Explorations in Creativity

ENIN 240/3.0

Overview

Students will examine four aspects of creativity – the creative person, process, product, and press – to increase the degree to which they recognize and nurture their own creative potential. Supported by interdisciplinary research and theory, students will assess the increasing importance of creativity skills in the 21st century. Through interactive lectures, experiential learning activities, written assignments and e-presentations, students will explore and execute on a range of foundational concepts in creativity studies. In the process learners will expand and enhance their creative capacities & confidence!

The course will include a range of creativity exercises and methods for helping to generate new ideas through “left and right brain” thinking. By practicing divergent and convergent ideation methods, students will learn how to combine, critique, and improve on their ideas. The assignments are designed to teach students how to communicate about creative concepts online and face-to-face through digital platforms and information design tools, to procure deliverables including slide presentations, multimedia stories, and visual research compositions. 

There are no face-to-face meetings or exams, no group work, and no synchronous lectures in this course. Webinars are optional, and always recorded for on-demand viewing later. Office hour consultations are online, mobile-optimized, and available most days, including weekends, and several evenings each week.

Learning Outcomes

After completing this course students will have demonstrated their ability to:

  • Differentiate between the intellectual standards for creative thinking (originality, adaptability and flexibility, appropriateness, and contribution to the domain).
  • Articulate what is meant by creative thinking by identifying the 7 steps in the creative problem solving (CPS) process (clarification, research, formulation, ideation, evaluation, implementation planning, execution).
  • Locate and synthesize research and data to generate multiple solutions for various creative problem scenarios (and cases) through conducting original research and completing short writing assignments.
  • Communicate ideas by creating digital prototypes (vision board, flipbook, infographic) of creative solutions (products and services) using graphic design software.
  • Engage in critical reflection about creative work, by self-evaluating their own deliverables and assessing examples produced by others

Terms

Summer (May–June) 2024
Course Dates
Exam Dates (if applicable)
Delivery Mode
Online

Evaluation

TBA

**Evaluation Subject to Change**

Textbook and Materials

There is no required textbook for this course. All articles are online and linked in onQ via Queen’s University Library. The required reading for this course includes popular news articles, excerpts from business trade titles, case studies, and short academic research articles about creativity, innovation, and entrepreneurship from across the disciplines and creative industries.

Time Commitment

Students can expect to spend approximately 10 hours a week (120 hours per term equivalent) in study/reading and online activity for this course.

Winter 2025
Course Dates
Delivery Mode
Online

Evaluation

TBA

**Evaluation Subject to Change**

Textbook and Materials

There is no required textbook for this course. All articles are online and linked in onQ via Queen’s University Library. The required reading for this course includes popular news articles, excerpts from business trade titles, case studies, and short academic research articles about creativity, innovation, and entrepreneurship from across the disciplines and creative industries.

Time Commitment

Students can expect to spend approximately 10 hours a week (120 hours per term equivalent) in study/reading and online activity for this course.