Explorations Into Creativity
PSYC 5500

Spring 2002      Instructor: Alan Pope, Ph.D.
W  5:30-8:00 pm     Office: Melson 103
Pafford 103      Phone: 770-836-4574
       Email: apope@westga.edu
Office Hours:
    M 10am – 1pm
    T, Th  11am – 2:30pm
    & by appointment
 
 
Course Description:
This course explores the nature of creativity both as an inherent human activity and as an enlivening capacity to be nurtured and developed.  This inquiry will be extended along intellectual and experiential lines.  A number of perspectives will be adopted, including existential, developmental, Eastern, and archetypal.

Learning Goals and Outcomes:
Students will develop a critical understanding of the phenomenon of creativity in its psychological and theoretical dimensions, including its relationship to self-expression, human development, psychopathology, healing, spirituality, myth, the unconscious, logical and scientific reasoning, et al.  In addition, in-class exercises and homework assignments will foster the direct development of the student’s creative sensibilities and abilities.  Ultimately, the student will seek to integrate critical understanding with experiential knowing to gain a deep understanding of the material and a more intimate understanding of the self.

Required Texts:
 May, Rollo. (1994). The Courage to Create.  New York: Norton, W.W. &
Company, Inc.
 Rilke, Maria Rainer.  (2001).  Letters to a Young Poet.  New York: Random
House
 Csikszentmihalyi, Mihaly.  (1996).  Creativity. New York: HarperCollins.
 Cameron, Julia. (2002).  The Artist’s Way: A Spiritual Path to Higher Creativity.
  New York: Penguin Putnam Inc.
 Additional required readings will be distributed in class and placed on reserve.
 
 
 

Course Format:
Each class will combine hands-on experiential learning with lecture and discussion.  Homework assignments will be incorporated as an integral part of the class exercises, and must be completed and brought to class each week.

Course Requirements:
Reading Assignments:  It is essential that students complete assigned readings on time and come to class prepared to discuss the material and ask questions.

Class Participation:  Because in-class exercises contribute a large portion of the course experience, it is essential that students attend all classes.  Should an emergency arise, the student must contact me before the beginning of the missed class.  Participation is reflected in preparedness, contributions to class discussion, participation in class exercises, and ability to work and play well with others.

Homework assignments: There will be weekly homework assignments that must be completed at home and brought to class for discussion, demonstration, or other use.  Some assignments will be turned in either at the beginning or end of the class period for which they are due.  Many, but not all, of these assignments will be drawn from the Cameron book.

Interview project:  Students will be assigned to groups to participate in an interview project.  This will consist of interviewing people about their creative experiences and formulating a set of conclusions with reference to the theoretical material in the course.  Details will be given later in the semester.

Journal: Students are to keep a journal.  This will consist of one substantial entry each week.  This entry will be a reflection on their own creative process as made manifest in in-class and homework activities.  It should incorporate elements from the readings.  Students may find it helpful to think of these entries as reflection papers, though they will not be collected and graded on a weekly basis.  It essential, however, that students complete them in a timely manner, and I may collect them at a random point in the semester.

Small Groups:  At times students will meet together in class in small groups to discuss reading assignments or to engage in a creative enterprise.  There will always be at least one graduate student in each group.  Graduate students will be asked to provide input regarding the participation of undergraduates in the groups, and this feedback will be taken into consideration in the final assessment of classroom participation.

Final Project:  Students will develop a final creativity project.  This can be done individually or in groups.  Students will be required to provide a project plan later in the semester.  Details will be provided as the semester unfolds.  Final projects will be presented in the final 2-3 weeks of class.  Undergraduates are to submit with the project a 2-3 page typed reflection on the creative development of the project with reference to assigned readings from throughout the semester.
Final Paper: Students must write a final 8-12 page paper in which they discuss one or more of the creative activities engaged in during the semester with reference to a number of the reading assignments and lectures from throughout the semester.

Grades:
Class Participation/
Homework Assignments 35%
Journal    15%
Interview Project  10%
Final Project   20%
Final Paper   20%

Office Hours:
You are always welcome to visit me during the office hours posted above.  For your own convenience, I strongly suggest that you schedule an appointment in advance because students with appointments will be given priority over those who drop by.  Appointments at other times can be arranged if necessary.

Academic Dishonesty:
Naturally, academic dishonesty (such as plagiarism) will not be tolerated and will be subject to disciplinary action.

Technological Resources:
Audio-visual equipment may be used.

Special Needs:
Students with special needs should speak with me as soon as possible to make necessary arrangements.

Let’s have a great semester!!!