Improvisation is all around us. It occurs in a wide range of human activity, from creative practice in the arts to everyday conversations to spontaneous negotiations with one’s environment. Nevertheless, perhaps because of its liveness and unpredictability, improvisation is often difficult to define and analyze. In this course, students draw from recent scholarship on improvisation within the fields of philosophy, anthropology, musicology, as well as dance and performance studies, in order to grapple with the nature of improvisation, and to consider its potential as a meaningful political practice. At various points, the course also turns to jazz and jazz studies, where one finds a vast and rigorous analysis of improvisation, and often an exacting look at race, gender, and the politics of performance. Where does improvisation come from, and where might its power exist? In addition to critical texts, students consider a range of live and recorded performances throughout the semester. This course can satisfy an Arts program LINA (Interdisciplinary Arts) requirement, or a Contemporary Dance elective requirement.