Storytelling for Influence

3 Credits · Level: Undergraduate

History has shown that stories are inextricably linked to what it means to be human. Before we had formal communication, storytelling was the method through which we made sense of the world and that core function of the phenomenon has never changed. We dream in stories, buy products, and support charitable causes because of stories, understand who we are in part by thinking in the format of stories, and, yes, even close our office doors and gossip thanks to the help of stories! This course will provide you with an opportunity to think critically about the endless ways in which storytelling is—and can be—utilized in our modern world. Specifically, you will focus on analyzing the process of storytelling as a tool for influence and to do so duly through ethical and strategic ways within the four categories of personal, professional, societal, and self-applications. This course will expand your mindset, appreciation, and practice of storytelling as a crucial component of the human tradition.