Study Focus: The Basis of Storytelling: Transcending Boundaries and Building Community

Storytelling has been an essential thread in the fabric of social history dating back to its earliest origins.  While serving as entertainment, it has also connected people to one another across space and generations.  There are few cultural habits more integral to our being.  In today's world storytelling has largely been deemphasized as a community building exercise.  Yet it remains a powerful tool for communication of ideas.  Understanding storytelling as a tool requires going back in time and deep into the human psyche in order to determine why it works.  This study is the basis for an extensive investigation into the entire sphere of storytelling, with a focus on the origins of the medium as a social tool.  It seeks to determine why storytelling works with the intention of setting the context and language for further learning.

Study Learning Goals:

• Gain an understanding of the principles of human psychology in relation to storytelling;
• Establish the groundwork for studying storytelling as a medium for community building