PSY3355.

001—Psychology of Creativity—Spring 2011

Green Hall, 4.204, Mondays & Wednesdays 2:30- 3:45 PM

Instructors Contact Information

Dr. Magdalena Grohman
Office: JO 4.134
Phone number: 972-883-4940; Email: mggrohman@utdallas.edu
Office hours: Mondays and Wednesdays from 4PM to 5PM or by appointment
Kelley Flatt, Teaching Assistant, W: 2, 4, 6, 8, 12, 14, 16, 17
Office: JO 4.134
Office hours: Mondays 4PM to 5PM or by appointment
Email: kmf074000@utdallas.edu
Karina Gutman, Teaching Assistant, W: 1, 3, 5, 7, 9, 11, 13, 15
Office: JO 4.134
Office hours: Tuesdays 1PM to 2PM or by appointment
Email: kvg081000@utdallas.edu

Course Description
The course examines creativity from four main perspectives: product that meets criteria for being creative; process that leads to conceiving of a
creative product, person that is capable of engaging in such process, and people that form social context for creativity. We will discuss main theories
and research in psychology of creativity, starting from looking at definitions for creativity, through biological, psychological and social perspectives on
creativity. On top of that, during some of the class meetings we will learn how to use certain mental tools, with the aim of developing richer and more
flexible mental strategies in creative thinking.
Student Learning Objectives
After completing the course, students should be able to:
Learn how psychologists ask and answer questions about creativity.
Learn what psychologists know and do not know about creativity
Describe and analyze major theoretical perspectives in the area of psychology of creativity.
Think critically about theory and research in creativity.
Identify and explain major dilemmas/controversies in the area of creativity research.
Apply main concepts of creativity and creative thinking to issues in everyday life.
Organize and synthesize the vast amount of information we will cover in the course
Required Textbook and Materials
Kaufman, J. C. (2009). Creativity 101. The Psych Series. New York: Springer Publishing Company (available at University Bookstore)
Root-Bernstein, R. & Root-Bernstein, M. (1999). Sparks of Genius. The 13 Thinking Tools if the World’s Most Creative People. Boston: A Mariner
Book Houghton Mifflin Company (available at University Bookstore or at www.amazon.com).
The above texts will be supplemented with various required book chapters and journal articles. The full-text articles/chapters that are not available
through McDermott library electronic search will be posted on e-learning platform. Otherwise you are responsible for finding the text on your own.
For guidance, please refer to the Required readings list posted on e-learning. You are required to download, print and read the readings prior to the
class.
In addition you will also need a two-pocket portfolio and 3 x 5 index cards for one-minute evaluation essays

