PSYC 3701W. Psychology of the Arts. (3 Credits)
The perception, emotion, motivation, cognition, and cultural experience of art and artists.
Enrollment Requirements: PSYC 1100 and 1101 or 1103; ENGL 1007 or 1010 or 1011; three credits of 2000 or 3000 level Psychological Science coursework.
Skill Codes: COMP: Writing Competency
View Classes
Draft syllabus here.
Description:
Psychology of the arts is a vast subject field, with the arts ranging from song to music, to visual arts, film, performance art, written word, and much more. This course is an introduction to the subject, with two strong foci: (1) What happens when people experience art, and (2) how is it that artists produce the art people enjoy? How and why do they do it? How much does the psychology of artistry match that of those who consume their art? The hows and whys will depend on such factors as perceptions, emotions, needs, wants, memories, judgments, and culture, along with all of the systems on which these elements depend. We need to understand what makes art succeed so well that it goes viral, and, in turn, what might make it fail. It crisscrosses numerous sub-disciplines of psychology and sometimes enters other sciences and even the humanities, making it ideal for an honors seminar in writing. As such, the course also emphasizes practical advice in writing scientific essays and in reviewing relevant evidence. It also will sample broadly from diverse research methodologies (e.g., case studies; neural scans; experiments; surveys; meta-analyses).
For more information, contact: Blair Johnson at blair.t.johnson@uconn.edu