At the core of any human endeavor we find a story, from our grammar to our machines to our revolutions. As the philosopher Hannah Arendt suggests, it is through telling stories that we “consent” to the reality we make for ourselves. Being able to tell a story, not just in words, is the way humans have always communicated most effectively. In this course, students will explore the “story” of storytelling to learn how thinkers across disciplines have demonstrated its significance to every area of life. The class is not a creative writing course, but rather, a study of a human phenomenon. Students will then take such awareness into a “Signature Work,” whose form can be of their own choosing, and will emphasize how it tells its story. No prior study of the topic is required.
