Course Syllabus

Course Description

Why do we root for terrible people, fall in love with fictional characters, and desperately need to know what happens next? Why do some stories grip us while others lose us completely? Drawing on psychology, neuroscience, narrative theory, and contemporary television, this course explores how stories capture our attention, create emotion, and shape the way we understand ourselves and the world around us.

Through discussion, analysis, and accessible creative exercises, students will examine the heroes, antiheroes, villains, and unexpected transformations that make stories work. Using examples from television, literature, and everyday life, we will investigate how writers create tension, why audiences connect with certain characters, and what stories do to our brains. We will also consider how stories reflect and shape ideas about power, class, identity, and belonging.

The course unfolds in four stages. First, we explore why humans need stories, what storytelling does to the brain, and how a story begins. Next, we watch a contemporary television series, imagine what should happen next, and film our own version of the ending. Then we write, experiment, play with ideas, and create stories of our own. Finally, we bring those stories into the workshop, reshape them through feedback, and present the finished work.

No previous creative writing experience is needed. The course is designed to welcome first-time writers while giving more experienced writers opportunities to experiment, take creative risks, and develop their craft. Students will develop a story of their own, exploring both how it is written and how it is told.

Learning Objectives

By the end of the course, students will be able to:

• Explain, using insights from psychology and neuroscience, why humans create, need, and respond to stories.
• Identify and analyze key principles of narrative structure, character development, tension, and change.
• Examine how stories reflect and influence cultural ideas about power, class, identity, and belonging.
• Apply storytelling principles and constructive feedback to the creation and revision of an original narrative.
• Develop confidence in crafting and narrating a story, with attention to voice, pacing, and the listener’s experience.

Faculty

Michael Ioannou holds an MA in Transnational Creative Writing and Editing and an MA in Advanced Teaching, both from Stockholm University. He is a Professor of English at Jensen Education and has taught literature, creative writing, and storytelling for nearly two decades.

A writer, editor, publisher, and educator, Michael is fascinated by stories in all their forms: on the page, on screen, and in the narratives people construct about themselves. His professional experience spans journalism, publishing, and television, including work on the acclaimed crime dramas Snabba Cash, Top Boy, and the Greek series Eteros Ego. His academic interests centre on storytelling, popular culture, identity, and creative writing pedagogy.

He particularly enjoys introducing students to creative writing and helping them develop the confidence to tell stories of their own. He has been a faculty member with DIS since 2023.

 

Readings

Will Storr, The Science of Storytelling (2019)

John Yorke, Into the Woods: How Stories Work and Why We Tell Them (2013)

Stephen King, On Writing: A Memoir of the Craft (2020)

Selected short stories by George Saunders, Etgar Keret, Margaret Atwood, Alice Munro, and Carmen Maria Machado.

Additional readings will be supplied on Canvas.

 

Field Studies

Field Study 1: Stories, Writing, and Fika at Gunnarsons
We will visit Gunnarsons, one of Stockholm's historic cafés and a well-known cultural meeting place. Over fika—and plenty to eat—we will observe, discuss, write, and experiment with stories inspired by the people and atmosphere around us. The field study offers an opportunity to explore how place, conversation, and everyday life can become material for storytelling.

Field Study 2: To Be Determined
If access permits, we will visit the set of a television series or film and explore how stories move from the page to the screen. Alternatively, we will visit a writing café for a session centred on observation, discussion, and developing our own work.

 

Approach to Teaching

This is an interactive course built around discussion, close analysis, creative exercises, and workshops. Together, we will examine stories from television and literature, test narrative ideas through writing, and learn by reading and responding to one another's work.

The course is challenging, but it should also be enjoyable. We will talk, write, debate, workshop, occasionally eat together, and take pleasure in discovering why stories work. Students are encouraged to bring their own experiences, interests, and curiosity into the classroom.

Expectations of the Students

Students are expected to attend every class, arrive prepared, and participate actively. This includes completing assigned readings and writing, contributing thoughtfully to discussions, listening respectfully, and giving constructive feedback to others. Being present means being engaged: phones and other distractions should be put away unless they are required for class.

Workshops depend on the participation of the whole group. Any workshop missed, for whatever reason, must be made up by submitting equivalent written work. However, make-up work cannot fully replace the collaborative experience of attending and contributing to the workshop.

Use of AI: AI tools may be used only when permitted for a particular assignment. Any use must be clearly disclosed, including which tool was used and how it contributed to the work. Undisclosed use of AI will be treated as an academic integrity concern.

Evaluation and Grading

Grading Breakdown

Assignment	Percent
Creative Writing & Analysis	30%
Reflections & Analysis	25%
TV Show Analysis	20%
Engaged and Informed Participation	25%
Total	100%

Participation includes arriving prepared, engaging thoughtfully in discussions and workshops, completing the assigned readings and exercises, and providing constructive feedback to others.

 

Assignments

Creative Writing & Analysis
Students take an original story from its initial concept to a completed version through experimentation, drafting, workshops, and revision. Assessment considers the purposeful use of narrative structure and course concepts, engagement with feedback, development throughout the process, and the completed work.

Reflections & Analysis
Short reflections and exploratory tasks invite students to connect course concepts, readings, television, and their developing understanding of storytelling.

TV Show Analysis
Students choose between collaboratively reimagining and filming an ending to a contemporary television series or producing an individual narrative analysis of the series.

Engaged and Informed Participation
Students are assessed on preparation, active participation in discussions and exercises, workshop contribution, and constructive feedback.