CALL FOR APPLICATIONS
for the 9th Annual Harman Academy for Polymathic Study
Student Retreat on Catalina Island
March 14-16, 2025
Do You Hear What I Hear? Interrogating the Echo of Consonance and Dissonance
Consonance /ˈkɒn.sə.nəns/ a combination of sounds or musical notes that are pleasant when heard together; harmony; a situation in which people are peaceful and agree with each other, or when things seem right or suitable together
Dissonance /ˈdɪs.ən.əns/ disharmony; disagreement
“So in the end, when one is doing philosophy, one gets to the point where one would like just to emit an articulate sound.” ~ Ludwig Wittgenstein, philosopher, 20th c. CE
“There are not more than five musical notes, yet the combinations of these five give rise to more melodies than can ever be heard.” ~ Sun Tzu, Chinese General, circa 500 BCE
Sound shapes the world around us in both direct and profound, often unexpected, ways. It has the power to influence our emotions, define our environments, and even shape our understanding of truth and reality. At the heart of this phenomenon lies the dynamic, or echo between consonance and dissonance—a tension that reflects not only the sounds we hear but also the relationships and ideas we encounter.
Do we hear harmony where others find discord? Is the resonance we sense in ideas, environments, or relationships truly shared, or are we navigating personalized soundscapes shaped by our biases, experiences, and interpretations? Exploring this tension reveals insights not just about the sounds themselves, but about the ways we connect with one another—and the world—through them.
Join us for an engaging and dynamic weekend packed with captivating sessions spanning a variety of disciplines. Together, we will explore the many embodied forms of consonance and dissonance: the harmonious interactions between organisms and the tension created by their distinct characteristics, the transformative influence of technology, and the ways sound actively reshapes our emotions. This journey will take us beyond the conventional understanding of “sound” itself, opening up new perspectives and insights.
TO APPLY click here
STUDENT RETREAT CONCEPT
The Harman Academy offers a variety of programming that encourages an integrative approach to problem-solving that draws from across the disciplines. The annual Student Retreat lets students take the lead in identifying a topic for discussion and in formulating a weekend retreat at USC’s Catalina facilities. In spring 2016, twenty-five students grappled with a variety of issues under the rubric, “Narratives and Environments” the 2017 retreat explored ideas around “Generating the Future” the 2018 retreat approached “Perception” as a polymathic concept, and our last retreat interrogated "Reality's Kaleidoscope" as the framework for inquiry.
At these retreats, students and more than a dozen faculty discussed and interrogated multiple modes of inquiry through structured daytime and evening sessions, outdoor activities such as kayaking, hiking, and games, and late-night continuing vibrant discussions. All events are free for USC students.
If you have any questions about the retreat application, please feel free to reach out to Dr. Karin Huebner at khuebner@usc.edu