How do the sounds around us and the sounds we create influence our way of being and interactions? Students in the course "Aural Ecologies and Soundwalks: Ethnographies of Sound" taught by Nikolina Zenović at Indiana University, Bloomington examined this question during the Fall 2025 semester. This course is situated within the Collins Living-Learning Center and SustainCollins sustainability initiative.
This course introduced students to studies of sound and soundscapes through a multisensory anthropological and ethnographic lens. As a class, we conceptualized and designed this geo-located soundwalk as our final project. In small groups, students created and recorded segments of the soundwalk. These components were then woven together to form the walk you see here. This is a collective project that aims to share our class's musings with the greater campus and Bloomington community. We hope that you will reflect on your engagements with the environment as you listen and walk with us.
As you take our walk, you will listen to students' sonic renderings of their environments. The walk begins in the Collins courtyard and continues down N. Park Ave reaching Dunn Meadow. Take the path through Dunn Meadow over to N. Indiana Ave. and re-enter campus through the noteworthy Sample Gates. Then, continue down a path to your right leading you through Dunn Woods. As you emerge from Dunn Woods, proceed diagonally, passing Maxwell Hall as you approach the Indiana Memorial Union (IMU). Enter the IMU from the prominent entrance across from Maxwell Hall and continue walking through the space on your right. Proceed down the white hallway until you find the stairs across from the bookstore. After descending the stairs take a right and follow the hallway until you reach the next set of elevators/stairs. Exit the IMU through the Biddle Hotel lobby area. Once outside, walk up to E 7th St. and continue walking on N. Woodlawn Ave. until you are back at the Collins Courtyard. Please join us inside the Edmonson Formal Lounge for a reception when you complete the walk.
Please enjoy "Sonder: Human-Environment Interaction in the Soundscape" and sensorially engaging with your surroundings here in Bloomington!
