ʻATENISI INSTITUTE
An institute for critical education in the South Pacific
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Inducted fellows with Dr Helu and Hon PM Sevele (2009)
HUMANITIES
HIST 207 – Ancient India, Medieval Central/South America and West Africa
Covered polities are the Harappa of the Indus River Valley (2600-1900 BC), the Aztec of Mesoamerica (1300-1520 and Inca of Peru (1440-1570), and the Nok and Benin of Nigeria (500 BC-200 AD; 1180-1897). Special attention is paid the municipal plumbing and hygiene of Harappa, as well as its maritime commerce, weaving, and dentistry; the Aztec construct teot as the essential cosmic force; the Incan use of knotted strings to record events, as well as the empire’s road network and barter economy; and the deployment of impluvia in West African residences to capture rainwater.
HIST 208 – History of China
Ancient/Medieval The initial survey focuses on the Qin, Han, Jin, Sui, Tang, Song, and Yuan dynasties, with Buddhism, Confucianism, and Taoism alternately providing ethical grounding. Special attention is paid to varying influence over Vietnam and Korea; leverage of Silk Road and canal infrastructure; and development of porcelain, paper, printing, currency, compass, seismometer, hydraulic, and gunpowder technology.
Modern The survey concludes with study of the transition from the Ming dynasty to the Kuomintang and People’s Republic. Particular emphasis is given to the Boxer Rebellion, the abiding influence of Sun Yat-Sen, and the metamorphosis in the PRC from Maoist Marxism to state capitalism.
LING 290 – Linguistic Sovereignty: A Case Study
A study of the corruption of indigenous Polynesian language in Tonga by both Anglophone and Francophone missionaries from the mid-19th century. The course sources the distortion in chauvinist attitudes of 19th century European linguists championing the “logic” of European language. Particular attention is paid the “definitive” Tongan-English dictionary, compiled by C. Maxwell Churchward in the 1950s.
HUM 253 – Ancient Greek Mythology
The course initially examines the agenda of the major deities, including Zeus, Nemesis, Hermes, Apollo, Asclepius, Dionysus, Poseidon, Ares, and Themis. It concludes with a summary of the legends of Narcissus, Echo, Orpheus, and Sisyphus.
SOCIAL SCIENCE
ECON 202 – Economic Thought and Practice
Thought The economic perspective of ancient Greece (via Aristotle) and medieval Islam (via Ibn Khaldun) frames the ensuing West European debate between mercantilism, physiocracy, and the basic capitalism proposed by Adam Smith and David Ricardo. The course next considers the abuses of capitalism and catalysis of the Marxian critique.
Practice The second component initially addresses market dynamics (e.g.: supply, demand) and regulation (e.g.: free, command), and consumer variables (e.g.: elasticity, utility, taste, budget, trade-offs). It next focuses on production issues (e.g.: physical capital, costs, cash flow, profit).
ANTHRO 310 – Anthropological Thought
A survey of founding anthropological thought, including Franz Boas’ synthesis of archaeology, biology, linguistics, and culture; Bronislaw Malinowski’s participatory observation and functionalist theory; A.R. Radcliffe-Brown’s notion of co-adaptive social behaviour; Claude Levi-Strauss’ structuralist theory; and Ruth Fulton Benedict’s cultural relativism. The evolution of key concepts – e.g., culture, society, and race – are traced through the study of the main theoretical schools of thought – e.g., evolutionism, functionalism, diffusionism, Marxism, and structuralism, as these perspectives developed in different sociocultural and historical contexts.
NATURAL SCIENCE
PHYS 470 – Manned Interstellar Travel
(Like many other universities around the world, ʻAtenisi benefits from the international outreach service of the National Aeronautics & Space Administration in the U.S.) An exoplanet of Proxima Centauri was identified as potentially habitable in 2018. As an exercise in “blue sky” hypothesis generation, the course seeks to determine which technologies (e.g., propulsion, spacecraft composition, crew durability) might in the distant future support a manned voyage to a destination over four light years away.
PHYS 420 – POINTS OF SINGULARITY
As predicted by general relativity, a singularity is a point at which gravity is sufficiently intense to disintegrate spacetime. The class seeks to ascertain at what stage escape from the point’s “horizon” is no longer viable and whether a. quantum paradigm must replace a relativity paradigm at extreme density. Special attention is paid the theory that singularities herald “wormholes” that connect different realms of spacetime.
CREATIVE ARTS
T.A. 318 – Role Preparation
An advanced workshop addressing theatrical role preparation, covering research, concentration/relaxation duality, sense memory, and emotional recall.
ART 205 – European Painting (1500-1900)
The course focuses on European painting from the Renaissance period, which coalesced in the 15th century, and the post-impressionist period, which ended at the beginning of the 20th. The aim is to study famous paintings from celebrated artists such as Michelangelo, Rembrandt, Van Gogh, and Renoir to understand how they reflect the history and culture of European civilisation. It looks at the evolution of aesthetics and technique during different historical periods. It not only considers the influence of morality, religion, and politics, but individually how each artist expressed his feelings, taste and skill, leading to legendary innovation. In short, the course seeks to open an unconventional window on European history and culture.