Greatness: A psychological approach to exceptional
acheivement
Jennifer Wiley
Mondays, 2-5pm, 2064 BSB
Overview
This course will explore the qualities, characteristics,and accomplishments
of people who have attained exceptional acheivement across a variety of
domains including science, art, architecture, music, literature, and politics.
After developing a theoretical foundation from psychological theories of
ability, creativity, expertise, scientific discovery and revolution, personality
and psychopathology, the class will apply this knowledge base to individual
case studies that will be introduced by guest speakers whoare experts on
"great" individuals (such as Frank Lloyd Wright, Picasso, Napoleon, DaVinci,
and Mozart). Grades will be based on several one-page reaction papers and
a final term paper/in-class presentation (either a research proposal, or
a case study analysis of a notable individual).
Readings
Required Text: Simonton, D. K. (1994) Greatness: Who makes History
and Why. New York: Guilford.
Greatness ISBN: 0898622018
look it up on www.everybookstore.com,
you can get it used or from barnes & noble for $26
Suggested Text: Gardner, H. (1994) Creating Minds: An anatomy of
creativity as seen through the lives of Freud, Einstein, Picasso, Stravinsky,
Eliot, Graham and Gandhi.
Selected journal articles will also be assigned to supplement the texts.
Tentative Course Outline
Aug 20
Approaches to the Study of Achievement, What is Greatness?
*** BUY BOOK, READ CHAPTERS
1-8, especially 5-8)
Aug 27
No class -- APA
Sep 03
No class -- Labor Day
Sep 10 Expertise and Scientific Revolution
Additional Background Readings on Expertise and Scientific Revolution
Chi, M. T. H. & Glaser, R. (1985) Problem Solving
Ability. In Sternberg Human Abilites: An information processing approach.
Freeman.
Glaser, R. (1992) Expert Knowledge and the Processes
of Thinking. In D. Halpern, Enhancing Thinking Skills in the Sciences
and Mathematics. Erlbaum.
Ericsson, A. & Charness, N. (1994) Expert Performance:
Its structure and acquisision. American Psychologist.
Kuhn, T. S. (1963) The essential tension: Tradition
and innovation in scientific research. In Taylor & Barron, Scientific
Creativity: Its Recognition and Development. Wiley.
Sep 17 Theories of Creativity, Talent
Brown, R. T. (1989) Creativity: What are we to measure?
In Glover, Ronning & Reynolds, (eds.) Handbook of Creativity,
3-32.
Buyer, L. S. Creative Problem Solving: A comparison
of performance under different instructions. Journal of Creative Behavior,
22, 55-61.
Simonton DK (1999) Creativity as blind variation
and selective retention: Is the creative process Darwinian? PSYCHOLOGICAL
INQUIRY, 10 (4): 309-328
Sep 24 Artistic Creativity, Aesthetic Judgements (Guest Speaker: Aaron Kozbelt)
Csikszentmihalyi, M. (1988). Society, culture, and person: a systems view of creativity. In R. J. Sternberg (ed.) The nature of creativity: Contemporary psychological perspectives, pp. 325-339. New York: Cambridge University Press.
Oct 01 Personality, Madness and Creativity (Guest Speaker: Jim Cassandro)
Read Simonton Chapters 9 & 10
and Chapter 4 "Their life a storm whereon they ride"
from Kay Jamison's
Touched with Fire
Oct 08 Life Events, Early Effects on Acheivement
Lecture on Geschwind's Theory, Why Benbow is wrong, and Birth Order effects (Schooler and Sulloway).
Oct 15 Acheivement across the lifespan
Background reading on prodigies, M.A. Howe (D. H.
Feldman)
Lecture on Lehman
Revisit "Equal Odds Rule" by Simonton
Oct 23 van Gogh and Gaugin -- trip to Art Institute of Chicago
Meet at 5pm outside 1079 BSB
Do Rating
task
Background reading on www.vangoghgallery.com
(Read Biography pages)
PLEASE DO RATINGS BEFORE READINGS!
Oct 29 Motivation
Lecture on Amabile
Background readings by Gruber and Gardner on case
study approaches
Nov 5
Stanley Fish, Milton Bio
and Sonnets pdf
Nov 12
Fred Beuttler, Darwin (Excerpts from Gruber)
Nov 19
Stellan Ohlsson, MacArthur (Excerpts from Leary)
Nov 26
Student presentations
Dec 3
Student presentations