COR 452 THEATERS OF THE MIND
This course will examine the relationship between psychoanalytic theories of the mind and theatrical theories of the psyche. What is the relationship between these two fields for which “catharsis” was one of the foundational concepts, and how do the two fields consider the therapeutic value of this term? If the mind was often represented as a theatrical space by psychoanalytic theorists and clinicians, how have dramatists and contemporary theater practitioners attempted to use the stage as a metaphorical representation of psychic events? In this course, students will examine foundational texts by Freud and Aristotle, contemporary psychoanalytic theories by Joyce MacDougall, Françoise Davoine and Jean-Max Gaudillère, and plays spanning from the late nineteenth century to today. This course is writing intensive. Open to students in the third or fourth year of study.