The arts can play a critically important role in developing thinking and perception. In The Arts and the Creation of Mind, Elliot Eisner argues that–while our brains are key biological resources–we do not learn to use our brains in culturally meaningful ways until after birth. Experiences has a profound effect on our developing minds, on how we learn to think and what we are able to think about. In this course, we look at the crucial role that the arts can play in supporting healthy development.
Learning Objectives for Week 1:
- Understand the requirements of the course
- Discuss how creating representations of experience is vital to forming meaningful memories and sharing our experiences with others, enabling us to live in “larger world.”
- Utilize “Lakota Winter Counts” to demonstrate how representation supports memory
- Write and illustrate haiku poems to experience how combining poetry and art can heighten perception and recall