CULT17545GD
Introduction to Studies in Creativity
Sheridan
 
  I: Administrative Information   II: Course Details   III: Topical Outline(s)  Printable Version
 

Land Acknowledgement

Sheridan College resides on land that has been, and still is, the traditional territory of several Indigenous nations, including the Anishinaabe, the Haudenosaunee Confederacy, the Wendat, and the Mississaugas of the Credit First Nation. We recognize this territory is covered by the Dish with One Spoon treaty and the Two Row Wampum treaty, which emphasize the importance of joint stewardship, peace, and respectful relationships.

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Section I: Administrative Information
  Total hours: 42.0
Credit Value: 3.0
Credit Value Notes: N/A
Effective: Fall 2024
Prerequisites: N/A
Corequisites: N/A
Equivalents: N/A
Pre/Co/Equiv Notes: N/A

Program(s): Degree Breadth
Program Coordinator(s): Morgan Dennis
Course Leader or Contact: Nathaniel Barr
Version: 20240903_00
Status: Approved (APPR)

Section I Notes: N/A

 
 
Section II: Course Details

Detailed Description
Students will critically examine theory, evidence, and applications from across the spectrum of historical and contemporary interdisciplinary research in creativity studies. Through interactive lectures and experiential learning activities, students will gain insight on the creative person, process, product, and press, the science of creativity, and the increasing importance and global context of creativity skills in the 21st century. Students will enhance their ability to recognize and nurture their own creative potential. Written assignments and presentations will allow students to explore foundational concepts in creativity studies and enhance their own creative capacities.

Program Context

 
Degree Breadth Program Coordinator(s): Morgan Dennis
This is an introductory (1000)-level Baccalaureate elective in the Global Culture field of study for students in the Degree programs. Electives make students aware of the distinctive assumptions and analysis of at least one discipline outside their main field of study and of the society and culture in which they live and work.


Course Critical Performance and Learning Outcomes

  Critical Performance:
By the end of this course, students will have demonstrated the ability to assess the multifaceted nature and purpose of creativity in a global context while fostering their own creative potential.
 
Learning Outcomes:

To achieve the critical performance, students will have demonstrated the ability to:

  1. Analyze cross-disciplinary research and theories on the nature and global context of creativity.
  2. Cultivate the qualities of a creative environment in class and in other settings.
  3. Appraise the basic elements of the creative product, process, person, and press.
  4. Relate learnings about creativity to his/her own experience to be more creative.
  5. Examine how the evolved mind and brain can create new and useful ideas.

Evaluation Plan
Students demonstrate their learning in the following ways:

 Evaluation Plan: IN-CLASS
 Personal Reflection20.0%
 Final Report30.0%
 Tests (2 @ 25%)50.0%
Total100.0%

Evaluation Notes and Academic Missed Work Procedure:
TEST AND ASSIGNMENT PROTOCOL To encourage behaviours that will help students to be successful in the workplace and to ensure that students receive credit for their individual work, the following rules apply to every course offered within the Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences. 1. Students are responsible for staying abreast of test dates and times, as well as due dates and any special instructions for submitting assignments and projects as supplied to the class by the professor. 2. Students must write all tests at the specified times. Missed tests, in-class activities, assignments and presentations are awarded a mark of zero. If an extension or make-up opportunity is approved by the professor as outlined below, the mark of zero may be revised by subsequent performance. The penalty for late submission of written assignments is a loss of 10% per day for up to five business days (excluding weekends and statutory holidays), after which, a grade of zero is assigned. Business days include any day that the college is open for business, whether the student has scheduled classes that day or not. 3. Students, who miss a test or in-class activity or assignment or fail to submit an assignment on time due to exceptional circumstances, are required to notify their professor in advance of the class whenever possible. A make-up test may be supplied for students who provide an acceptable explanation of their absence and/or acceptable documentation explaining their absence (e.g., a medical certificate). All make-up tests are to be written at a time and place specified by the professor upon the student's return. Alternately, students may be given an opportunity to earn the associated marks by having a subsequent test count for the additional marks. Exceptional circumstances may result in a modification of due dates for assignments. 4. Unless otherwise specified, assignments and projects must be submitted at the beginning of class. 5. Students must complete every assignment as an individual effort unless, the professor specifies otherwise. 6. Since there may be instances of grade appeal or questions regarding the timely completion of assignments and/or extent of individual effort, etc., students are strongly advised to keep, and make available to their professor, if requested, a copy of all assignments and working notes until the course grade has been finalized. 7. There will be no resubmission of work unless this has been previously agreed to or suggested by the professor. 8. Students must submit all assignments in courses with practical lab and field components in order to pass the course.

