Weeks/Dates

Things to do

Week 1

8/19- 8/21

Before Talk: Take Questionnaire (VIA Characters Strengths) and read Positive Psychology Overview

Write: Response to ^

Talk: Discuss Positive Psychology, Strengths, Storytelling

Last day to Add & Drop w/o ‘W’ Aug 21^st

Week 2

8/24-8/28

Storytelling: Theories on Who/How We Are (Two Weeks)

Before Talk: Read Pocket Guide to Interpersonal Neurobiology (chapters 1-5)

Write: Response

Talk: Discuss Readings

Week 3

8/31-9/4

Before Talk: Read Excerpt from The Storytelling Animal; Read Pocket Guide to Interpersonal Neurobiology (chapters 41-43)

Write: Response

Talk: Discuss Readings

Week 4

9/7-9/11

The Spiritual Memoir (Two Weeks)

Before Talk: Read “The Attributes of Spiritual Memoir”; Respond to 2 of the writing prompts in "Attributes"

Write: Response

Talk: Discuss Readings

Week 5

9/14-9/18

Before Talk: Chapter 4 of A Grief Observed;

Write: Response

Write: Spiritual Memoir (2-Page Excerpt)

Talk: Discuss Readings and Writing

Week 6

9/21-9/25

Illness/Trauma Stories (Two Weeks)

Before Talk: “Illness as a Call for Stories”

Write: Response

Talk: Discuss Readings

Week 7

9/28-10/2

Before Talk: Read “The Lives of the Dead”

Write: Response

Write: Fiction or Nonfiction Illness or Trauma Narrative (2-Page Excerpt)

Talk: Discuss Readings and Writing

Week 8

10/5-10/9

Storytelling: The Most Important Thing (Two Weeks)

Before Talk: Excerpts from Improving Your Storytelling (chapter 7/Ignore ch. 9); Owning Your Story

Write: Response

Talk: Discuss Reading and Video

Midterm Grades due Tuesday Oct 13^th

Week 9

10/12-10/16

Create Audio or Video based on the questions in chapter 9, a favorite story, and one of the positive psychology strengths (The goal is to retell the story in a way that allows the listener to experience the story how you did and to more deeply understand how the strength is demonstrated and transferred through story)

Talk: Discuss Audio/Video

Week 10

10/19-10/23

Fantastical Storytelling (Two Weeks)

Before Talk: The Magician’s Nephew (chapters 1-7)

Write: Response

Talk: Discuss Reading

Week 11

10/26-10/30

Before Talk: The Magician’s Nephew (chapters 8-15)

Write: Response

Write: Fantasy (2-Page Excerpt)

Talk: Discuss Reading and Writing

Week 12

11/2-11/6

Story as Fundamental to Being Human (Three Weeks)

Before Talk: Read Wired for Story (pgs. 1-83)

Write: Response

Talk: Discuss Reading

Week 13

11/9-11/13

Before Talk: Read Wired for Story (pgs. 84-165)

Write: Response

Talk: Discuss Reading

Last day to Drop Courses w/ ‘W’ Nov 13^th

Week 14

11/16-11/20

Before Talk: Read Wired for Story, (pgs. 166-238)

Write: Response

Talk: Discuss Reading

In the final portfolio, create two stories (or revise them) specifically using elements from Wired for Story and other craft readings from semester

Week 15

11/23-11/27

Thanksgiving break

Week 16

11/30-12/4

Before Talk: Continue work on Final Portfolio  

Talk (Optional): Final discussion; debriefing

Due: Final Portfolio (December 8^th)

Final Exams Dec 7-11^th

Grades due by 8 am Monday Dec 14^th