University of Alberta – School in Cortona
PSYCO 305: Art Evolution and Cognitive Science
Fall Semester 2015
“There are two kinds of truth; truth that lights the way and truth that warms the heart. The first is
science, and the second is art.” - Raymond Chandler
“Study the science of art. Study the art of science. Develop your senses, especially learn how to see.
Realize that everything connects to everything else.” – Leonardo da Vinci
Instructor
Prof. John L. Dennis, Ph.D.
Credits
3
Class
Mondays & Wednesdays 10:45-12:15 PM
Office Hours I’m available to meet with students immediately before/after class or by
appointment j.lawrence.dennis@gmail.com.
Course Description
This course is interdisciplinary. It will provide a unique perspective on how cognitive
science, evolutionary theory, and various subfields in psychology, i.e., cognitive,
personality, social, developmental and clinical can help us understand what art is, why we
appreciate art and the creative experience.
In this course, we will talk about:




CAN SCIENCE HELP US UNDERSTAND ART?
The science behind the art - is a discussion of the bridges that have been constructed
between science and art, what art is and why we need it – all from a scientific
perspective.
THE AESTHETIC EXPERIENCE
The science behind the aesthetic experience – is a discussion of things like grouping (the
pleasurable experience when things get bound together), symmetry (enjoyment from when
one side balances out with the other side), contrast (the pleasure derived from differences
along a particular dimension) and other scientific principles that help explain the
aesthetic experience.
THE ARTIST
The science behind the artist – is a discussion of the artist from the perspective of their
development, personality and social context, and how each influence them as artists and
their art.
The science behind the creative process – is a discussion of the fluency (many ideas generated),
flexibility (many perspectives used to generate ideas), originality (uniqueness of ideas), and
elaboration (embellishing an idea with details) that are all part of the creative process.
EXPERIENTIAL COMPONENT: FIELD STUDY
Students will engage in direct aesthetic experiences by going to artistic events, museums
and visit artistic sites in Tuscany/Umbria. The cross-disciplinary approach taught in this
John L. Dennis, PhD
1
University of Alberta: School in Cortona
course will dramatically alter students understanding of the artistic and aesthetic
experience.
EXPERIENTIAL COMPONENT: GROUP PROJECT
Students will create a class project using course knowledge to improve the appreciation
of art objects in. Students will work with Mix Festival (an artistic performance festival)
and Cortona on the Move (a film festival) to help them develop scientific materials
explaining the science behind the art, the aesthetic experience, the artist and the creative
process.
Learning Objectives
By the end of the course, students will have:
 Gained knowledge of psychology, cognitive science, and evolutionary theory via
their application explaining art, the aesthetic experience, the artist and the creative
process.
 Developed the tools and knowledge to ask meaningful questions about the
relationship between art and science – how to frame these questions and how one
might actually answer these questions.
 Integrated knowledge gained in the course to enrich their direct experience of art.
 Gained an understanding of how the artistic process is therapeutic.
 Synthesized understanding of how art and science can be used to interpret cultures.
 Gained career relevant experiences in research, teamwork and community
engagement.
Instruction Methods
This class uses a method where students gain a significant amount of knowledge before
class starts. Once the class starts, students get to actively and interactively clarify and
apply that knowledge – all with the help of the professor as a guide. This is referred in
pedagogy as a flipped instruction method (you can go here: http://vimeo.com/70893101
for The University of Texas at Austin’s discussion of this method.)
Assignments will be done with the help of several cooperative tools that are consistent
with the flipped instruction method outlined above.
1. Submit short (250-500) reactions to readings 24 hours before class on Google
Drive.
2. Submit peer view tickets, assignments, projects, reports submitted by fellow
students.
3. Attend artistic events, museums and visit artistic sites in Tuscany/Umbria.
4. Complete a field group project with a community partner.
5. Guide classroom discussion based on classroom/experiential course
components.
Instruction Methods Note
John L. Dennis, PhD
2
University of Alberta: School in Cortona
This class does not have a midterm or final exam. This class has writing and reviewing due
before each class and periodic presentations, blogs, field studies, a field project and the
final group report and final group presentation that ensure students know classroom
materials.
