Special Events
Spring 2019: When Science and Humanities & the Arts Collide: Bridging Divides with Narrative
This April, we are excited to bring The Story Collider to San Jose with three interconnected events that unleash the power of personal narrative:
- Full-day hands-on workshop on narrative and storytelling (Friday, April 5, 9 am - 5 pm)
- Half-day "train-the-trainers" workshop on the use of narrative (Saturday, April 6, 12 pm - 4 pm)
- Live storytelling show at the Hammer Theatre, featuring five members of the SJSU community telling true stories about moments when science has collided with humanities and the arts in their lives (Saturday, April 6 at 8:00 pm)
Sponsored by a San Jose State University Artistic Excellence Programming Grant, and by the SJSU Department of Philosophy, the College of Science, the Charles W. Davidson College of Engineering, the Connie L. Lurie College of Education, and the John S. and James L. Knight Foundation's Silicon Valley Community Foundation, this project aims to bridge disciplinary divides, to enable future collaborations, and to cultivate empathy among participants.
Hands-on narrative workshop
Friday, April 5, 9:00 am - 5:00 pm
In this one-day intensive storytelling workshop, experienced Story Collider producers will draw on experience from producing live shows around the world and insight from psychology and social science research about the effect of narrative to help participants craft true, personal stories about science, humanities, and the arts. This event is not about communications strategies or messaging broadly, but specifically focuses on developing your personal storytelling ability.
Over the course of the day, we'll explore themes of leadership and intellectual humility, as well as the science of science communication. The workshop focuses on discussion, hands-on practice, and in-depth personal coaching to bolster your ability to employ narrative in your own work as a student, teacher, researcher, or public intellectual. Working under the guidance of the experienced Story Collider producers, we will brainstorm, develop, and refine our own personal stories.
Register for the hands-on narrative workshop (Friday, April 5)
Train-the-trainers narrative workshop
Saturday, April 6, 12:00 pm - 4:00 pm
In this half-day workshop, experienced Story Collider producers will draw on their experience producing live shows and leadings workshops, and on the research literature about the effect of narrative, to help participants who train others to communicate clearly add narrative to the toolbox of communication strategies they cultivate with their students or mentees.
Over the course of the workshop, we'll explore activities to build the narrative muscle, give participants insight into how, why, and where these activities work, and talk about strategies for helping those you are training to be attentive to audience. We'll also discuss how to tell when and where narrative is the right communication tool for the job.
This workshop will be valuable to those who teach 100W classes, to research supervisors who want to help their trainees explain their research to broader audiences (including potential employers), or to anyone who mentors or trains others to communicate effectively. Registration for this workshop will be capped at 25 participants.
Register for the train-the-trainers narrative workshop (Saturday, April 6)
Story Collider presents DISCOVERY: Stories from San Jose State University.
Saturday, April 6, 8:00 pm - 10:00 pm, at the Hammer Theatre
Join us for an evening of true, personal stories about collisions of science and humanities and the arts, hosted by Erin Barker and Liz Neeley, and featuring stories from Annie Chase, Philip Heller, Ana Paz-Rangel, Janet D. Stemwedel, and LeAnne Teruya.
