Creativity at the Edge: Health, Music and Community
MBB 980W
Subject & Catalog Number
Course Information
Description
In 2013 at the Nancy Hanks Lecture for Americans for the Arts, cellist Yo-Yo Ma postulated that the scientific concept of “edge effect” could be applied to artistic and cultural development. In ecology, the “edge effect” describes the intense bioactivity that occurs where two divergent ecosystems meet. Ma contends that the ecological edge effect is an example of Nature’s creativity, explaining that “in that transition zone, because of the influence the two ecological communities have on each other, you find the greatest diversity of life as well as the greatest number of new life forms.” He went on to draw a parallel with the arts: that the greatest diversity of creative arts and new artistic “life forms” arise when artists learn from each others’ cultures. The field of arts in health and the integration of the arts into medical education is advancing rapidly. Medical caregivers and scientists are studying the neuroscience of aesthetic experience, looking at how the arts can be incorporated into healing, well-being and education. At the same time, musicians and artists are embracing their unique role in healing through the arts. This course encourages students to integrate the arts with science and medicine through readings, art immersion, didactic talks, and hands-on experiential learning.
Course Notes
Course inquires to Dr. Wong at lmwong@fas.harvard.edu. Preference to juniors in MBB tracks or MBB secondary field. Admission to this course is via lottery; see https://mbb.harvard.edu/seminars for lottery details.
Class Notes
Enrollment via lottery; consult https://mbb.harvard.edu/seminars for lottery deadline, instructions, and link. Preference to juniors in MBB tracks and MBB secondary field. Course content inquiries to lmwong@fas.harvard.edu.
Available for Harvard Cross Registration
