Institute of Continuing Education (ICE)
Submitted by Carla Dobson-Pérez on Mon, 08/07/2019 - 13:21
Creating a new diploma about creativity might seem like the definition of a meta exercise, but as course designers and tutors Abigail Docherty and Dr Alex Carter explain, the Undergraduate Diploma in Creativity Theory, History and Philosophy is a pressing and practical study for our times.
"The nature of work is changing fast,” says Alex. “The idea of a ‘job for life’ has been replaced with a ‘career of seasons’. As a result, transferable skills are much more highly prized than specialised knowledge.”
“Adaptability is one of the most important professional skills we can learn today,” agrees Abigail, “And that starts with a capacity to be creative. But creativity is a talent we’re channelling all the time, even those of us who don’t think of ourselves as creative. Every time we conjure up a family meal from a half-empty fridge we benefit from our creativity. It’s relevant to everything.”
This isn’t simply academic hyperbole. Creativity is consistently listed as one of the most essential skills for our times, especially in the workplace, with LinkedIn just one of the research organisations calling it “the most in-demand soft skill in 2019.”
ICE’s new FHEQ Level 5 60-credit diploma mixes the application of creativity with its history. “The focus for this course is the evolution of ideas. How we got here and what we can learn from it,” explains Abigail. “Two thousand years ago, creation was seen as an act of God – something that happened to us. Fast forward to the Renaissance and the Enlightenment and people start to accept that a few have a God-given genius to transform what has been provided. More recently, the view has shifted again, with creativity seen as open and available to all. We’ll be running through two fascinating millennia of creative thought that brings us right up to the present day.”
But this journey from divinity to democratisation is not purely historical. “I’m a philosopher, Abigail’s a playwright and we’ll be introducing tutors from disciplines like Music and Psychology too. Everyone will bring a different perspective,” says Alex. “We’ll be learning together, and we’ll co-create the course’s structure and direction with students as we go. In fact, one of the first questions we’ll consider is ‘How do we teach this subject?’"
“We want to take what each of us perceives as fact and, by opening our eyes to as many other perspectives as possible, highlight the limitations of a single viewpoint. Realising that there are other ways of looking at things is an essential step to becoming more creative.”
Both Abigail and Alex are keen to point out that this isn’t a course purely for those who already consider themselves part of a self-styled ‘creative industry’. “Being able to think creatively in process-driven environments is an incredibly helpful way to evolve ideas,” believes Alex. “That’s why we’re starting to see greater integration between STEM subjects and the arts.”
“By its very nature, creativity is chaotic and destructive,” adds Abigail. “It inspires great art and great leaps in science and technology. This new course will teach all of us to be better researchers, thinkers and activists and help us prepare for and thrive in our studies, careers and lives as a whole – wherever they take us.”
If you’d like to find out more about the Undergraduate Diploma in Creativity Theory,History and Philosophy at ICE, visit: www.ice.cam.ac.uk/ug-dip-creativity
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This article was originally published as part of the 2019 Easter term and Long Vacation edition of Inside ICE.
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