Psychology of Creativity: Making and Understanding Metaphors
F06
David Anderegg
This class will address the centrality of metaphors in the creative process. Material will be divided into three units, as follows: 1) Definition of metaphor and studies of metaphoric production as an instance of creative thought; 2) Developmental approaches to metaphor, including studies of children’s ability to create and understand metaphors; and 3) Studies of the use of metaphoric language in teaching in the performing arts, including acting, music, and dance. Course readings will include Lakoff and Johnson’s Metaphors We Live By, the work of Kenneth Burke, and research from Howard Gardner’s Project Zero.

Students will be expected to write two short papers and to carry out a sizeable piece of observational research on the use of metaphor in ordinary discourse and in teaching.