HONOR 2870 - The Artfully Extended Mind

Where does the mind stop and the rest of the world begin? This intriguing question is central to the new Honors course, The Artfully Extended Mind, which will explore how “thinking outside the brain” can enrich our lives and illuminate our imaginations. Based on recent research in psychology and cognitive science, students will think with their bodies, their surroundings and their relationships. You will extend your minds and develop your thinking facility in a series of experiential hands-on arts workshops (drawing, sculpture, photography, music, songwriting, poetry, improvisational acting, dance, performance art, etc.). Orchestration of these artistic and cognitive experiences will develop your capacities to focus attention, resist distraction, develop verbal fluency and cognitive flexibility, enhance problem-solving and decision-making abilities, and increase long term memory for what is learned. And to fully and deeply engage your mind and heart, you will also practice mindfulness, be creative and have fun!