Brought to you by Odyssey
March 23, 2022 - April 27, 2022 (6 sessions)
Wednesday, 6:30 PM - 8:30 PM ET
Why should we learn about autobiography? What is gained by writing an autobiography? Should we all write one? Is there a right moment to write one? In this course, we will break down the why, what, and when of writing an autobiography. Using several model examples as a backdrop, we will answer these questions to inspire students to write and discuss their own short essays on the key events and people that have shaped their lives and personalities. This course is highly interactive and all will be encouraged to participate in discussion and writing.
Supplemental Readings
Gordon W Allport: Becoming. Basic Considerations for a Psychology of Personality (Yale University Press, 1955, 106 pages).
Laura Marcus: Autobiography. A Very Short Introduction (Oxford University Press, 2018, 145 pages)
Qi Wang et al: Culture, Memory, and Narrative Self-Making
Journal of ImaginaBon, CogniBon, and Personality: Consciousness in Theory, Research & Clinical Practice. 2017, Vol. 37, No. 2, pages 199-223.
Johns Hopkins Tuition Remission Policies
Current and retired full-time Johns Hopkins faculty and staff, as well as their spouses or domestic partners, are eligible for tuition remission. Eligibility details can be found here.
After registration, tuition remission eligibility will be confirmed by the Odyssey registrar. If eligibility cannot be confirmed, you will be required to pay full tuition for the course. Under the terms of the University’s remission program, Hopkins employees must withdraw in writing at least five working days before the first class to receive a 100% refund. No partial refunds are given to JHU employees and affiliates. All other participants should review the JHAA Event Cancellation and Refund Policy
March 23, 2022
06:30:00 PM
How do we use autobiography to explore the knowledge of ourselves and the world?
March 30, 2022
06:30:00 PM
St Augustine, B Russell, R Descartes, Sor Juana, Bertha von Suttner, and more.
Assignment: Read 2 literary excerpts
April 6, 2022
06:30:00 PM
What are our most significant experiences & epiphanies in our lives thus far?
Assignment: draft our story outline
April 13, 2022
06:30:00 PM
Identifying our personal standards through questioning and shared experiences.
Assignment: A revised story outline
April 20, 2022
06:30:00 PM
What do our choices as readers of autobiographies say about ourselves? What parallels do we draw to our own stories?
April 27, 2022
06:30:00 PM
What am I? What have I been? Changed or the same? Progression or regression? What have we discovered about the stability or transformation of our personality based on our exploration of self.
Assignment: Final story draft
