Madness and Creativity: The Psychological Link
Revised Last Updated: 05/13/2009
Fall and Winter quarters
Faculty: Carrie Margolin cognitive psychology, Patricia Krafcik Russian and Slavic studies, Ariel Goldberger performance
Major areas of study include world literature, cultural studies, art history, art, abnormal psychology, and cognitive psychology.
Class Standing: This Core program is designed for freshmen.
Accepts Winter Enrollment: This program will accept new enrollment; no signature required.
What is genius? Is there a relationship between states of mind and a fertile imagination? What are the psychological mechanisms involved in the larger action of the human imagination, urging us to explore new avenues, to see what others have not seen, to create what no one has yet created? Many of the world's greatest writers, artists, and thinkers have been known to struggle with conditions classified as abnormal by psychologists. What are these conditions, and what has been their impact on the creativity of these individuals? Is there a special link between certain kinds of abnormal psychological conditions and the drive to create?
Our interdisciplinary program is not intended to serve as therapy, but rather is a serious study of psychology, literature, the arts, imagination, and the drive to create, and we will approach our questions through different modes of inquiry. Through an in-depth study of abnormal psychology, we will learn to identify and understand a number of conditions. Our readings combine psychological case studies by writers such as Sacks and Ramachandran with imaginative literature by Gogol, Dostoevsky, Poe, Kafka, Plath, and others that all describe abnormal psychological conditions. We will respond to our readings by channeling the imagination with art projects. Finally, we will also study the normal mind and how it functions in both mundane and creative ways.
In our two-quarter-long program students will discuss our readings in seminars and will engage in active writing exercises, take part in artistic projects at all levels, and work in teams to prepare public presentations of their own artistic work, subject to faculty approval. Assignments may include research papers, poster projects, creative writing, performances, visual arts projects, as well as a final integrative project in winter term in any of the above. Weekly films and discussions of these films will enhance our examination of the uses or influence of psychological conditions in the creation of literature, art, and music. We will take field trips to the Seattle Experience Music Project, the Tacoma Art Museum and Glass Museum, as well as to local artists' studios. Guest speakers and master artists will provide additional workshops and lectures in various artistic modalities. In all of our activities, students will have ample opportunities to explore their own creativity and imagination.
Credits: 16 per quarter
Enrollment: 69
Books: www.tescbookstore.com
Special Expenses: Fall: approximately $160 for theater tickets, museum entry fees, and art supplies; Winter: possibly $160 for theater tickets, museum entry fees, and art supplies.
Program is preparatory for careers and future studies in the arts, psychology, education, literary and film studies, and careers that require collaborative skills and imagination.
Planning Units: Programs for Freshmen
Program Revisions
| Date | Revision |
|---|---|
| March 2nd, 2009 | Ariel Goldberger has joind teaching team. |
| April 27th, 2009 | Student fees have been increased. |
| May 5th, 2009 | Winter enrollment details added. |
| May 13th, 2009 | Description updated. |