|
||||||||
STUDENT COLLOQUIUM When we go to sleep, our brains do some interesting things. What is the nature of dreaming? What role do dreams play in our psyches? What is the biological reason for them? Do they have a biological function? What can our dreams tell us about ourselves? What ideas can they provide to our conscious mind? In this class we will investigate these questions, many of which are still very far from being definitively answered. We will study dreams from several different perspectives: psychological, biological, and personal. We will consider techniques for improving dream recall, lucid dreaming, etc. We will also take a look at the artistic side of dreams: whether they can be a source of creative material, for instance. A major aim of the class will be to apply what we learn to our own dreams: to recall them more effectively, to learn different ways of thinking about them, to become more aware of what affects them, and to become sensitive to patterns that may exist in them. To this end, everyone in the class will be expected to keep a dream journal. We will share our dreams as we go, and thereby get some firsthand data about what dreams are like, how dreaming differs from person to person, and how the theories we read hold up in practice. AN IMPORTANT NOTE: If you want to take this class, you should begin recording your dreams NOW. This is ESPECIALLY true if you are one of those people who can never seem to remember their dreams. One of the best ways to improve dream recall is to start paying attention to your dreams, and recording what you remember. If you begin doing this now --- even if it is difficult at first --- you are more likely to be "in the swing of things" by the time the class begins, and that will mean more dream data for us to investigate. Required Texts: Hobson, J. Allan, Dreaming: An Introduction to the Science of Sleep Instructor(s): Student Leader: Brendan Barnwell; Faculty Supervisor: Charles Ryavec Time(s): TBA Place(s): TBA << Back |
||||||||
|
||||||||