ESP Biography



CAROL HARDICK, ESP Teacher




Major: MA Critical & Creative Thinking

College/Employer: Art-Sci

Year of Graduation: 2012

Picture of Carol Hardick

Brief Biographical Sketch:

I studied design and communication at the Corcoran Museum School of Art and from there went on to a career in design and creative entrepreneurial management. I have a BA in history with a concentration in European history, and a minor in English. I have a Master's degree in Critical and Creative Thinking. My interests are innovation, invention and problem solving, and as it regards education, how we can create an academic environment that supports ideation. I tutor English, math and physics.

I'm very excited about this class and look forward to hearing what young adults have to say on the subject!



Past Classes

  (Clicking a class title will bring you to the course's section of the corresponding course catalog)

H12298: Dreams, Dreaming and the Subconscious in HSSP Summer 2018 (Jun. 30, 2018)
Hello Everyone! With an the interdisciplinary approach of dream science, cognitive psychology, art and humanities, Dreams, Dreaming and the Subconscious will introduce you to the huge topic of the subconscious with an emphasis on the sleeping brain. With lots of discussion, we’ll use different perspectives and the principles of critical thinking to study the mystery, the nature of the mind and learn different theories about dreams and the subconscious. As we discuss the breadth and depth of the mind, the sheer ingenuity of an individual’s ability to think and create in so many ways, (and even do it while we’re sleeping,) we open the door to understanding that vast universe we call a mind.


H11502: Dreams, Dreaming and the Subconscious in HSSP Summer 2017 (Jul. 09, 2017)
Hello Everyone! With an the interdisciplinary approach of dream science, cognitive psychology, art and humanities, Dreams, Dreaming and the Subconscious will introduce you to the huge topic of the subconscious with an emphasis on the sleeping brain. Ideas about dreams filter into our pop culture. The Harry Potter series and the movies Inception and the Matrix, for example, have lots of twists and turns and raise questions about memory, knowledge and artificial intelligence. What’s possible and what isn’t? What’s déjà vu? Can an idea be planted in a person’s mind? Can two people share a dream? Can a person’s mind be controlled or manipulated? With lots of discussion, we’ll use different perspectives and the principles of critical thinking to study the mystery, the nature of the mind and learn different theories about dreams and the subconscious. As we discuss the breadth and depth of the mind, the sheer ingenuity of an individual’s ability to think and create in so many ways, (and even do it while we’re sleeping,) we open the door to understanding that vast universe we call a mind.


H10537: Dreams, Dreaming and the Subconscious in HSSP Summer 2016 (Jul. 10, 2016)
Hello Everyone! With an the interdisciplinary approach of dream science, cognitive psychology, art and humanities, Dreams, Dreaming and the Subconscious will introduce you to the huge topic of the subconscious with an emphasis on the sleeping brain. Ideas about dreams filter into our pop culture. The Harry Potter series and the movies Inception and the Matrix, for example, have lots of twists and turns and raise questions about memory, knowledge and artificial intelligence. What’s possible and what isn’t? What’s déjà vu? Can an idea be planted in a person’s mind? Can two people share a dream? Can a person’s mind be controlled or manipulated? With lots of discussion, we’ll use different perspectives and the principles of critical thinking to study the mystery, the nature of the mind and learn different theories about dreams and the subconscious. As we discuss the breadth and depth of the mind, the sheer ingenuity of an individual’s ability to think and create in so many ways, (and even do it while we’re sleeping,) we open the door to understanding that vast universe we call a mind.


H9497: Making of the Modern Mind in HSSP Summer 2015 (Jul. 12, 2015)
Making of the Modern Mind is the intersection of cognitive science, philosophy of mind, humanities and critical thinking. The class introduces you to theories of learning, memory and behavior, including priming, conditioning and bias. The second part of the course shifts to group theory including identity, morality and the problem of good and evil. We review how these concepts are the result of the physiology of the brain, and how they relate to the "mind-body problem" and effect many areas from health care to education, to even being integral elements of murder trials. Each class will have a discussion topic with questions like: Are we bodies, or do we have bodies? How much would you have to be paid to lie? Should robots have equal rights if they can think and feel? We'll discuss famous experiments on these topics including the Milgram experiments and Rebecca Saxe and her research at MIT. Some of the material is college level, but I make it very accessible with a lot of open class discussion. I add tips for study skills throughout the class. I hope you join us for some interesting debate!


