Northern Lights:

Psychological Perspectives on the
Creative Genius of the Scottish Enlightenment

Drs. David Cross and John Breyer

Texas Christian University

In this course — Northern Lights: Psychological Perspectives on the Creative Genius of the Scottish Enlightenment (PSYC 40513) — we use our summer travels to Edinburgh and Scotland to gain a deeper appreciation of the creative genius of the Scottish Enlightenment. Our approach is experiential in that students will have the opportunity to explore Edinburgh, a "Hotbed of Genius" during the Scottish Enlightenment, as well as other historical locations in Scotland. Our approach is psychological in that these investigations are framed by psychological perspectives on creative genius.

The Ps And Qs of Creativity Research

Although there are several good books on creativity, we will adopt the framework of Dean Keith Simonton, most completely described in his Origins of Genius: Darwinian Perspectives on Creativity. Another important reference on creativity, and Simonton's theory, is R. Ochse's Before the Gates of Excellence: The Determinants of Creative Genius. A useful way of framing the study of creativity is organize the issues and questions according to the "Ps And Qs of Creativity":

The reading assignments from the two textbooks are listed in the following table:

Reading Assignments
Topic Simonton Ochse
Background 1 1–2
Process 2 9–12
Person 3–4 3–8
Product 5 —
Place 6 3 & 9

All in all, there are four textbooks for the course:

Simonton, D. K. (1999). Origins of Genius: Darwinian Perspectives on Creativity. New York: Oxford University Press.
Ochse, R. (1990). Before the Gates of Excellence: The Determinants of Creative Genius. Cambridge, England: Cambridge University Press.
Herman, A. (2001). How the Scots Invented the Modern World: The True Story of How Western Europe's Poorest Nation Created Our World and Everything in It. New York: Crown Publishers.
Daiches, D., Jones, P., & Jones, J. (1996). The Scottish Enlightenment, 1730–1790: A Hotbed of Genius. Edinburgh, Scotland: The Saltire Society.

Students in this course will definitely want to read from Nowell Donovan's Day-to-Day Itinerary and The Search for Genius, both written exclusively for TCU-in-Scotland: The Search for Genius. You will either receive your copies in the mail, or when you arrive in Edinburgh.

The Magnificent Seven of the Scottish Enlightenment

Although there were numerous geniuses of the Scottish Enlightenment (at least 50, according to one contemporary), we have identified a "magnificent seven" whose eminence is especially noteworthy. These creative geniuses of the Scottish Enlightenment are listed in the table below (with links to web sites about each creative genius). Your primary sources of information about the Scottish Enlightenment and its creative genius are the texts by Daiches et al and Herman, listed above. The text by Daiches et al will provided for you after you arrive in Scotland, however you may want to read the first chapter of A Hotbed of Genius before you leave – copies are available on the table outside my office. The table below shows the schedule of discussions about each of the "magnificent seven" (locations and dates are tentative):

Schedule of Presentations
Creative Genius Location Trip and Date
Robert Adam Mellerstain House Scottish Borders (7/20)
James Boswell Iona Pub Highland Field Trip (7/14
Robert Burns Burns Monument Edinburgh (7/18)
David Hume Hume's Tomb Edinburgh (7/10)
James Hutton Siccar Point East of Edinburgh (7/25)
Adam Smith Canongate Church Edinburgh (7/24)
James Watt Royal Scottish Museum Edinburgh (7/11)

Course Requirements

There are six requirements associated with the course. The first these will have to be completed prior to leaving for Scotland. The last two, the scrapbook and creativity paper, will have to be completed after the student returns from Scotland.

    Before Leaving for Scotland

  1. Complete the major reading assignments, which are as follows:
    1. Read all of the chapters in Origins of Genius: Darwinian Perspectives on Creativity.
    2. Read all of the chapters in How the Scots Invented the Modern World.
    3. Read the first chapter in The Scottish Enlightenment, 1730–1790: A Hotbed of Genius (you can obtain a copy from me).
    4. Read as much as you can from Before the Gates of Excellence: The Determinants of Creative Genius (this will be interesting and useful, trust me).
    Be prepared to discuss the material in these readings when you arrive in Scotland. Think of our discussions as an "oral examination" over this background material.

    While in Scotland

  2. Active, informed participation in seminars and field trips while in Scotland. Your participation will be the major way we evaluate your reading, comprehension and application of the text material; 30% of the final grade.
  3. Actively keep a journal. I will ask to see it periodically while we are in Scotland. You may want to start before you leave, and continue after we return to the states. The goal is active reflection about the course material in the context of your guided visit to Scotland. Note that this is not a diary – if you want to keep a diary, keep that separate (we have little interest in your love life!). The journal will be 20% of the final grade.

    Upon Return from Scotland

  4. A scrapbook based on the trip to Scotland; 20% of the final grade.
  5. A major creativity paper (12-15 pages) due by the Christmas break; successful completion of the paper will involve extensive library research, and at least one rewrite; 30% of the final grade.

Return to TCU-in-Scotland