Assignments & Grading Weights
Writing
55%
Tickets/Blog/Group Paper/Peer Review
Experiential Component
20%
Field Study/Group Field Project
Participation
25%
Participation/Presentations
1. Tickets: Students will submit one ‘ticket’ per reading/field study to Google Drive at least
24 hours before class. For articles, tickets must answer the following 4 W’s: 1) What was
the article’s main question? (in a single sentence); 2) What was done/discussed? 3) What did they
find?; 4) What you think? The first three W’s help you remember the positive first while
the last integrates your experience/thoughts with article’s content. Following field
studies, students will write about their experience integrated what they have learned in
class. The minimum/maximum for Tickets is 250/500 words.
2.
Blog: Students will submit 2 blog entries (min/max 250/500 words) to Google Drive
based on classroom experiences during the semester. These blog posts can be based off
your Tickets, Reviews, Presentations, Group Projects, Group Field Project, or any other
exercise, discussion, etc. that happens inside the class or with your classmates. A signup
sheet for Blog entries will be shared on GoogleDrive. Once those entries have been
reviewed and approved they will be uploaded to the class blog.
3.
Group Report: Students will submit preliminary drafts of a final research report
periodically on Google Drive culminating in a final research report (min 2500 – max
3500 words).
4. Peer Review: Students will review tickets, blog entries and report drafts submitted by
fellow students. Reviews should consist of comments that are helpful to your fellow
students. Reviews should provide “additive feedback”—that is, make suggestions only
about what the writer might add to or develop in the Ticket, Blog, Report, Presentation.
A signup sheet for all Peer Reviews will be shared on GoogleDrive. Students are
responsible for completing one Ticket Peer Review per week and Blog entries, Group
Report and Presentations as they are assigned throughout the semester.
5. Field Study: Attend artistic events, museums and visit artistic sites in Tuscany/Umbria.
6.
Group Field Project: Students will work on projects in accordance with the professor and
the local partner.
John L. Dennis, PhD
3
University of Alberta: School in Cortona
7.
Presentation: Students will lead class via short presentations of their tickets/project/field
study during the semester. Student lead presentations, with group discussion will last 15
minutes, but the presentation itself done and shared in Prezi should have about 5
minutes of prepared material. Presentations, once reviewed by fellow students will then
be placed on SlideShare. A signup sheet for all Presentations will be shared on
GoogleDrive. Students will do a final presentation of their project/field study at the
Special Academic Events week.
8.
Participation: Class participation entails active engagement in the course. Being
consistently prepared for class, asking questions, responding to questions, attentively
listening to others is essential. Successful participation has four prerequisites:
Being on time. If you’re not here, you can’t contribute much to class discussion.
If you need to miss class please notify me at least 24 hours in advance. I will
also appreciate advance notice if you know that you need to arrive late or leave
early on a particular day.
b. Being prepared. To contribute to class discussion, you must come to class having
carefully prepared all assignments (i.e., readings, tickets, cases, exercises). If you
are unsure of the assignments for an upcoming class session, please ask me.
c. Being brave. You are expected to participate fully in all class exercises, to voice
your views in class discussions, and to ask questions about things that you don’t
understand. Asking questions might be intimidating, but doing so helps your
classmates, as well as you, by moving the discussion forward in new directions.
d. Being courteous. Listening carefully to the comments and questions that your
classmates voice will help you learn something new from their perspectives.
Voicing disagreement is essential as it often leads thoughtful and informative
class discussions. Disagreements should be kind and considerate.
a.
Attendance Note
Attendance at every class is expected. Classes are an important moment to discuss
course topics, share experiences, and address community project activities. Students are
expected to keep appointments and always be punctual. Only two unjustified “free”
absences are allowed. Each additional absence, unless for a very serious reason, will
lower the student’s grade (e.g., B+ becomes a B).
