What do you do to feed your creative spirit? In a liberal arts education, creativity is valued not only for its own sake but because it can broaden your point of view, deepen your analytical and critical thinking skills, and limber up your capacity for nimble, flexible problem-solving. Studying the creative arts can help you refine your powers of communication, develop your knowledge of historical and cultural context, and cultivate empathy. And as our peers in positive psychology tell us, creative practice can also improve your well-being and contribute to individual and community flourishing.
These six courses offer just a sample of the creative applications you might discover in a Penn LPS Online classroom this spring. Start or develop your own creative practice, explore interdisciplinary intersections with the creative arts, or immerse yourself in ancient stories that endure.
Spring 1 courses begin on January 14. Current Penn LPS Online students can already register for courses via Path@Penn. If you are new to Penn LPS Online, you can enroll as a certificate or course taker through December 15. Prospective Bachelor of Applied Arts and Sciences (BAAS) students can apply by February 1 for a spring 2 start.
CRWR 2700: The Craft of Fiction
Writing fiction is more than making up stories. Students of the craft of fiction will study character development, plot, setting, dialogue, and more—looking to exemplary and audacious examples of the form to understand how master fiction writers deploy the fundamental elements of storytelling. With regular writing prompts and peer feedback, you can also expect to try your own experiments in fiction and build your writing portfolio with insight from your classmates.
This intensive writing workshop is a new addition to the course roster, with a new course number; you can register for this course even if you previously took CRWR 2600: Fiction Workshop. And if your interest is piqued by the art of creative writing, you can explore many different genres and styles in the Certificate in Creative Writing.
- Instructor: Sebastian Castillo, Lecturer in creative writing
- 8-week course offered in spring 2 (March 16 – May 8, 2026)
- May be taken as an individual course
- May be applied toward the Certificate in Creative Writing
- May be applied toward the BAAS concentrations in Creative Studies, Individualized Studies, and Literature, Culture, and Tradition
CLSC 1000: Greek and Roman Mythology
If you want to understand the power of storytelling, just look to the ancient myths that we have been retelling and reinterpreting for thousands of years. This course delves into the adventures and origin stories of ancient Greece and Rome, exploring why people long ago might have told these tales—and what continues to capture our imagination today. Along the way, expect to reflect on the new myths we tell ourselves about contemporary life and the role myth plays in helping us—individually and collectively—understand ourselves.
- Instructors: Peter T. Struck, Professor and Chair of Classical Studies
- 8-week course offered in spring 2 (March 16 – May 8, 2026)
- May be taken as an individual course
- May be applied toward the BAAS concentrations in Individualized Studies and Literature, Culture, and Tradition
- May be applied toward the Gateway Program category Qualitative Analysis
RELC 2000: Gods, Ghosts, and Monsters
The ancient Greeks and Romans are far from the only cultures whose foundational beliefs continue to resonate today. Every culture and religion around the world has its stories about the supernatural, from ideas about the afterlife to tales about fantastic creatures. This course draws on history, anthropology, and visual art as well as the methodology of religious studies to explore examples of gods, ghosts, and monsters. You’ll explore the rituals and beliefs from a wide range of traditions—including Buddhist, Shinto, Christian, Hindu, Jain, Zoroastrian, Egyptian, Central Asian, Native American, and Afro-Caribbean cultures—and inevitably reflect on the stories that animate your own beliefs and traditions.
- Instructor: Justin McDaniel, Edmund J. and Louise W. Kahn Endowed Professor of the Humanities
- 8-week course offered in spring 1 (January 14 – March 11, 2026)
- May be taken as an individual course
- May be applied toward the BAAS concentrations in Individualized Studies and Literature, Culture, and Tradition
- May be applied toward the BAAS foundational requirements Qualitative Analysis or Historical Perspectives
- May be applied toward the Gateway Program category Qualitative Analysis
ENLT 1200: Literature, Culture, and Society
Studying literature is the natural companion to a creative process; through reading, we develop our own taste in storytelling and learn from the masters of the craft. Literary analysis is more than just reading, however—it is a skill and a form of engagement with text that benefits from practice, study, and inquiry. This course invites students to read deeply and attentively, making observations about how literary texts can reflect, challenge, and influence the world around us. As a writer or creative practitioner, literary analysis can sharpen the tools of your craft. As a human and citizen of the world, critical reading helps us understand the role that narrative storytelling can play in shaping our lives and connections to one another.
- Instructor: Clayton Colmon, Director of Curriculum Design, Penn School of Arts and Sciences Online Learning
- 8-week course offered in spring 2 (March 16 – May 8, 2026)
- May be taken as an individual course
- May be applied toward the BAAS concentrations in Creative Studies, Individualized Studies, and Literature, Culture, and Tradition
DISG 2600: Addressing Inequity through Art and Design
Some of today’s most impactful and important artworks resonate with us because they confront the realities of systemic inequality. This course explores painting, sculpture, video, and site-specific installations by impactful US artists such as Kehinde Wiley and Kara Walker, connecting contemporary art to artifacts of the past to understand how social inequity is critiqued or perpetuated by art. No prior knowledge of art or art history is required for this course; you’ll learn the vocabulary and frameworks you need in lectures and readings as you explore themes including the legacy of slavery and colonialism, indigenous art, representation and cultural appropriation, and other social issues.
- Instructor: Heather Moqtaderi, Founder and Artistic Director, Past Present Projects
- 8-week course offered in spring 2 (March 16 – May 8, 2024)
- May be taken as an individual course
- May be applied toward the Certificate in Dialogue, Ethics, and Social Good
- May be applied toward the BAAS concentration in Individualized Studies
APOP 3400: Flourishing through Creativity and the Arts
The link between creativity, the arts, and well-being is an emerging field. This course explores foundational research and new findings in this field of inquiry, and discusses implications for practice and application. Whether you have an established creative practice or would like to start one, you’ll have the opportunity to try out interventions and techniques for improving well-being through engagement with the arts.
There are no prerequisites for this course, although students may find it helpful to have some background such as APOP 1000: Introduction to Positive Psychology, since you’ll be drawing from the scientific principles and methods of positive psychology to explore its application in the arts.
- Instructor: Katherine Cotter, Postdoctoral Fellow, Positive Psychology Center at the University of Pennsylvania
- 8-week course offered in spring 1 (January 14 – March 11, 2026)
- May be taken as an individual course
- May be applied toward the Certificate in Applied Positive Psychology
- May be applied toward the BAAS concentrations in Data Analytics and Psychological Sciences, Individualized Studies, and Organizational Studies
Ready to ignite your imagination and curiosity? View our course guide to see the full range of what’s available in the upcoming terms.