H9537: Dreams, Dreaming, and the Unconscious in HSSP Summer 2015 (Jul. 12, 2015)
Dreams, Dreaming and the Subconscious introduces you to cognitive sciences, thinking and memory from the perspective of the subconscious and the sleeping brain, using an interdisciplinary approach of cognitive psychology, dream science and humanities. Movies and books include these ideas with lots of twists and turns, and bring up questions about the brain, knowledge and artificial intelligence. What’s possible and what isn’t? Can an idea be planted in a person’s mind? Can two people share a dream? Can a person’s mind be controlled? What's déjà vu? With lots of class discussion, we’ll answer these questions, and more. As we discuss the breadth and depth of the mind, the sheer ingenuity of an individual’s ability to think and create in so many ways, (and even do it while we’re sleeping,) we open the door to understanding that vast universe we call a mind.


H9358: Dreams, Dreaming, and the Subconscious in Spark 2015 (Mar. 14 - 15, 2015)
Dreams, Dreaming and the Subconscious introduces you to cognitive sciences, thinking and memory from the perspective of the subconscious and the sleeping brain, using an interdisciplinary approach of cognitive psychology, dream science and humanities. Movies and books include these ideas with lots of twists and turns, and bring up questions about the brain, knowledge and artificial intelligence. What’s possible and what isn’t? Can an idea be planted in a person’s mind? Can two people share a dream? Can a person’s mind be controlled? What's déjà vu? With lots of class discussion, we’ll answer these questions, and more. As we discuss the breadth and depth of the mind, the sheer ingenuity of an individual’s ability to think and create in so many ways, (and even do it while we’re sleeping,) we open the door to understanding that vast universe we call a mind.


H8569: Dreams, Dreaming and the Subconscious in Splash 2014 (Nov. 22 - 23, 2014)
Dreams, Dreaming and the Subconscious introduces you to cognitive sciences, thinking and memory from the perspective of the subconscious and the sleeping brain, using an interdisciplinary approach of cognitive psychology, dream science and humanities. Movies and books include these ideas with lots of twists and turns, and bring up questions about the brain, knowledge and artificial intelligence. What’s possible and what isn’t? Can an idea be planted in a person’s mind? Can two people share a dream? Can a person’s mind be controlled? What's deja vu? With lots of class discussion, we’ll answer these questions, and more. As we discuss the breadth and depth of the mind, the sheer ingenuity of an individual’s ability to think and create in so many ways, (and even do it while we’re sleeping,) we open the door to understanding that vast universe we call a mind.


H8571: Making of the Modern Mind in Splash 2014 (Nov. 22 - 23, 2014)
Making of the Modern Mind is the intersection of cognitive science, philosophy of mind, humanities and critical thinking. Section I introduces you to theories of behavior, including priming, conditioning and morality and how these concepts relate to brain physiology and functions. We also discuss how our answers differ and how they relate to the "mind-body problem" and everything from law cases, health care to education. We'll answer questions like: Are we bodies, or do we have bodies? How much would you have to be paid to lie? Should robots have equal rights if they can think and feel? We'll discuss famous experiments on these topics including Rebecca Saxe and her experiments at MIT. Some of the material is college level, but I make it very accessible with a lot of open class discussion. I add tips for study skills throughout the class.


