HUMI 1 - Creative Minds

HUMI 1 – Creative Minds

De Anza College – Winter ‘12-- 4 units  --  Admin 101:  1:30-3:20                

Instructor:  Lori Clinchard, Ph.D.; clinchardlori@deanza.edu  

Office:  F2 bldg.; Mon-Thurs 9:20-10:20

“There is only one of you in all time, this expression is unique. And if you block it, it will never exist through any other medium and it will be lost.”  — Martha Graham

“To live a creative life, we must lose our fear of being wrong.” — Joseph Chilton Pierce

“Creativity can solve almost any problem. The creative act, the defeat of habit by originality, overcomes everything.” — George Lois

“Never doubt that a small group of thoughtful, committed citizens can change the world.  Indeed, it is the only thing that ever has.”  -- Margaret Mead

“Almost anything good you do will seem insignificant, but it is very important that you do it.”  -- Gandhi

Course Description:

This course is an introduction to the study of creativity in human life, its sources, development, social purposes, and role in culture change.  Students analyze creativity as a central source of meaning and purpose in their lives as well as a development of their unique combination of human intelligences.  Lives of creative people from all over the world are examined and contextualized.

Required Reading:

1.      Berns, Gregory.  (2010).   iconoclast: a neuroscientist reveals how to think differently.  Boston: Harvard Business Press.

2.     Wheatley, Margaret and Deborah Frieze.  (2011).  Walk Out Walk On.  San Francisco: Berrett-Koehler Publishers.

Course Requirements:

·      Weekly online discussions = 200 pts. You will need to participate in weekly online discussions. You will be graded on the quantity, quality, and timeliness of your responses. Twice during the quarter, you will turn in a Discussion Participation Summary. For this, you will need to gather all your discussion posts (there is a quick way to do this...), copy and paste them onto a Word document, add a paragraph analyzing your own participation, and turn it in online.

·      Creativity Experiment: – 100 pts.

o   For this project, you will identify a real-life community issue around which you would like to see a change.  You will then USE the ideas from this course to think differently (creatively) about your issue.  You will then go through several cycles of “study-action-reflection”: 

§  Identify an issue / area for change

§  Study course materials; identify concepts useful to your project

§  Take creative action; use the concepts you’ve studied; experiment

§  Reflect upon your actions and the concepts you experimented with

o   You will document your reflections in a Final Report, a 5-6 page typed (double-spaced, 12 font) analysis of your experiment.  You will need to describe your cycles of study-action-reflection: 

a.     Describe your issue and why you chose it;

b.     Describe and then analyze your study-action-reflection process. What specific ideas from the readings did you experiment with?  Be specific.  What worked?  What didn’t? Why?  How did you use reflection and creative thinking to adjust your actions between cycles?

c.     Analyze your learning and conclusions on creativity and change.  Use specific details and examples.

Participation

1.     engage fully with the class:

a)    put away electronic distractions (no cell phones, “texting”, etc.);

b)    pay attention to whoever is talking & avoid side conversations;

c)     come and leave on time.

2.     be prepared to discuss the ideas raised by the readings:

a)    join in small group and class discussions;

b)    respond thoughtfully when called upon (turn in “bio” card);

c)     volunteer your questions and ideas.

3.     Extra credit:

a)    0 absence = +15 points

b)    1 absence = +10 points

c)     2 absences = +5 points

Grading:  Total points possible   =   300 pts. 

Discussion Question Participation         =  200 pts.

Creative Community Action                  =  100 pts.

Grading Scale

A-=90%; A=93%; A+=97%   /    B-=80%; B=83%; B+=87%     /    C=73%; C+=77%
D-=60%; D=63%; D+=67%     /     F=<60%

Absences: You may be dropped after a total of 3 absences.  However, it is your responsibility to make sure you are dropped if you stop attending.  You may otherwise receive a non-passing grade.

Course Outline

Week 1 – Creative Minds

   Jan 10/12      Introductions

Week 2 – Being Creative: Play

  Jan 17/19    Read:  iconoclast – Ch. 1: Through the Eye of an Iconoclast

                      Read:  Walk Out… - Part I: Leaving Home

Week 3 – Finding Your Element

   Jan 24/26   Read: iconoclast – Ch. 2: From Perception to Imagination

                      Read:  Walk Out… - Part II: Journeying – Mexico

Week 4 – The Trouble with Education

   Jan 31/Feb 2  Read:  iconoclast – Ch. 3: Fear—the Inhibitor of Action

Week 5 – Understanding Intelligence

   Feb  7/9      Read:  iconoclast – Ch. 4: How Fear Distorts Perception

          Read:  Walk Out… - Part II: Journeying – South Africa

Week 6  – Culture

   Feb 14/16   Read: iconoclast – Ch. 5: Why Fear of Failure Makes People Risk Averse

                       Read:  Walk Out… - Part II: Journeying – Zimbabwe

                       Discussion Summary Due (online)

Week 7 – Historical Influences

  Feb 21/23   Read: iconoclast – Ch. 6: Brain Circuits for Social Networking

                      Read:  Walk Out… - Part II: Journeying – India

Week 8 – Freedom & Psychology

   Feb 28/Mar 1   Read: iconoclast – Ch. 8: When Iconoclast Becomes Icon

                             Read:  Walk Out… - Part II: Journeying – Greece

Week 9 – Conformity 

  Mar 6/8    Read:  Walk Out… - Part II: Journeying – United States

Week 10 – Courage & Vulnerability

  Mar 13/15      Read: Walk Out… - Part III: Returning Home

Week 11 – Apathy & Action

  Mar 20/22     Read:  Walk Out… - Part IV: Reflections

                        Discussion Summary Due (online)

Week 12 – Final report due