Generous Giving
Promoting productive generosity is important. In this class, we have the giving
message. A giving message is one that acknowledges one of your classmates for being
especially helpful and is broadcast to everyone in the class.
Anyone who receives a giving message receives 10 points on an assignment. Giving messages can be given
to anyone (including, of course, yourself).
Feedback & Questions
This course should be a valuable learning experience for you. Your feedback regarding
the class is appreciated at any time during the semester. It is easiest to reach me by email
or right before of after class, or we can set up an appointment. That said, one month
John L. Dennis, PhD
4
University of Alberta: School in Cortona
after the course has started we will evaluate our progress and make any necessary
changes to keep us on track.
Grading Scale:
Grade
A
A-
B+
B
B-
C+
C
C-
D+
D
D-
F
Score %
100-93
92-90
89-87
86-83
82-80
79-77
76-73
72-70
69-67
66-63
62-60
>59
Schedule of Topics, Readings, and Assignments:
Oct. 7 CAN SCIENCE HELP US UNDERSTAND ART?
1. Ticket: Cavanagh, Patrick. (2005). Artists on science: scientists on art. Nature, 434,
301-307.
2. Group Field Project: Discuss possible project ideas.
Oct. 12 CAN SCIENCE HELP US UNDERSTAND ART?
1. Ticket: Pinker, Steven (1999). How much art can the brain take?
2. Group Field Project: Discuss possible project ideas.
Oct. 14 AESTHETIC EXPERIENCE
1. Ticket: McCrae, Robert R. (2007). Aesthetic chills as universal marker of openness to
experience. Motivation & Emotion. 31, 5-11.
2. Group Field Project: Meet with community partners.
Oct. 19 AESTHETIC EXPERIENCE
1. Ticket: Behrens, Roy, R. (1998). Art, Design and Gestalt Theory, Leonardo, 31, 299303.
2. Blog: Did you sign up for today? If so, its due.
3. Group Field Project: Meet with community partners.
Oct. 21 THE ARTIST
1. Ticket: Simonton, Dean Keith. (2000). Creativity: Cognitive, personal, developmental,
and social aspects. American Psychologist. 55, 1, 151-158.
2. Group Field Project: Discuss possible project ideas.
Oct. 26 THE ARTIST
1. Ticket: Park, G., Lubinski, D., & Benbow, C. P. (2007). Contrasting intellectual
patterns predict creativity in the arts and sciences tracking intellectually precocious
youth over 25 years. Psychological Science, 18(11), 948-952.
2. Group Field Project: Discuss possible project ideas.
Oct. 28 FIELD STUDY
1. Field Study: TBA
2. Ticket: Field study analysis
3. Group Field Project: Begin project.
John L. Dennis, PhD
5
University of Alberta: School in Cortona
Nov. 2 CAN SCIENCE HELP US UNDERSTAND ART?
1. Ticket: Jacobsen, Thomas (2006). Bridging the arts and sciences: A framework for the
psychology of aesthetics. Leonardo, 39, 2, 155-62.
2. Blog: Did you sign up for today? If so, its due.
3. Group Report: Submit Introduction
Nov. 4 CAN SCIENCE HELP US UNDERSTAND ART?
1. Ticket: Donald, Merlin. (2006). Art and cognitive evolution. In M. Turner, (Ed.), The
Artful Mind: Cognitive Science and The Riddle of Human Creativity (pp. 3-20) New York,
NY: Oxford University Press.
Nov. 9 AESTHETIC EXPERIENCE
1. Ticket: McMahon, J.A. (2000). Perceptual principles as the basis for genuine
judgments of beauty. Journal of Consciousness Studies, 7(8-9), 29-35.
Nov. 11 AESTHETIC EXPERIENCE
1. Ticket: Joy, Annamma, Sherry, John F. Jr. (2003) Speaking of art as embodied
imagination: Multisensory approach to understanding aesthetic experience. 30, 2,
259-282
Nov. 16 THE ARTIST
1. Ticket: Mueller, J. S., Melwani, S., & Goncalo, J. A. (2011). The Bias Against
Creativity Why People Desire but Reject Creative Ideas. Psychological science,
0956797611421018.
