201-001: RHETORIC AND DISCOURSE: THINKING ON

BOTH SIDES OF YOUR BRAIN

Ruth Meredith (ruthmrdth@gmail.com)
Core: Writing & Speaking
COURSE DESCRIPTION
Effective thinking and communicating are closely related skills and both depend on the creative process for their
effectiveness. In this course we will explore how the seven steps of the creative process can help you develop
skills in both thinking and communication. The course will take a hands on approach to the thinking process
in which learning projects and class exercises will be used to develop and clarify the reading and model ways of
communicating using both images and words. By the end of the semester, students will understand their own
thinking style, as well as an appreciation for other ways of thinking and communication. In the process, they will
gain powerful new mental tools and techniques useful for solving practical problems, improving communication
skills, thinking creatively, and perhaps most importantlearning how to learn. The course is designed to help
students develop practical thinking skills, and learn effective techniques for doing research, organizing and
presenting information. Obviously these skills will not only be valuable to a student throughout college, but to a
person throughout life.
READINGS
Texts:
Peter Facione and Carol Gittens Think Critically 2nd edition
Robert Van Oech Expect the Unexpected: A Creativity Tool Kit based on the Ancient Wisdom of Heraclitus
Robert and Michele Root-Bernstein, Thirteen Sparks of Genius
PDFs:
Meredith The Test of Reason: Three different Kinds of Authority
Meredith Visual Analysis (summary of process of interpreting visual work)
Herrmann, The Creative Braincriteria for determining your Thinking profile (pdf)
Hermann, Thinking Profilesdescriptions of common profiles (pdf)
Tony Buzan Mind Maps (pdf)
Creativity Crisis
Ackerman, Deep Play (excerpt)
FILMS, ETC.
Ted Talks:
7 Steps of Creative Thinking
How to Steal like an Artist
Where Good ideas come from
12 Angry Men (movie)
STUDENT REQUIREMENTS
Regular attendance and Participation in class discussions and exercises

Weekly Reading Reports

5 Learning Projects
Research Project Report and Presentation
Progress reports
Presentation with Peer review
Illustrated Research Paper
For details about assignments see the course syllabus
ABOUT THE INSTRUCTOR
I have been a visual artist since 1980. I like to think outside the box My dissertation was a combination of
philosophy, art history and visual art and dealt with the question of how we make meaning. I write illustrated
workbooks that explore how to think in different disciplines.