Abstract
Narratives help situate arts and humanities, exploring the creation, interpretation, and appreciation of artifacts as well as making sense of the world, especially for students who find chronology and history challenging and alienating. The majority of introduction to arts and humanities textbooks use chronology as the primary way of teaching about art; however, this study argues that narratives as an alternative to chronology can help students’ engagement, comprehension, and retention. Narratives can explicate original historical contexts as well as recontextualize art in light of contemporary political and social issues, emphasizing multiple perspectives and encouraging students to develop alternative ways of seeing and knowing. Such issues need to be at the core of introduction to arts and humanities courses taught in many community colleges, four-year colleges, and universities. The application of the narrative approach in classroom practice is illustrated using four artifacts across periods and cultures: Piero della Francesca’s The Duke and Duchess of Urbino, Pieter Bruegel the Elder’s Landscape with the Fall of Icarus, John Everett Millais’s Ophelia, and Wangechi Mutu’s Water Woman. These artifacts are contextualized through personal, community, global, and universal narratives that help students become active learners demonstrating (in both their discussion and writing) art’s meaning and relevance. Narratives help students understand art, retain that understanding, and make meaningful connections with their personal, academic, and professional lives. De-emphasizing chronology and emphasizing narrative should become common practice in introduction to arts and humanities classes so that students can connect arts and humanities to their everyday lives.
Presenters
Maria CochranAssociate Professor, English, Communication, Humanities, Des Moines Area Community College, Ankeny, Iowa, United States
Details
Presentation Type
Paper Presentation in a Themed Session
Theme
KEYWORDS
Narrative, Pedagogy, Active Learning, Arts and Humanities