S8699: Dreams, Dreaming and the Subconscious in Splash 2014 (Nov. 22 - 23, 2014)
Dreams, Dreaming and the Subconscious introduces you to cognitive sciences, thinking and memory from the perspective of the subconscious and the sleeping brain, using an interdisciplinary approach of cognitive psychology, dream science and humanities. Movies and books include these ideas with lots of twists and turns, and bring up questions about the brain, knowledge and artificial intelligence. What’s possible and what isn’t? Can an idea be planted in a person’s mind? Can two people share a dream? Can a person’s mind be controlled? What's deja vu? With lots of class discussion, we’ll answer these questions, and more. As we discuss the breadth and depth of the mind, the sheer ingenuity of an individual’s ability to think and create in so many ways, (and even do it while we’re sleeping,) we open the door to understanding that vast universe we call a mind.


H8700: Making of the Modern Mind: Topic #2 in Splash 2014 (Nov. 22 - 23, 2014)
Making of the Modern Mind is the intersection of cognitive science, philosophy of mind, humanities and critical thinking. The topic for Section II will be group theories, identity, morality and the problem of good and evil, and how these concepts relate to the physiology of the brain and the"mind/body problem." We also discuss how our ideas on this connect to everything from the law to ethics to health care. We'll discuss famous experiments on these topics. Some of the material is college level, but I make it very accessible with a lot of open class discussion. I add tips for study skills throughout the class. I hope you join us for some interesting debate!


H8440: Making of the Modern Mind in HSSP Summer 2014 (Jul. 06, 2014)
Making of the Modern Mind is the intersection of cognitive science, philosophy of mind, humanities and critical thinking. We study the science, processes, and theories of the brain, consciousness, memory, and cognition. Depending on the interests of the class, some of the topics might include: subconscious, decision making and mind control , false memory, social psychology and group theories, ethics and the problem of good and evil, mind mapping and multiple intelligences. Two important topics are theory of mind (empathy), and the “mind/body problem,” and how these ideas relate to modern technology, AI, robots and learning. Some of the material is college level, but I make it very accessible with a lot of open class discussion. I add tips for study skills throughout the course. We also look at some famous social psychology studies, depending on the interests of the class


H8441: Dreams, Dreaming, and the Subconscious in HSSP Summer 2014 (Jul. 06, 2014)
Dreams, Dreaming and the Subconscious introduces you to cognitive sciences, thinking and memory from the perspective of the subconscious and the sleeping brain, using an interdisciplinary approach of cognitive psychology, dream science and humanities. Movies and books include these ideas with lots of twists and turns, and bring up questions about the brain, knowledge and artificial intelligence. What’s possible and what isn’t? Can an idea be planted in a person’s mind? Can two people share a dream? Can a person’s mind be controlled? What's deja vu? With lots of class discussion, we’ll answer these questions, and more. As we discuss the breadth and depth of the mind, the sheer ingenuity of an individual’s ability to think and create in so many ways, (and even do it while we’re sleeping,) we open the door to understanding that vast universe we call a mind.


S7489: Dreams, Dreaming, and the Subconscious in Splash! 2013 (Nov. 23 - 24, 2013)
Dreams, Dreaming, and the Subconscious introduces the topic of memory, cognition, consciousness, metaphors, and oneiric theory from the perspective of the subconscious and the sleeping brain, using an interdisciplinary approach of science and humanities. Movies and books include these ideas with lots of twists and turns, and bring up questions about the brain, knowledge and artificial intelligence. What’s possible and what isn’t? Can an idea be planted in a person’s mind? Can two people share a dream? Can a person’s mind be controlled? What’s deja vu? With lots of class discussion, we’ll answer these questions, and more. The first section of class will discuss the topics of subconscious and awareness, and the second section will teach the science of a dreaming brain, leaving time for class discussion and questions. As we discuss the breadth and depth of the mind, the sheer ingenuity of an individual’s ability to think and create in so many ways, (and even do it while we’re sleeping,) we open the door to understanding that vast universe we call a mind.


