar (RRS) explores relationality as a guiding principle for research, ethics, and being. In this seminar, we will explore:

• What does it mean to coexist with humans and non-humans

• How these relational ontologies are defined by different systems (example: Indigenous, Western, Eastern philosophies).

• How knowledge is created through relationships

• How being in relationships creates obligations, care and accountability

• Reflections on how research can be designed and done to be more relational

Through several types of resources, participants will examine how knowledge, care, and design emerge from connection, reciprocity, and co-creation.

Class organization