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Skidmore College
First-Year Experience

Scribner Seminar Program
Course Description


The Mind's I

Instructor(s): Linda Simon, English

The unconscious is not an object or place or part of the body, but an imaginary construction. What it is, where it is, what it contains, and how it relates to the conscious self are questions that have generated vastly different responses from scientists, philosophers, artists, and writers, who have represented the unconscious in various and colorful ways: as a repository of memories, as a primal wilderness, as a mysterious archaeological site, and even as a separate personality. In this seminar, we'll examine writings about the unconscious to ask questions about human nature, free will, sources of creativity, and, not least, how one develops a sense of true self.

Course Offered