S7491: Making of the Modern Mind in Splash! 2013 (Nov. 23 - 24, 2013)
This course is a bridge between philosophy of mind, cognitive sciences and humanities. The Splash course will include Theory of Mind, memory, cognition, the mind-body problem, group theory and the problem of good and evil. Discussions will include one or two famous experiments on social psychology, and the subconscious


H7245: Dreams, Dreaming, and the Subconscious in HSSP Summer 2013 (Jul. 07, 2013)
Dreams, Dreaming and the Subconscious introduces you to cognitive sciences, thinking and memory from the perspective of the subconscious and the sleeping brain, using an interdisciplinary approach of cognitive psychology, dream science and humanities. Movies and books include these ideas with lots of twists and turns, and bring up questions about the brain, knowledge and artificial intelligence. What’s possible and what isn’t? Can an idea be planted in a person’s mind? Can two people share a dream? Can a person’s mind be controlled? What's deja vu? With lots of class discussion, we’ll answer these questions, and more. As we discuss the breadth and depth of the mind, the sheer ingenuity of an individual’s ability to think and create in so many ways, (and even do it while we’re sleeping,) we open the door to understanding that vast universe we call a mind.


H7246: Making of the Modern Mind in HSSP Summer 2013 (Jul. 07, 2013)
Making of the Modern Mind is the intersection of cognitive science, philosophy of mind, humanities and critical thinking. We study the science, processes, and theories of the brain, consciousness, memory, and cognition. Depending on the interests of the class, some of the topics might include: subconscious, decision making and mind control , false memory, social psychology and group theories, ethics and the problem of good and evil, mind mapping and multiple intelligences. Two important topics are theory of mind (empathy), and the “mind/body problem,” and how these ideas relate to modern technology, AI, robots and learning. Much of the material is college level, but I make it very accessible with a lot of open class discussion. I add tips for study skills throughout the course. We also look at some famous social psychology studies, depending on the interests of the class


H6939: Dreams, Dreaming, and the Subconscious in Spark! 2013 (Mar. 16, 2013)
The class introduces you to dream science, cognition and memory from the perspective of a sleeping brain.. The Harry Potter series and the movie, Inception, has lots of twists and turns and raise questions about the brain, knowledge and artificial intelligence. What’s possible and what isn’t? Can an idea be planted in a person’s mind? Can two people share a dream? What's deja vu? With lots of discussion, we’ll explore those questions, and more.


H6151: Philosophy of Mind: Making of the Modern Mind in Splash! 2012 (Nov. 17 - 18, 2012)
This course acts as a bridge between philosophy of mind, cognitive sciences and humanities. The Splash course is an introduction to a longer course, and includes Theory of Mind, memory and cognition. Discussions will focus on social psychology, mind control and subliminal messages and morality, all under the umbrella of critical thinking.


H6152: Dreams, Dreaming and the Subconscious in Splash! 2012 (Nov. 17 - 18, 2012)
The brain is the most complex organism in the universe, and many psychologists have said that dreams are the door to the unconscious. Using a mix of neuroscience, psychology and humanities, this class is an introduction to a longer course, and will explore the different theories of sleep and consciousness, including where dreams come from and consider the psychology of the dream and the dreamer.


H6153: Dreams, Dreaming, and the Subconscious in our culture in Splash! 2012 (Nov. 17 - 18, 2012)
The class introduces you to psychology, cognition and memory from the perspective of a sleeping brain, using an interdisciplinary approach of neuroscience, psychology and humanities. We also discuss how dreams and sleep are portrayed in film and literature, and the accuracy of it. The Harry Potter series and the movie, Inception, has lots of twists and turns and both raise questions about the brain, knowledge and artificial intelligence. What’s possible and what isn’t? Can an idea be planted in a person’s mind? Can two people share a dream? With lots of discussion, we’ll explore those questions, and more.


H5965: Philosophy of the Mind in HSSP Summer 2012 (Jul. 08, 2012)
The science, processes and theories of the brain, consciousness, memory and cognition.Topics range from discussions on mind control and subliminal messages to mind mapping and multiple intelligences


H5972: Dreams, Dreaming and the Subconscious in HSSP Summer 2012 (Jul. 08, 2012)
The brain is the most complex organism in the universe, and many psychologists have said that dreams are the door to the unconscious. The class is a mix of science and humanities. We will study neuroscience, the architecture of the brain, cognition, memory, consciousness, and the sleeping brain. We will explore the different theories of sleep and consciousness, including where dreams come from and consider the psychology of the dream and the dreamer.


