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The Creative Spark

"Creative activity (isn't) the icing on the cake. Human creativity is the cake." (Jerry Hirschberg)Creativity - "the mastery of information and skills in the service of dreams" (Hirschberg) -is much prized in the arts, science, business and the classroom. What does the creative process look like? Under what conditions does it flourish - what ignites the creative spark? Attempting to answer these questions, this class explores ways creativity has been understood in Western culture: what we pri...

Start Date: Sep 01, 2004 Topics: Film
Cost: Free

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ocw.mit.edu

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Overview

Description

"Creative activity (isn't) the icing on the cake. Human creativity is the cake." (Jerry Hirschberg)Creativity - "the mastery of information and skills in the service of dreams" (Hirschberg) -is much prized in the arts, science, business and the classroom. What does the creative process look like? Under what conditions does it flourish - what ignites the creative spark? Attempting to answer these questions, this class explores ways creativity has been understood in Western culture: what we prize and fear about creativity and its wellsprings; how writers, artists, scientists and inventors have described their own creative processes; how psychologists and philosophers have theorized it; ways in which creativity has been represented in Western culture, particularly in 20th century films; and creativity in everyday life, including our own lives. Readings include portions of psychologist Rollo May's The Courage To Create, and essays by Joan Didion, John Updike, Alice Walker, Oliver Sacks, and others. In addition, we'll watch video profiles of choreographer Paul Taylor, architect Maya Lin, and jazz musician Dave Brubeck. We'll keep journals in which we note our own observations and reflections on creative process. We will also watch a film together as a class one evening early in the term.

Details

  • Dates: Sep 01, 2004 to Dec 20, 2004
  • Days of the Week: Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday, Friday, Saturday, Sunday
  • Level of Difficulty: Beginner
  • Size: Massive Open Online Course
  • Instructor: Dr. Karen Boiko
  • Cost: Free
  • Institution: MIT OCW
  • Topics: Film

Provider Overview

About MIT OCW: MIT OpenCourseWare (OCW) is a web-based publication of virtually all MIT course content. OCW is open and available to the world and is a permanent MIT activity.

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  • MIT OpenCourseWare

    MIT OpenCourseWare (MIT OCW) is an initiative of the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) to put all of the educational materials from its undergraduate- and graduate-level courses online, partly free and openly available to anyone, anywhere.