This course will suggest a different approach to the study of narrative; instead of focusing on the text and its context, and the corresponding methodologies of textual or contextual analysis, it takes as a starting point the receiver (reader, viewer, user, beholder), to shed light on the mental, emotional and cognitive processes of narrative experience. Some key questions that will be explored are: Why do we feel suspense, fear, pain, or joy while following stories? What does it mean to be absorbed or transported into a narrative world? How do our brains and senses react to narratives? And how can narrative be important for our own self-reflection and understanding of life? Students will be introduced to various approaches and frameworks for the analysis of narrative experience, such as phenomenology, cognitive psychology, psychoanalysis, as well as some inter-disciplinary approaches drawing on neuroscience. They will be encouraged to use conceptual tools from these frameworks to approach a variety of narratives, mainly derived from American culture with emphasis on audiovisual media and maintaining a comparative perspective, in order to contemplate on the deeper ways narratives express and affect our minds and bodies. They will also have the chance to self-reflect and to achieve a deeper, experiential understanding of how they are personally affected by stories.
| Semester | Group | Day | From | To | Room | Instructor |
| Spring | Tuesday | 18:30 | 21:00 | 01 í.ð. | Poulaki Maria |