Participation, Assignments, Exams

Class Attendance and Participation (10%)
Class attendance and participation is a crucial component of learning process. When you attend and when you actively engage in class activities you
process new information in at least four ways: you listen, you take notes, you ask questions, and while discussing a given subject, you paraphrase what
you have just heard. All of the above increases the odds of understanding and remembering the material covered in class. That’s why I expect you to
attend class and to participate in class discussions and exercises. At the end of each class I will be assigning points to students who were active and
who made a significant contribution to discussion (quality of remarks rather than quantity). If after a class, you think you contributed to the discussion,
write your name on a piece of paper and hand it to me on your way out. For each class that you just attended you will get 1 pt; for each class that you
attended and participated in you will get 2 pts.
One-minute essays (5% total)
At the beginning and at the end of each class you will write one-minute essay on various aspects of the class (“the muddiest point”, “my favorite part”,
and the like). I will also ask one question based on the assigned reading. The quality of those short essays will tell me how attentive you were during
the class, and whether you read your assigned material or not. Each one-minute essay will be worth 2 pts.
Quizzes (10% total)
We will have two short quizzes in between the midterm and final exam. The quizzes will be based on the lectures, discussions and readings covered
prior to them. They will include multiple choice and short answer essay questions. The essay questions will belong to three categories: analytical
(probing your ability to compare, contrast, point to differences and similarities between learned concepts), creative (probing your creative thinking and
the ability to go beyond what has been learned), and practical (probing your ability to apply what you have learned).
Exams (40% total)
Just like quizzes, both midterm and final test will consist of multiple choice and essay questions (again, analytical, practical and creative).
Project (20%)
You can choose one of the three project options, and you can choose if you want to work individually or in a group. The goal of the project is to see
how well you learned the main concepts presented in the class. If you can illustrate the concepts in poem or song, or teach them through a children’s
book (e.g. by means of symbolic representation); or discuss them in a paper; or apply them in a tool that enhances creativity, it means that you have
assimilated and digested lectures, readings, discussions and activities. While working on the project, you will be asked to submit short descriptions
(100 – 150 words) of attained project milestones. The first milestone is fact finding, that is gathering knowledge about a concept/problem you want to
explore. During the second four-week period you will need to focus on problem finding, which means that you have gathered all the facts and now is the
time to formulate the problem/idea you would like to explore. After that we will move on to idea and solution finding – time to brainstorm all the
possible variations of the answers/solutions to the problem at hand. During the last four weeks the focus will be on thinking how to present your
project: that requires evaluating the best solution and deciding about how you going to present it. These milestones create a framework for you to
follow. It is up to you whether you would like to turn the milestone descriptions regularly or all at once, when portfolios are due. It is up to you how
you are going to manage your time. After you have completed the project, you will be asked to answer a short survey about it.
Option # 1 Children’s book/Comic/Poem/Song. Design and write short children’s book/comic/poem/song that would illustrate what you
have learned about creativity. Your goal is to teach someone about creativity through your artwork.
Option # 2 Invent a creative thinking tool. Create a tool that can be used to help to enhance creative thinking. When you will be presenting
your tool, make sure that you describe how it works, and why you think it enhances creativity; include instructions for the users. The main purpose of
this new tool or technique must be to help enhance your own creativity and/or that of the others.
Option # 3: Pick a topic. Pick a topic related to creativity and do a brief literature review, using at least six articles (check the journal articles list
on e-learning) that haven’t been discussed in the classrooms. In your presentation discuss the topic, discuss what researchers have found, and discuss
what work needs to be done to advance the area you have chosen to review. The review should follow APA format (see section on Reaction Papers)
and should be up to 6 pp long.
Reaction Papers (20% total)
You will write two 2 pp long response papers to any of the journal articles marked with asterisk in a class reference list (to be on e-learning soon). We
will follow APA standard for the papers. The paper should include a title page, a body of the text, reference page; page numbers, 1.5 spacing, and 12
pt Times New Roman Font throughout the text. A great resource for the APA standard is the following website:
http://owl.english.purdue.edu/owl/resource/560/01/. If you use it, please make sure that you reference that source. I will look at APA formatting,
style and content when assessing the papers. The due dates for the papers are in the class calendar below. You can choose due dates that best suit
you. I will have a sign-up sheet circulating today.
Extra points
There is always opportunity for extra points. Please come and see me to discuss that option. You can earn a maximum of 2 extra points.
Portfolios
By the end of the semester you will be asked to gather all your quizzes, reaction papers, one-minute essays and milestones descriptions (in other words,
everything BUT the exams) and put them in a portfolio. We will collect portfolios on Aprember 30th.

Grade Distribution
Attendance & Participation – 10% • One-minute essays – 5% • Quizzes – 10% • Reaction Papers – 15 % • Project – 20 % • Exams – 40 %
Course & Instructor Policies
Engagement. I like having discussions, I like when questions are being asked, I like when people show that they care about what they have
chosen to learn about, so be as engaged in classroom activities as you can.
Multitasking. I don’t like and I don’t believe in multitasking. In my opinion it hurts our attention. So, no laptops (unless you have cleared it
with me first), ringing cell phones, or pagers, chatting and messaging during class.
Mindfulness. Please be mindful of others who have come to the class to learn. Don’t disturb them by getting to class late! I will start each class
on time and keep the door open for another 15 minutes. If you come to the class and the door is closed… well, you know that you have just
missed the class.
Communication. We will use e-learning platform to send messages and announcements to you. Class calendar with assignments and quizzes
dates will also be uploaded there. Please make sure you know how to access it! We also encourage you to use e-learning to pose questions,
to discuss and to exchange ideas about creativity with your classmates and with us. You may also use regular UT Dallas email to contact me,
Karina and/or Kelley if need be.
Attendance. You can miss two classes - no questions asked. Note, however, that it is your responsibility to find out what material has been
covered in class during your absence. Missing more than two classes may have an effect on your final grade, so think twice before you
decide not to show up. In case of urgent family affairs and/or illness, please notify Karina, Kelley or me in advance (email).
Late work. For each 24-hour period your assignment is late, I will deduct one letter grade. If pressing emergency arises, contact me, Karina or
Kelley prior to the due date to make arrangements.
Exams. Quizzes and exams are just another opportunity to learn. So DON'T MISS THEM! Make-up exams will be given only if: (a) you
were seriously ill and have verifiable documentation from a physician, or (b) you were detained the day and time of the exam, or (c) you
made arrangements prior to the exam to attend an urgent family affair (e.g., funeral). In any of these cases, you must notify me Kelley or
Karina (TA) in advance of the scheduled time of the exam (email or leave a voice-mail message if you can do nothing else). Otherwise, you
will receive an F. It is the student's responsibility to make sure that an exam is made up within one week of the scheduled time.
Beware, make-up exams are designed to be more comprehensive to compensate for having more study time.

