Creativity, Imagination and Innovation 

Course: IDEA 3100  

Instructor: Nicola Harwood 

One-sentence summary: 

Students choose a walk in their community that they repeat nine times, deepening their connecting to place and creative practice. 

Nine Walks 

Developed during Covid, this online course has students choose a walk in their local neighborhood, or a park or forest or other area. They repeat this same walk nine times over the course of the semester, reflecting on their noticings of the human and more-than-human ecosystems. Readings from Robin Wall Kimmerer’s Braiding Sweetgrass, local Indigenous authors/artists, and community-based restoration projects provide different perspectives and ways to engage with the natural world, creativity, and community engagement. Students research the Indigenous territories they are on, where their water comes from, and other topics that build a greater understanding of the area they call home. They reflect on this process through written reflection and drawing. As a final creative project they build a mask that represents their journey and/or identity, which is shared with the class. 

This activity helps learners build a sense of belonging. One example is a student who, at the semester’s start, did not know any of her neighbors. By semester’s end, she regularly walked with family members, knew several neighbors and the many trees along her walking route, and joined in community events.