St. Olaf College OLE Core Curriculum Creativity Requirement (PDF)

St. Olaf College OLE Core Curriculum Creativity Requirement Description: Students explore "making and doing" - the experience of creation, whether the creation in question takes the form of a studio art project, a film, a poem, a dance or theater performance or a music piece. Students can also fulfill this requirement by study of the creative processes of “making and doing." Intended Learning Outcomes: Students will: 1. Practice and/or analyze creativity as a dynamic process. 2. Analyze the purpose and impact of a creative act or process. Course Guidelines: 1. Practice and/or analyze creativity as a dynamic process. Students develop their understanding of the creative process according to course emphasis, which will be creative practice and/or analysis, or a combination of these approaches. They will link this understanding to the course context, such as science, technology, entrepreneurship, or the arts. Practicing or analyzing creativity as a dynamic process will involve consideration of factors such as innovation, imagination, curiosity, strategic thinking, and/or the various stages of development involved in the creative process. a. In courses that involve creative practice (e.g. creative writing, studio art, music, theater, dance), students will demonstrate their understanding of the creative process through reflection and analysis of their own creative work and/or the work of their peers. Courses may also focus on creative elements in the re-creation of an existing work, as in dance, music, or theater performance. b. Reflection and analysis of creativity may also take place in courses outside the arts, such as courses on entrepreneurship or invention in a scientific or technological context. c. In a course that involves the study of creativity in an artistic context (e.g. literary study, art history), students will demonstrate their understanding through close analysis of creative elements in the work. 2. Analyze the purpose and impact of a creative act or process. a. Students develop their understanding of the purpose and outcome of a creative act differently depending on the type of course -- i.e. whether the course emphasizes a student’s own creative work or that of established artists, or whether the course involves creativity as a form of problem solving. b. Creativity and imagination can bring new things and ideas into existence. Courses in creativity should emphasize how creative acts can impact the world, whether by altering a specific creator’s approach, sparking a new mode of expression, or responding to a problem.