2. Ticket: Mc Crae, R. R. (1987). Creativity, divergent thinking, and openness to
experience. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 52, 1258–1265. doi:10.1037/00223514.52.6.1258
3. Blog: Did you sign up for today? If so, its due.
Nov. 18 THE ARTIST
1. Ticket: Nakamura, J., & Csikszentmihalyi, M. (2002). The concept of flow. Handbook
of positive psychology, 89-105.
Nov. 23 FIELD STUDY
1.
2.
3.
4.
Field Study: TBA
Ticket: Field study analysis
Group Field Project: Mid project analysis.
Group Report: Submit Method & Discussion
Nov. 25 CAN SCIENCE HELP US UNDERSTAND ART?
1. Ticket: Conway, Bevil R., and Livingstone, Margaret S. (2007). Perspectives on
science and art. Current Opinion in Neurobiology, 17(4), 476-482.
2. Blog: Did you sign up for today? If so, its due.
Nov. 30 CAN SCIENCE HELP US UNDERSTAND ART?
1. Ticket: Tooby, John, and Cosmides, Leda. (2001). Does Beauty Build Adapted
Minds? Toward an Evolutionary Theory of Aesthetics, Fiction, and the Arts.
SubStance. 0(1&2), 2001, 6-27.
Dec. 2 AESTHETIC EXPERIENCE
John L. Dennis, PhD
6
University of Alberta: School in Cortona
1. Ticket: Noël Carroll (2002) "Aesthetic Experience Revisted," British Journal of
Aesthetics, Volume 42, Number 2, pp. 145 – 168.
2. Group Field Project: Near end project analysis.
3. Group Report: Final report draft is due.
Dec. 7 AESTHETIC EXPERIENCE
1. Ticket: Ramachandran, V.S., & Hirstein, W. (1999). The science of art: A neurological
theory of aesthetic experience. Journal of Consciousness Studies, 1, 15-35.
2. Blog: Did you sign up for today? If so, its due.
Dec. 9 THE ARTIST
1. Ticket: De Petrillo, L., & Winner, E. (2005). Does art improve mood? A test of a key
assumption underlying art therapy. Art Therapy, 22(4), 205-212.
2. Group Field Project: Final Field Project is due.
3. Group Report: Final report is due.
Readings
CAN SCIENCE HELP US UNDERSTAND ART?
Cavanagh, Patrick. (2005). Artists on science: scientists on art. Nature, 434, 301-307.
Conway, Bevil R., and Livingstone, Margaret S. (2007). Perspectives on science and art.
Current Opinion in Neurobiology, 17(4), 476-482.
Donald, Merlin. (2006). Art and cognitive evolution. In M. Turner, (Ed.), The Artful
Mind: Cognitive Science and The Riddle of Human Creativity (pp. 3-20) New York, NY:
Oxford University Press.
Jacobsen, Thomas (2006). Bridging the arts and sciences: A framework for the
psychology of aesthetics. Leonardo, 39, 2, 155-62.
Pinker,
Steven
(1999).
How
much
art
can
the
brain
take?
http://pinker.wjh.harvard.edu/articles/media/1998_02_07_independentsunday.
html
Tooby, John, and Cosmides, Leda. (2001). Does Beauty Build Adapted Minds? Toward
an Evolutionary Theory of Aesthetics, Fiction, and the Arts. SubStance. 0(1&2),
2001, 6-27.
AESTHETIC EXPERIENCE
Behrens, Roy, R. (1998). Art, Design and Gestalt Theory, Leonardo, 31, 299-303.
Joy, Annamma, Sherry, John F. Jr. (2003) Speaking of art as embodied imagination:
Multisensory approach to understanding aesthetic experience. 30, 2, 259-282
Noël Carroll (2002) "Aesthetic Experience Revisted," British Journal of Aesthetics,
Volume 42, Number 2, pp. 145 – 168 McMahon, J.A. (2000). Perceptual principles as the basis for genuine judgments of
beauty. Journal of Consciousness Studies, 7(8-9), 29-35.
