How do we understand creativity and the brain? This course asks you to explore and debate human creativity through neurobiological, cognitive, and psychological perspectives. Main topics include discussions of the definition of creativity, psychological and cognitive profiles of creative individuals, functional neuroanatomy, the neurochemistry of the creative processes, the neural correlates of creative thought, cognitive processes and lastly, cognitive strategies for optimizing creative output.
One course in neuroscience or psychology at university level.
Travel on Study Tour
You only take one Core Course per semester, and each Core Course includes two Study Tours: one Short Study Tour to a nearby destination for three days, and one Long Study Tour to another European country for six days.
Led by your faculty, Study Tours take you into real-world settings where you will apply what you’ve learned outside the classroom.
Ph.D. (Psychiatric neurogenetics, University of Gothenburg, 2008). M.A. (Philosophy, University of Copenhagen, 2023). M.F.A., (Creative writing, Linneaus Univeristy, 2025). M.Sc. (Biostatistics, Chalmers University of Technology, 2003). Ph.D. fellow, University of Gothenburg, 2003-2008. Postdoc, Danish Research Centre for Magnetic Resonance, 2009-2013. Researcher, University of Gothenburg, 2014-2022. Senior researcher, Psychiatric Centre Amager, 2022-2024. With DIS since 2025.
Sebastian Scott Engen
Cand.It (Cognitive Science, Aarhus University, 2022). Chief Editor, Aarhus University Newspaper, 2022-2023. Artist, Experimentarium, 2022-2023. Researcher, Aarhus University, 2018-2023. With DIS since 2023.
Long Study Tour
About this tour
On this week-long Study Tour, you examine the neuroscience of creativity outside of the classroom setting by visiting key research centers, practitioners, and/or organizations within this developing field. You explore the multiple facets which contribute to the creative process and its products, to understand the complexity of creating, while considering traditional creative disciplines and aesthetic perspectives. Cultural insights into creativity are explored by visiting venues that address the development of creativity within the rich and diverse periods of history in the UK.
Learning outcomes
Explore how research is conducted in the cognitive neuroscience of creativity
Understand creative processes in real-world settings
Develop a rich understanding of individual differences and context in explaining the creative process
Possible activities
Visit university research units at some of the UK’s leading neuroscience programs
Apply to what you have learned in the classroom through actively engaging in workshops built to encourage your own creativity
Hear from practitioners to understand how insights from the neuroscience of creativity are applied
Short Study Tour
About this tour
During your short Study Tour, you explore human creativity through a cultural context lens. This provides you with the experiential foundations for understanding conceptual models and research findings within the field of cognitive neuroscience of creativity. You gain an in-depth and hands-on understanding of why Denmark is renowned for creativity and innovation as this pertains to different topics such as play, design, gastronomy, and sustainability.
Learning outcomes
Apply theory and research to real-world experiences of human creativity
Experience human creativity through the lens of Danish culture and history
Possible activities
Experience creative play at LEGO House
Learn about the connections between food and creativity through New Nordic cuisine, additionally the challenges and creative process behind gastronomy in Denmark
Visit innovative Danish designers as well as venues which explore artistic aesthetic development and expression in Denmark (within the fields of music and visual arts)
