First Year Students

Creative Madness

Simpson Colloquium SC 101 H  - Creative Madness
M T TH F   1- 2 PM

It has long been suspected that creativity, artistic talent and psychological disorders are in some way related. A list of artists with suspected or confirmed psychological disorders would include Vincent Van Gogh, Kurt Cobain, Ernest Hemingway, Virginia Woolf and many others. Though the exact nature of the relationship is not completely understood, recent research provides support for the belief that creative and artistic individuals are often profoundly affected by psychological disorders. The most well-studied relationship is the association between manic-depressive illness and artistic productivity.

In this course we will take a brief look at the disorders most commonly associated with artists, explore the nature of creativity, and finally examine the intersection of creativity and mental disorders. Through experiencing the art and reading the biographies of individuals with known psychological conditions, we will develop a deeper appreciation of their work, the personal struggles they experienced, and the impact of psychological disorders on the lives their families and friends.

Meet Your ProfessorDon Evans
Don Evans, Ph.D.
Professor of Psychology

I am a clinical psychologist and began my career at a large medical center where I did psychotherapy with patients hospitalized for depression, research on personality disorders, and supervised psychology interns. Then, like many people, I made a career change. In my case the change was to leave full-time clinical practice and become a college professor. As you might suspect, I generally teach courses of interest to therapists such as Assessment, Abnormal Psychology and Personality. I also supervise advanced students who complete internships in the community. A little less ordinary is my relatively recent study of animal language and collaboration with the Great Ape Trust of Iowa. I’m also excited about neuroscience and have projects underway in the new EEG lab in the psychology department. 

Meet Your Destination LeaderBethany Mullenax
Bethany Mullenax

Hello to everyone!

My name is Bethany Mullenax, and I will be your Destination Leader for Creative Madness, Fall 2012! I will be a Senior 2012-2013 and I am a psychology major! In addition to being your destination leader; I am the house manger of Delta Delta Delta, I am Vice President of Programming for the Panhellenic Counsel, and I am a member of SARA.

I am very outgoing and bubbly! I love meeting people and I really enjoy finding fun things to do on and off campus. One my favorite activities on campus is going to Creative U, where you get to paint pottery for free. My favorite off campus activity is cheap weekend movies! I am also an excellent listener, so if anyone needs to talk about life here or family things that come up, I am happy to listen, and if you want give some guidance.

I love to read, and I wish I had more time for free reading. I also enjoy film and TV. One of my favorite TV shows is Dr. Who! It is such a fun show, if you have not watched it, I highly recommend it! My favorite film changes day to day, but among my favorites are Casablanca, Across the Universe, and Bridesmaids. As you can see I have a wide range of likes when it comes to fun things! I have family and friends spread out all over the USA, I have family on the East coast in the Baltimore area, I have my friends in Kansas City and Iowa. I am engaged and planning to get married after graduation next year in May 2013. I love my family and I am excited to expand it.

You can find me on Facebook or Twitter, I am also available via email if you cannot reach me those other ways. I look forward to meeting and getting to know everyone.   

Meet Your Writing FellowLauren Mulder
Lauren Mulder

Hi! My name is Lauren Mulder and I will be the Writing Fellow for Creative Madness next fall. At Simpson, I am involved in several different things including pre-health society, Kappa, on-campus jobs, and cheerleading. I am also a Biology major with Chemistry and Math minors, so I stay pretty busy! Eventually I hope to go to dentistry school.

I grew up in a super small town in Northwest Iowa with my parents and three sisters. Family has always been very important to me, and as a result, I am very close to all my sisters. I also have two nephews. I absolutely adore them! In high school I was involved in softball, volleyball, National Honor Society, and a several other clubs and organizations.

I can’t wait to meet you all in the fall! I look forward to working with you and getting to know you! If you have any questions, feel free to email me or add me on Facebook!

 

Last Updated: 5/10/12