H5676: Dreams and Dreaming in HSSP Spring 2012 (Feb. 18, 2012)
Dreams and Dreaming introduces you to cognition and memory from the perspective of a sleeping brain, using an interdisciplinary approach of neuroscience, psychology and humanities. The Harry Potter series and the movies, Inception and The Matrix- to name just two- have lots of twists and turns and raise questions about the mind, knowledge and artificial intelligence. What's possible and what isn't? Can an idea be planted in a person's mind? Can two people share a dream? With lots of discussion, we’ll explore those questions, and more.


S5799: Myth or Truth? in Spark! 2012 (Mar. 10, 2012)
Can a person's mind be controlled? Can a person be brainwashed into believing something? We'll decode brainwashing, subliminal messages and other myths about the mind


H5800: Dreams and Dreaming in Spark! 2012 (Mar. 10, 2012)
Dreams and Dreaming introduces you to psychology, cognition and memory from the perspective of a sleeping brain, using an interdisciplinary approach of neuroscience, psychology and humanities. The Harry Potter series and the movie, Inception, has lots of twists and turns and both raise questions about the brain, knowledge and artificial intelligence. What's possible and what isn't? Can an idea be planted in a person's mind? Can two people share a dream? With lots of discussion, we’ll explore those questions, and more.


S5409: Dreams and Dreaming in Splash! 2011 (Nov. 19 - 20, 2011)
Dreams and Dreaming introduces you to cognition and memory from the perspective of a sleeping brain, using an interdisciplinary approach of neuroscience, psychology and humanities. The Harry Potter series and the movie, Inception, has lots of twists and turns and both raise questions about the brain, knowledge and artificial intelligence. What's possible and what isn't? Can an idea be planted in a person's mind? Can two people share a dream? With lots of discussion, we’ll explore those questions, and more.


H5410: Dreams and Dreaming in Splash! 2011 (Nov. 19 - 20, 2011)
Dreams and Dreaming introduces you to psychology, cognition and memory from the perspective of a sleeping brain, using an interdisciplinary approach of neuroscience, psychology and humanities. The Harry Potter series and the movie, Inception, has lots of twists and turns and both raise questions about the brain, knowledge and artificial intelligence. What's possible and what isn't? Can an idea be planted in a person's mind? Can two people share a dream? With lots of discussion, we’ll explore those questions, and more.


H4808: Dreams and Dreaming in HSSP Summer 2011 (Jul. 10, 2011)
CREATIVE AND CRITICAL THINKING about Dreams and Dreaming The class is an inter-disciplinary mix of science, psychology, philosophy, language and the arts. Dreams have been described as the doorway to the unconscious. But do we understand what we dream, or why? In deep sleep, we recreate our past memories; do we also dream and create the future? Are our dreams trying to tell us something? We'll discuss what we know about the brain and the science of thinking and the mechanics of dreaming, the theories as to where dreams come from and what they mean. And then we'll discuss the contradictions and the areas where science has no answers. As we dive deeper into trying to understand the depths of the mind we'll pivot to physics, psychology and the language of the psyche. We'll compare the theories of Dumhoff, Freud, Jung, Einstein, Perls and Cayce, among others. One class will be devoted to the artwork and the visions and lucid dreams that Carl Jung recorded in his Red Book, which was withheld from publication for over 50 years. During the last two sessions students will hold a Dream Council, using what you have learned to interpret the dreams of your fellow classmates. Each class includes examples of the creative use of dreams and dreaming in famous literature, art, music and film. Special attention will be given to oneiric film-making and the use of dream sequences. Movies will include Avatar, Inception, Shutter Island, The Matrix, Ground Hog Day, Minority Report, The Cell and Russian filmmaker Andrei Tarkovsky and Japanese filmmaker Akira Kurosawa. We discuss many topics you may never have considered or debated, it’s a lot of fun and I hope you join us. See you in class!


