COGS 266 Arts, Health, and Wellbeing
How does engaging with the arts affect our health and wellbeing? A burgeoning interdisciplinary research program at the intersection of psychology, neuroscience, philosophy, arts education, and public health suggests that arts engagement – from reading, to music-making, to painting, to theater – have profound impacts on mental, socioemotional, and physical wellbeing. In this course, we will explore this research through a combination of theory, creative practice, and community engagement. We will examine various conceptions and models of wellbeing, and analyze the various strands of evidence showing the arts as expansive sources for wellbeing in our lives, that could impact our attention, emotion, meaning-making, identity, social connection, and physical health. Beyond theoretical analysis, students will engage in hands-on creative arts-making to personally investigate the psychological and physiological effects of the creative process. We will also consider methodological challenges, and analyze contemporary initiatives in healthcare, public health, and community arts settings. Assignments will include reflective journals, analytic essays, and an integrative project that connects theory, practice, and community engagement. This course will contain a community-based learning component.
Core Requirements Met
- Mathematics/Science
- Fine Arts