“To be rooted,” Simone Weil observed, “is perhaps the most important and least recognized need of the human soul.” As embodied creatures, our lives unfold in relation to a pair of fundamental realities:  time and place. Our flourishing depends on achieving a well-ordered relationship to both. The relationship may be more than metaphorical:  our inability to be rooted in place undermines our personal and moral projects. This is perhaps why we often speak about times of moral and spiritual crisis in terms of being lost. Unfortunately, modernity conspires against our rootedness in place. From the mobility and pace of contemporary life, to the habits of thought and affection generated by digital media, the homogenization of the commercialized landscape, and the imperatives of the modern economy—it is easy to lose our sense of place. And now, a health crisis has further complicated our experience of place. This class explores the nature of our relationship to place—how we have lost our sense of place, why this matters, and what we might do about it.

Please note: Because of the COVID-19 virus, we have very limited space in both the in-person and Zoom versions of this class. No matter whether you take the in-person or Zoom version, you must register online for this class. There is a small registration fee for the in-person version of the class. In both versions of the class we are giving first priority to undergraduate and graduate students at the University of Florida and Santa Fe College.

Your choice to enroll is your good-faith commitment to attend class regularly. Please take your commitment seriously. While we can allow one or two absences over the course of the semester, please let us know if for some reason you have to drop out entirely. In that case, we would want to invite another student to take your place.

If you develop COVID-19 symptoms, or if you test positive for the virus, please remain home and notify me of your condition.

The rules for face coverings are the same for the in-person class as for Pascal’s Coffeehouse. Masks are required to enter the building and while moving about. They are encouraged while seated but may be removed when at a table enjoying food or a beverage.

There is also a Zoom section of this class.

By registering here you are registering for the semester-long class, even though it will appear as if you are only registering for a single day of class. You will NOT need to register again each week.