Dear readers,
I have asked the following questions to the contributers of two discussion
lists (CREATIVITY and LEARNING-ORG):
>Do you know one or more univeristies where creative thinking and/or
>systems thinking is an integral part of the curriculum?
>And if so, please can you give details
I have made a compilation of the reactions received, and I will present
them together with some remarks. Thank you all who have responded. Finally
I am happy to give a reaction to At's contribution (LO20036)
Universities in the USA:
University: Buffalo State Univ. New York
Lecturer: Presently Dr. Puccio. Initiators were Alex Osborn, Sid
Parnes and/or Tom Abeles (see also www.buffalostate.edu/~creatcnt/
Details: Undergraduate and graduate programs. Origin of the
Creative Education Foundation and Creative Problem Solving Institute.
Since many years (started before WW II).
Contributor: R. Alan Black, Tom Abeles, Creative Education Foundation
University: Univ. Of St. Thomas, Minnesota
Lecturer: Tom Abeles. Initiator: dr. Bee Bleedorn
Details: Bleedorn is founder of Creative Development Initiatives;
activities also outside university. Started many years ago
Contributor: Tom Abeles, Creative Education Foundation
University: University of Georgia
Lecturer: E. Paul Torrance
Contributor: R. Alan Black
University: Univ. Of Texas at Austin
Contributor: Creative Education Foundation
University: Stanford University
Lecturer: James Adams, Micheal Ray
Details: ment to engineering and business schools
Contributor: R. Alan Black
University: University of Connecticut
Lecturer: Doris Shallcross
Contributor: R. Alan Black
University: Freed-Hardeman University, Henderson Tennessee
Lecturer: Algene Steele
Since: 6 years
Details: each 2 years course is given as part of 'Graphic
design'. Future plans are a more thorough approach, campus wide
Contributor: Algene Steele
University: Antioch University Seattle
Lecturer: John P. Crutcher
Details: 'Whole Systems Design'. Forms part of a general
curriculum.
Contributor: John Crutcher
University: RooseveltUniversity Schaumberg, Illenois
Lecturer: Don Scott
Details: Adult-program for 50+ people. Various courses
based on De Bono: CoRT1, DATT, Lateral Thinking; in near future Six Hats.
Contributor: Don Scott
University: Suffolk University, Boston, MA
Lecturer: dr. Carol Ann Zulauf
Details: Adult Program. Audience are professionals, mainly
in fields of Training and Development, or HRD. Courses in: Reflection and
Dialogue; Adult and Organizational Learning; Human Performance
Improvement; Systems Thinking
Contributor: Carol Zulauf
University: Concordia University in St. Paul, Minnesota
Lecturer: Dave Putrich
Details: Adult-program. Creative thinking and Systems
thinking.
Contributor: Dave Putrich
University: University of Natal, South Africa
Lecturer: Sid Luckett
Details: Systems thinking particularly for School for Rural
Community Development
Contributor: Leslie Lax
University: University of Western Sidney, Hawkesbury, Australia
Lecturer: E. Turnbull ??
Details: Systems thinking for School of Agriculture and
Rural Development
Contributor: Leslie Lax
University: Manchester Business School, UK
Lecturer: Tudor Rickards
Details: Over 20 years of creative thinking. Rickards is
editor of European Journal on Creativity
Contributor: R. Alan Black, T. Rickards
University: Vlerick School for Management, Belgium
Lecturer: ?
Details: Since recently a course in scenario-thinking
Contributor: Jos de Neve
University: University of Brussels, Belgium
Lecturer: ?
Details: System dynamics, including systems thinking
Contributor: Jos de Neve
University: Freie Universitat Herdecke, Witten-Annen, Germany
Contributor: W. M. Deijmann
At some Universities in The Netherlands there are lecturers who give
attention to creative thinking in their courses. University of Brabant,
Tilburg by prof. C. Zwart; maybe also at Erasmus University, Rotterdam;
and Delft University of Technology in the Faculty of Industrial Design, by
prof. Buijs
Contributor: Deijmann, Minnigh, Rickards.
This list is certainly not complete. Some of the contributors have
mentioned other persons for contact, or other channels to investigate this
topic further. But I did not intended to sample a complete-as-possible
list.
My impression so far is, that especially in the USA much more attention is
given to creative thinking and systems thinking. Some activities started
already more than 50 years ago. Possibly the organizational structure of
the universities in the USA is more open for activities like these. Maybe
the European Universities are more 'traditional'. I know from my own
country that only recently people become aware of the depth and importance
of creative thinking; it was for long seen as a somewhat 'vague' activity.
But my impression is also that - even in the US - that CT and ST are
seldomly a basic part of all the curricula. Mostly, these courses are
either restricted to some departments or tought to some groups.
Interesting are the initiatives for 'Life long Learning' (adult-programs).
And finally I come to At de Lange's contribution (LO20036).
At advocates strongly that CT and ST should not be restricted to the world
of only human beings and becomings, but the entire world (living and dead,
nature and culture, physical and organical, material and immaterial; the
whole) should be the object of a 'deep creative' appraoch. At states:
"wholeness is essential to our creativity", and I can only agree with it.
It should be written in bold inderlined capitals.
We, as humans live in a rich world and we are part of it. So culture
encompasses the whole and is part of the whole. So does creative thinking.
The info I received from the responders, was not detailed enough to know
if such a multi-disciplinary view is delt with at university courses.But I
doubt. Although it is hardly to avoid when ST is tought.
It is my goal to introduce this multi-disciplinary ST and CT at the Delft
University of Technology for all the faculties, disciplines. For students
in their second year of study, and later again in the MSc-program. I hope
that I am able to attract also the attention of researchers and in the
special multi-discipline research programs.
I hope to start with these activities in May 1999.
dr. Leo D. Minnigh
minnigh@library.tudelft.nl
Library Technical University Delft
PO BOX 98, 2600 MG Delft, The Netherlands
Tel.: 31 15 2782226
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Let your thoughts meander towards a sea of ideas.
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--Leo Minnigh <L.D.Minnigh@library.tudelft.nl>
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