McCrae, Robert R. (2007). Aesthetic chills as universal marker of openness to
experience. Motivation & Emotion. 31, 5-11.
Ramachandran, V.S., & Hirstein, W. (1999). The science of art: A neurological theory of
aesthetic experience. Journal of Consciousness Studies, 1, 15-35.
THE ARTIST
De Petrillo, L., & Winner, E. (2005). Does art improve mood? A test of a key
assumption underlying art therapy. Art Therapy, 22(4), 205-212.
Mc Crae, R. R. (1987). Creativity, divergent thinking, and openness to experience. Journal
of Personality and Social Psychology, 52, 1258–1265. doi:10.1037/0022-3514.52.6.1258
John L. Dennis, PhD
7
University of Alberta: School in Cortona
Mueller, J. S., Melwani, S., & Goncalo, J. A. (2011). The Bias Against Creativity Why
People Desire but Reject Creative Ideas. Psychological science, 0956797611421018.
Nakamura, J., & Csikszentmihalyi, M. (2002). The concept of flow. Handbook of positive
psychology, 89-105.
Park, G., Lubinski, D., & Benbow, C. P. (2007). Contrasting intellectual patterns predict
creativity in the arts and sciences tracking intellectually precocious youth over 25
years. Psychological Science, 18(11), 948-952.
Simonton, Dean Keith. (2000). Creativity: Cognitive, personal, developmental, and social
aspects. American Psychologist. 55, 1, 151-158.
MATERIALS THAT SHOULD BE ON YOUR READING LIST
Arnheim,R. Art and Visual Perception. A Psychology of the Creative Eye; the New Version.
Berkeley: Univ. of California Press, 1975.
Berlyne, D.E., ed. Studies in the New Experimental Aesthetics: Steps Toward an Objective
Psychology of Aesthetic Appreciation. London: Wiley, 1974.
Gregory R., J. Harris, P. Heard and D. Rose, eds. The Artful Eye. Oxford: Oxford
University Press, 1995.
Itten, Johannes (1974). The Art of Color: The Subjective Experience and Objective Rationale of
Color. New York, NY: John Wiley and Sons
Johnson, Mark. (2007). The Meaning of the Body: Aesthetics of Human Understanding. Chicago,
IL. University of Chicago Press.
Leyton, Michael. (1999). Symmetry, Causality and Mind. Cambridge, MA. MIT Press.
Livingston, Margaret S. (2002). Vision and Art: The Biology of Seeing. New York, NY:
Abrams
Solso, Robert L. (2003). The Psychology of Art and the Evolution of the Conscious Brain.
Cambridge, MA: The MIT Press.
Wooten, B. & Miller, D.L. (1997) The psychophysics of color, In Hardin, C.L. & Maffi,
L. (Eds.) Color Categories in Thought and Language, Cambridge University Press.
Vygotsky, L.S. Psychology of Art. MIT Press, 1971.
Zeki, Semir (1999). Inner Vision. Oxford University Press, New York.
Many of the readings can be downloaded via Google Scholar, or University of Alberta’s
library. If you use your library then go to the library and then:
1.
Browse the list of databases (e.g., JSTOR, PubMed, PsycArticles, etc.)
2.
Search for particular journals (e.g., Psychological Science, Proceedings of the
National Academy of Sciences, etc.).
Instructor Biosketch
John L. Dennis currently teaches at Catholic University of the Sacred Heart in
Milan, University of Perugia, The Umbra Institute as well as the University of Alberta.
He received his B.A. from the University of Colorado and his Ph.D. from the University
of Texas at Austin. He does research on the mechanisms that underlie self-regulation,
primarily in the domains of goals, ownership, morality and culture and is currently
funded by the EU and the Templeton Foundation. He is a licensed psychologist and
does consultations using Cognitive Behavior Therapy techniques. In 2013, he started
Melioravit, a scientific communication company that helps researchers get funded,
published and cited.
John L. Dennis, PhD
8
University of Alberta: School in Cortona