Class Calendar
These descriptions and timelines are subject to change at the discretion of the Instructor.
 DATE TOPIC READING ASSIGNMENT FINAL PROJECT
S
W1, Jan 10 INTRODUCTION: SYLLABUS, GOALS, EXPECTATIONS
DEFINITIONS, CONCEPTS, MEASUREMENT
W1, Jan 12 Creativity as neglected topic: Myths about Creativity and History of the Cr: 1; Cr: 2 product Fact finding
concept
W2, Jan 17 MLK, No Classes
W2, Jan 19 Definitions, concepts, criteria, measurement S: 1, 2
W3, Jan 24 From Big C to little c: What’s more important to study? Cr: 2 person; S: 3
W3, Jan 26 Creativity content specific or content general? Cr: 3; Pluc. & Begh.
W4, Jan 31 Can Creativity be taught or enhanced? TBD, S: 4 Quiz W:1-3
BIOLOGICAL BASIS OF CREATIVITY
W4, Feb 2 Brain: neurons, pathways, locations S: 5
W5, Feb 7 Pathways and locations related to creativity I A. Dietrich, 2004, Reaction Problem finding
papers
W5, Feb 9 Pathways and locations related to creativity II S: 6, A. Dietrich, 2007
W6, Feb 14 PSYCHOLOGICAL BASIS OF CREATIVITY
Creative process: One or many processes? Cr: 2: process; S: 7
W6, Feb 16 MIDTERM REVIEW Bring notes
W7, Feb 21 MIDTERM: TEST W: 1-6
W7, Feb 23 Creative process as insight T. S. Ormerod et al.
W8,16 Feb 28 Creative process as problem solving Brophy, S: 8
W8, March 2 Creative cognition T. B. Ward
W9, March 7 Creative cognition at work S: 9 Reaction Idea & solution
papers finding
W9, March 9 Creative cognition at work S: 10
W10 SPRING BREAK
W11, March 21 Creative person: Personality and intelligence Cr: 4; S: 11
W11, March 23 Creative person: Intelligence Cr: 4
W12, March 28 Creative person: Personality C4: 4, S: 12 Quiz W: 7-11
W12, March 30 Creative person: Motivation Cr.: 4
W13, Apr 4 Creative person: Emotions and mental health Cr.: 5; S: 13 Reaction
papers
W13, Apr 6 Creativity over the lifespan M. Runco, S: 14
SOCIAL CONTEXT OF CREATIVITY
W14, Apr 11 Judging creative products TBD Idea evaluation
W14, Apr 13 Confluence models of creativity R. Weisberg
W15, Apr 18 Classrooms, schools, institutions Cr: 2 envir., 6, S: 15
W15, Apr 20 Culture and environment Cr: 2 envir., 6
PROJECTS PRESENTATION
W16, Apr 25 Project Presentations Portfolios due
W16, Apr 27 FINAL TEST REVIEW Brig notes
W17, May 2 FINAL TEST W: 7-15
Note: Cr stands for Creativity 101 by James Kaufman and S – for Sparks of Genius by Root-Bernsteins.
Student Conduct & Discipline
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System, Part 1, Ch. VI, Section 3, and in Title V, Rules on Student Services and
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