TEXT BOOK
Creativity, an introduction
Additional Information and Resources
Laptops and Other Devices. Multitasking is a myth. Therefore, you should not use a laptop or tablet computer in this course during lectures or discussion, including for note-taking or reading purposes, unless you can demonstrate a compelling need for it. Likewise, you may not use a music player or headphones, unless they are attached to a hearing-assistive device approved by the professor (i.e., me). If you are given such an exception, it will be immediately and permanently revoked if you abuse the technology for off-topic purposes. The use of such devices can be a distraction to your classmates and instructor and a detriment to your learning. Readings should be brought to class in the print version or printed out. Notes should be taken on paper and scanned or transcribed after class (transcribing handwritten notes is an effective study method). For certain activities in-class, the instructor may request you to bring a laptop or to take it out and use it for that specific purpose.
Classroom expectations
You are expected to have read the assignments before class, and it would be to your benefit to also read them again after class. You are expected to bring a copy of assigned readings for each day’s class and have them available to refer to. You are expected to listen respectfully to the professor and your fellow students and participate in class discussions and activities. Clear failure to abide by these expectations will result in you being asked to leave the classroom and being counted absent for the day.
Some Pro Tips
· Read the syllabus carefully and refer to it often.
· Come to class with questions, sections of texts you want to discuss already flagged, and comments to make. Write in your books and/or take notes while you read! Pose questions and make observations as you read and write them down. Reflect upon our previous class discussions and jot down notes and page numbers that you think are relevant.
· Come to every class prepared. Read carefully and take time to skim through readings before class to refresh details that you may have forgotten or details that you may have overlooked during the first read-through.
· Listen and contribute actively to the conversation.
· Visit me during Office Hours, especially if you have a question or observation that you did not get to make in class. Visit me during Office Hours even if you don’t have questions.
· Complete every assignment on time.
· If you have concerns or questions about your work or performance (at any stage in the process), come see me. I am happy to work with you.
· Get the email addresses or phone numbers of a couple of students in case you need to find out what you missed. Consider discussing your presentation or the readings with each other before they are due.
· Come to class on time and do not pack up early. If something comes up and you have to be absent or leave early, please talk to me about it. Life happens.
· If you are having difficulties (in life, class, etc.) talk to me before you get too far in a hole. Everyone has a tough semester.
SCHEDULE
MODULE 1: Conceptions of Creativity
Week 1. Introduction to Creativity
Topics:
-Course overview and requirements; personal expectations
-Creative climate: introduction to the framework of person, process, product, and press
-The purpose of studying creativity
Week 2. The Evolution of Creativity and Creativity Studies
Topics:
-Creativity, evolution, and human history
-History, background, and development of creativity and studies in creativity
-Creativity as a multi-disciplinary object of rigorous research
-Creativity as a multi-faceted, global phenomenon
MODULE 2: The 4 P’s
Week 3. Creative Product
Topics:
Defining creativity and characteristics of the creative product
-Different levels of creativity (e.g., mini-c, little-c, proc, big-C)
-Psychometric tests and assessments of creativity vs. creative achievement across domains
Week 4. Creative Process
Topics:
-Spontaneous and deliberate creative processes
-Stages of the creative process
-Analogies in creativity
-The research and study of the creative process
Week 5. Creative Person
Topics:
-Personality and creativity
-Intelligence, talent, knowledge, flow, and creativity
-Creative styles/preferences/dispositions
Week 6. Creative Press
Topics:
-Elements of the creative press (physical and social-psychological)
-Enablers and barriers to creativity in organizations and society
Week 7. Assessments: Exam 1
MODULE 3: The Creative Mind and Brain
Week 8. Cognitive Neuroscience of Creativity
Topics:
-Evolution of the creative mind and brain
-Cognitive psychology and creativity
-Neural correlates of divergent thinking and creative insight
-Representation and processing of information in the mind and brain
Recommended Readings:
-Beaty, R. E., Benedek, M., Silvia, P. J., & Schacter, D. L. (2016). Creative cognition and brain network dynamics. Trends in cognitive sciences, 20(2), 87-95.
-Salvi, C., 2021. Markers of insight.
Week 9. Creativity and Anomalous Cognition
Topics:
-The relation between mental illness/neurodiversity and creativity
-Neuropsychology and creativity
-Drugs and creativity
Recommended Readings:
-Nancy Andreason, ‘Secrets of the Creative Brain’, The Atlantic, 2014
https://www.theatlantic.com/magazine/archive/2014/07/secrets-of-the-creative-brain/372299/
-R. Douglas Fields, ‘Creativity, Madness and Drugs’, Scientific American, 2013
https://blogs.scientificamerican.com/mind-guest-blog/creativity-madness-and-drugs/
-Snyder, A. (2009). Explaining and inducing savant skills: privileged access to lower level, less-processed information. Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society B: Biological Sciences, 364(1522), 1399-1405.
MODULE 4: Creativity and You
Week 10. Creativity in the 21st Century
Topics:
-Creativity in the Anthropocene/Fourth Industrial Revolution
-The relation between technology, the extended mind, artificial intelligence, and creative thinking
Recommended Readings:
R. Bidshahri, How Technology is Leading Us Into the Imagination Age, Singularity Hub, 2017
https://singularityhub.com/2017/11/19/how-technology-is-leading-us-into-the-imagination-age/
West, D. M. (2015). What happens if robots take the jobs? The impact of emerging technologies on employment and public policy. Centre for Technology Innovation at Brookings, Washington DC.
Palti, I. (2017). Could creativity drive the next industrial revolution? World Economic Forum.
https://www.weforum.org/agenda/2017/04/why-creativity-will-drive-the-next-industrial-revolution
Week 11. Enhancing Creativity
Topics:
-Overcoming barriers to creativity
-Living a creative life and everyday creativity
-Diversifying experiences and creativity
-Creativity and persistence
Recommended Readings:
-Brian J. Lucas & Loran Nordgren, ‘Giving up is the Enemy of Creativity’, Harvard Business Review, 2015
-Ruth Richards, 'Everyday Creativity: Process and Way of Life-Four Key Issues'
-Making is Connection by David Gauntlett. http://davidgauntlett.com/making-is-connecting-second-expanded-edition/
Week 12. Assessments: Exam 2
Week 13. Critical discussion of creative projects This class is preparatory to the final exam. It will be dedicated to examples of creative projects assessment. Students will be given the opportunity to discuss creative projects as a preparation for the final exam. There will be opportunity to gain points for the final report.
Finals Week. Final Exam