Faculty First Year Seminars 191TEF4 - How to Think with Your Hands

There is no more powerful way to show that we know something well than to draw a visual of it. But due to our
dependence on technology and a preference for typing words, we rarely take the time to create something with our
hands. In this class, we will make the time. We will discuss, analyze, and reflect on how visuals help us remember and
understand information for class and why certain visual thinking frameworks work well for particular purposes. And
we will answer the questions: How can visuals help us notice patterns in our behavior, learn more about UMass
Amherst, and influence the way we understand the world? You do not need to be an artist for this course, but you need
to have an interest in picking up a pen and putting that nib to paper. We will talk about why can still picture the layout
of our childhood playgrounds, why doodling increases attention, and the perfect simplicity of IKEA furniture assembly
instructions. And we will make (lots of) visuals like timelines, spatial maps, flowcharts, concept maps, sketchnotes,
matrices, and data portraits with the ultimate outcome of curating a portfolio of your visual thinking.

Freshmen Only