Dreams is one of the most popular electives on campus as it allows students to delve into the scientific and theological implications of dreams. Students read the works of scientists such as Michel Jouvet and Jonathan Winson, who observed dreams biochemically, and the writings of psychoanalysts such as Sigmund Freud and Carl Jung, who focused more on the content of dreams and their emotional role. This year, the course has attracted an impressive tally of about forty excited dreamers ready for a journey.  

Dr. Greene, who has been teaching this elective for five years now, described the course as a perfect “crossover between science and liberal arts.” He was inspired to create the course after watching the 2010 science-fiction movie Inception. That same year, he wrote a guild paper about dream interpretation, which was a big success and spurred interest among many students and faculty. So, he decided to replace his course on the history of fantasy with Dreams. He read extensively about dreams in preparation for the course and attended several conferences of the International Association for the Study of Dreams.

When asked about his expectation of students in this course, Dr. Greene said that, academically speaking, he hopes students “learn the systematic methodology of observing both science and religion.” He also hopes to help students gain a deeper understanding about themselves through their dreams. He explained, “It’s interesting to see how students from different cultures and backgrounds have common images in their dreams. Hearing the dreams reveals the hidden part of the iceberg and thus will help students realize what matters and what’s meaningful in their lives.”

Erica Qin ’18, who is currently taking Dreams, believes “this course opens up a world full of possibilities that has been largely ignored in our daily lives and provides us with a new and unique perspective to look into ourselves.”