H4496: Dreams and Dreaming in HSSP Spring 2011 (Feb. 19, 2011)
Dreams have been described as the doorway to the unconscious. But do we understand what we dream, or why? In deep sleep, we recreate our past memories; do we also dream and create the future? Are our dreams trying to tell us something? We’ll compare the theories put forth by philosophers, psychologists, neuroscientists and storytellers. We’ll discuss the brain and the science of dreaming and thinking, including the philosophical theories of where dreams and knowledge come from. Discussion will include Einstein, Freud, Carl Jung, Artemidorus and Edgar Cayce. During the last two sessions students will hold a Dream Council, using what you have learned to interpret the dreams of your fellow classmates. Each class will include examples of dream imagery in famous art and music, with special attention to oneiric filmmaking. By the end of the course you will be able to identify archetypical images and metaphors in dreams, music, art and film. Using film theory you'll learn to reflect on the quality of a film's oneiric imagery, auteurism and cinematography. Recent movies to be shown will include Avatar and Inception and may include classics by Ingmar Bergmann, Russian filmmaker Andrei Tarkovsky and Japanese filmmaker Akira Kurosawa. We discuss many topics you may never have considered or debated, it's a lot of fun and I hope you join us. Please refer to the syllabus for more details and a list of films. See you in class!


H3665: DREAMS in HSSP Harvard HSSP Fall 2010 (Oct. 02, 2010)
CREATIVE AND CRITICAL THINKING about Dreams and Dreaming Dreams have been described as the doorway to the unconscious. But do we understand what we dream, or why? In deep sleep, we recreate our past memories; do we also dream and create the future? Are our dreams trying to tell us something? We’ll compare the answers to these questions put forth by philosophers, cognitive neuro-scientists, psychologists, and storytellers. We’ll discuss the brain and the mechanics of dreaming, the theories as to where dreams come from and what they are, including the different categories of dreams, from ancient times up to the present and open all these theories to class debate. Discussions will include Freud, Cayce, Einstein and Carl Jung. One class will be devoted to the artwork and dreams in Jung’s Red Book, which was withheld from publication for over 50 years. Each class will include examples of the creative use of dreams and dreaming in famous literature, art, music and film. Special attention will be given to oneiric film-making. Recent movies to be shown will include Avatar, Inception and Alice in Wonderland, as well as classics by Ingmar Bergmann and Japanese filmmaker Akira Kurosawa’s eight dreams.


H3588: DREAMS in HSSP Summer 2010 (Jul. 11, 2010 - Jul. 11, 2011)
WHAT ARE DREAMS? WHY DO WE DREAM? DOES EVERYONE DREAM? Do you dream in color? Are your dreams silent movies or streaming audio? Dreams have been described as the doorway to the unconscious. But do we understand what we dream? Deep in our dreams we recall and relive our past. Do we also dream our future? Are your dreams trying to tell you something? As an individual you develop your own set of images, representations and interpretations that are unique to you alone. This class will search to analyze the framework of different dreams and help you understand them. We'll explore what the experts have to say about where dreams come from and what they are. We'll look at Carl Jung and Edgar Cayce. We'll compare the various opinions put forth by other professionals including philosophers, scientists, cognitive-neuroscientists, psychiatrists, and storytellers and then open up these ideas to class debate. Over the 8 weeks we'll explore dreams and imagery in literature, music, art and the movies. We will also explore how dreams contribute to the creative process in the making of art: Henri Rousseau’s The Sleeping Gypsy, Lewis Carroll’s Alice in Wonderland and James Cameron’s Avatar for example. We'll also examine the categories of dreams and delve into the epic dream. We’ll discuss the reasons for keeping a dream journal, what a journal should include and ways to help you recall your dreams. From this journal you can develop your own dictionary of your symbols and definitions. We'll also discuss how to use your dreams for creative purposes such as writing, film-making, creating art, or practical ways that dreaming can help you score higher on a test or invent a new idea or product.