Provincial Context
The course meets the following Ministry of Colleges and Universities requirements:


 

Degree Breadth
This Degree Breadth course relates to the following field of study as specified by the Ministry of Colleges and Universities.

  • Level 1000, Global Culture

Prior Learning Assessment and Recognition
PLAR Contact (if course is PLAR-eligible) - Office of the Registrar
Students may apply to receive credit by demonstrating achievement of the course learning outcomes through previous relevant work/life experience, service, self-study and training on the job. This course is eligible for challenge through the following method(s):

  • Challenge Exam
    Notes:  Students must successfully complete both elements of the PLA in order to be considered for credit.
  • Portfolio
    Notes:  Students must successfully complete both elements of the PLA in order to be considered for credit.

 
 
Section III: Topical Outline
Some details of this outline may change as a result of circumstances such as weather cancellations, College and student activities, and class timetabling.
Instruction Mode: In-Class
Professor: Multiple Professors
Resource(s):
 TypeDescription
RequiredOther--R. Keith Sawyer, 'Explaining Creativity: The Science of Human Innovation' (full text e-book available through Sheridan Library)

Applicable student group(s): Degree Breadth
Course Details:
MODULE 1: Conceptions of Creativity
Unit 1 – Introduction to Creativity
Topics:
-Course overview and requirements; personal expectations
-Creative climate: introduction to framework of person, process, product and press
-The purpose of studying creativity
Required Reading:
--R. Keith Sawyer, 'Explaining Creativity: The Science of Human Innovation', Chapter 1- Introduction (SLATE)
 
Unit 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
Required Reading:
--R. Keith Sawyer, 'Explaining Creativity: The Science of Human Innovation', Chapter 2- Conceptions of Creativity (SLATE)
Recommended Reading:
-Spivey, Nigel, ‘How Art Made the World: A Journey to the Origins of Human Creativity’, Chapter 2- The Birth of the Imagination (Sheridan Library)
-Guilford, J.P. (1950). Creativity. American Psychologist, 5 (9), 444 – 454.
-Roberts. Albert & Marc A. Runco, 'Creativity Research: A Historical View' (SLATE)
 
 
MODULE 2: The 4 P’s of Creativity
Unit 3- Creative Product
Topics:
- Defining creativity and characteristics of the creative product
-Different levels of creativity (e.g., mini-c, little-c, pro-c, big-C)
-Psychometric tests and assessments of creativity vs. creative achievement across domains
Required Reading:
-R. Keith Sawyer, 'Explaining Creativity: The Science of Human Innovation', Chapter 3- Defining Creativity Through Assessment (SLATE) and Chapter 11- The Sociology of Creativity
Recommended Reading:
-Derek Thompson, ‘Why Experts Reject Creativity’, The Atlantic, 2014
- Cortes, R. A., Weinberger, A. B., Daker, R. J., & Green, A. E. (2019). Re-examining prominent measures of divergent and convergent creativity. Current Opinion in Behavioral Sciences27, 90-93.
 
Unit 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
Required Reading:
-R. Keith Sawyer, 'Explaining Creativity: The Science of Human Innovation', Chapters 5-7- The Creative Process (SLATE)
Recommended Reading:
-Lopata, J. A., Nowicki, E. A., & Joanisse, M. F. (2017). Creativity as a distinct trainable mental state: an EEG study of musical improvisation. Neuropsychologia99, 246-258.
-Gable, S. L., Hopper, E. A., & Schooler, J. W. (2019). When the muses strike: Creative ideas of physicists and writers routinely occur during mind wandering. Psychological science30(3), 396-404.
 
 
Unit 5- Creative Person
Topics:
-Personality and creativity
-Intelligence, talent, knowledge, flow, and creativity
-Creative styles/preferences/dispositions
Required Reading:
-R. Keith Sawyer, 'Explaining Creativity: The Science of Human Innovation', Chapter 4- The Creative Personality (SLATE)
Recommended Reading:
-Kaufman, S. B., Quilty, L. C., Grazioplene, R. G., Hirsh, J. B., Gray, J. R., Peterson, J. B., & DeYoung, C. G. (2016). Openness to experience and intellect differentially predict creative achievement in the arts and sciences. Journal of personality84(2), 248-258.
- Michael Michalko, 'Cracking Creativity: The Secrets of the Creative Genius,' lntro (SLATE)
 
