PSYC 434 - Seminar on Autobiographical Memory

FC SSCI WADV

4 credits
In many ways, memory and identity are interwoven. Our experiences and thoughts–stored in memory–define who we are. Yet much of our recalled experience is forgotten or distorted over time, leading to a pattern of memory reconstruction in the current context. This class will review the formation and characteristics of autobiographical memories, personal memory across the lifespan, narrative approaches to autobiographical memory and identity, and the role of forgetting in self-construal. We will also explore the functions of episodic and semantic memory, the social aspects of autobiographical memory, and the overlap between individual and collective identity. These topics will be approached through seminar style-discussions and a semester-long memory journal project.

Prerequisites: PSYC 100 or PSYC 200 or PSYC 207.