Mammal Mind: Cognitive Psychology and Introduction to the Art of the Short Story

In this program we’ll cross-pollinate studies in cognitive psychology and the art of fiction to discover together how these domains of knowledge and practice might illuminate and animate each other. We’ll explore our mammalian capacity for language, thought, and cognition with an interdisciplinary approach. The psychology module of this program includes the study of mental processes: how your brain processes the vast ocean of information from inside and outside yourself, and somehow still finds time to do the work of being you. We will begin with the building blocks of perception and attention, and go on to topics such as language, problem-solving, knowledge, imagery, and decision-making. The literary arts module of this program focuses on literature that draws upon the mind as source material, as a conceptual affordance, and as a figure for imaginative possibility and mutable futures. 

We’ll read a range of works of fiction and also explore fiction writing ourselves, drafting, developing, and revising a short story over the course of the quarter. 

This program is hybrid with two sessions a week held in person on campus, and one session a week held remotely. Participants in Mammal Mind must have access to a computer and the internet for our weekly remote sessions.