Unit 6 -Creative Press/Environment
Topics:
-Elements of the creative press (physical and social-psychological)
-Enablers and barriers for creativity in organizations and society
Required Reading:
--R. Keith Sawyer, 'Explaining Creativity: The Science of Human Innovation', Chapter 13- Organizational Creativity and Chapter 14- Culture and Creativity (SLATE)
 Recommended Reading:
-C. Delistratry, ‘How Environment Can Boost Creativity’, The Atlantic, 2014
-Atchley, R. A., Strayer, D. L., & Atchley, P. (2012). Creativity in the wild: Improving creative reasoning through immersion in natural settings. PloS one7(12).
-Russell Smith “It Only Takes One Brand to Disrupt the Creative Content Community.” https://www.theglobeandmail.com/arts/it-only-takes-one-brand-to-disrupt-the-creative-content-community/article24566020/
Evaluation:
Personal Reflection (20%)
Test 1 (25%)
 
MODULE 3: Creative Mind and Brain
Unit 7 –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
Required Reading:
--R. Keith Sawyer, 'Explaining Creativity: The Science of Human Innovation', Chapter 10 - Cognitive Neuroscience and Creativity (SLATE)
Recommended Reading:
-Beaty, R. E., Benedek, M., Silvia, P. J., & Schacter, D. L. (2016). Creative cognition and brain network dynamics. Trends in cognitive sciences20(2), 87-95.
-Barr, N. (2018). Intuition, reason, and creativity: an integrative dual-process perspective. In The New Reflectionism in Cognitive Psychology (pp. 99-124). Routledge.
-Liane Gabora and Scott Barry Kaufman, 'Evolutionary Approaches to Creativity' (SLATE)
 
 
Unit 8 –Neurodiversity, Anomalous Cognition, and Creativity
Topics:
-The relation between mental illness/neurodiversity and creativity
-Neuropsychology and creativity
-Drugs and creativity
Required Reading:
-R. Keith Sawyer, 'Explaining Creativity: The Science of Human Innovation', Chapter 9 - Biology and Creativity (SLATE)
Recommended Reading:
-Nancy Andreason, ‘Secrets of the Creative Brain’, The Atlantic, 2014
-R. Douglas Fields, ‘Creativity, Madness and Drugs’, Scientific American, 2013
-Snyder, A. (2009). Explaining and inducing savant skills: privileged access to lower level, less-processed information. Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society B: Biological Sciences364(1522), 1399-1405.
 
MODULE 4: Creativity and You
Unit 9- 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
Required Reading:
-R. Keith Sawyer, 'Explaining Creativity: The Science of Human Innovation', Chapter 8- Computer Simulations of the Creativite Process (SLATE)
Recommended Reading:
R. Bidshahri, How Technology is Leading Us Into the Imagination Age, Singularity Hub, 2017
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.
 
Unit 10- Enhancing Creativity
Topics:
-Overcoming barriers to creativity
-Living a creative life and everyday creativity
-Diversifying experiences and creativity
-Creativity and persistence
Required Reading:
-R. Keith Sawyer, 'Explaining Creativity: The Science of Human Innovation', Chapter 22- How To Be More Creative
Recommended Reading:
-Scott Barry Kaufman, ‘Why weird experiences boost creativity’, Psychology Today, 2012
-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'
Evaluation:
Final Report (30%)
Test 2 (25%)
 
Unit 11 -Course Wrap-up
Topics:
-Synthesizing and evaluating the term's experience
-Return of student work


Sheridan Policies

It is recommended that students read the following policies in relation to course outlines:

  • Academic Integrity
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  • Intellectual Property
  • Respectful Behaviour
  • Accessible Learning
All Sheridan policies can be viewed on the Sheridan policy website.

Appropriate use of generative Artificial Intelligence tools: In alignment with Sheridan's Academic Integrity Policy, students should consult with their professors and/or refer to evaluation instructions regarding the appropriate use, or prohibition, of generative Artificial Intelligence (AI) tools for coursework. Turnitin AI detection software may be used by faculty members to screen assignment submissions or exams for unauthorized use of artificial intelligence.

Course Outline Changes: The information contained in this Course Outline including but not limited to faculty and program information and course description is subject to change without notice. Nothing in this Course Outline should be viewed as a representation, offer and/or warranty. Students are responsible for reading the Important Notice and Disclaimer which applies to Programs and Courses.


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