Spring2026

Can creation of art and its interpretation provide us with a gateway to understanding the unconscious? How can we use art for healing? Are all creative geniuses essentially mad? Is art an expression of the internal psychic processes or a reflection of the external realities and power structures? What are the benefits of teaching visual arts to everyone?

This course will provide students with both theoretical and experiential knowledge of topics related to  psychology of creativity, art theory and the uses of art in psychotherapy. Starting from the psychoanalytic tradition with its concepts of the unconscious, the archetypes and the symbolic, we will explore how art was influenced by psychology, and how in turn, psychology sought to understand the workings of the human mind through art and devised instruments to utilize art in psychodiagnosis and psychotherapeutic interventions. 

Have you ever wondered why people think, feel, and act the way they do? Psychology is the scientific study of the mind and behavior, and this course is your starting point to explore it. Together, we’ll look at the history of psychology, the major perspectives that shape how psychologists understand human behavior, and the research methods that make psychology a science. 

Throughout the semester, you’ll discover how psychology connects to your daily life - how memory works, why habits form, what motivates people, and how culture and biology influence us. We’ll use real-life examples, discussions, and activities to make key concepts practical and engaging. 

By the end of the course, you’ll not only have a solid foundation in psychology but also new ways to think critically, understand yourself and others, and apply psychological insights in school, work, and everyday life.

Like other aspects of human existence and behaviour, sex is complexly biopsychosocial. That is why this course seeks to incorporate not only the findings of the scientific psychological research of human sexuality, but also to include some aspects of applied field of sex counseling, along with ethnographic studies of various communities, philosophical, sociological and political insights in sexuality studies. We will cover issues of gender and sexual identities and practices, ‘sex acts’, and general cultural concerns about sexualisation of culture, political debates regarding sex work and pornography. The course is divided into three main blocks: key concepts, sexual practices and case-studies. The last section will feature guest lectures by researchers of sexuality in Central Asia.  After taking this course students will become familiar with and deepen their understanding of the competing interpretations of sexual desire, behaviours and subjectivities, and of interplay between the biological, psychological and sociocultural aspects of sexuality.