Seminars

The Creative Pulse 2013 Seminars

Week 1
THE ARTS AND HUMAN DEVELOPMENT: LEADERSHIP IN LEARNING
June 18-24 (Tues-Mon), 1:30 – 5:30 PM, Masquer Theatre 

The old Federal games of “No Child Left Behind” and “Race To The Top” and whatever the newest “political-quick-fix” to emerge are only the conclusions of a long series of misconceptions about the needs of our students and the nature of real learning and real thinking. Habits of thinking, as well as processes of conceiving, developing, shaping and refining ideas and concepts are an essential part of training in the arts; and they develop in the students, mental processes and intellectual abilities that deepen and strengthen critical, creative and layered thinking in all other domains.

Leadership is essentially about effecting significant CHANGE. And this CHANGE most often means a change of mind and the way we conceive or perceive problems. The contemporary Leaders in Learning that this seminar is focused on will be Howard Gardner and his Theory of Multiple Intelligences. We will feature the study and practice of his Naturalist and proposed Spiritual Intelligences that will urge us into considering the relationship between scientific learning/practice and artistic learning/practice.

ART/MUSE/THTR 582, Sec. 80, 2 credits
Instructor:  Dr. Randy Bolton

Week 2
THEATRE IN EDUCATION
June 25-July 1 (Tues - Mon), 1:30 – 5:30 PM, Masquer Theatre
The Theatre in Education (TIE) practice is a distinct teaching method born out of the United Kingdom in the 1960's and 70's.   K-12 educators were seeking a way to bolster their academic teaching methodologies, and UK Theatres rose to the challenge by developing a system of embedding interactive plays into academic subjects. This Creative Pulse course will chart the history and theories of the TIE practice, and focus on ways in which teachers of any subject can use this art form in their own classrooms to serve as an adjunct to traditional pedagogies. Each Creative Pulse student will choose a specific academic subject to research in depth, and ten minute plays will be written to both introduce and analyze the new information.

ART/MUSE/THTR 583, Sec. 80, 2 credits
Instructor:  Dr. Jillian Campana

Week 3
SOCIAL JUSTICE ARTMAKING:  CONNECTING, QUESTIONING, AND TRANSLATING
July 2-8 (Tues - Mon [no class 7/4]), 1:00 - 6:00 PM, Masquer Theatre
In this seminar, students will first explore the parameters around social justice art. The course addresses contemporary artists who make work that draws attention to, mobilizes action towards, or attempts to intervene systems of inequality or injustice. Students will reflect on their own identities, experiences, and interests to identify project topics that are meaningful and rooted in their own lives. Through these connections students will learn about the nature of injustice, identify topics of interest, and conduct research relating to their aesthetic interests.
  
ART/MUSE/THTR 584, Sec. 80, 2 cr.
Instructor:  Jennifer Combe

Week 4
TECHNOLOGY IN TEACHING AND LEARNING
July 9-15 (Tues - Mon), 1:30 – 5:30 PM, Masquer Theatre
This course will explore relevant and applicable uses of technology in schools. In class, we will consider and discuss the philosophical, pedagogical, and psychological implications of utilizing technology in K-12 classrooms. We will also investigate topics including, the role of technology in education, how technology informs and impacts teaching and learning, and the usage of software, hardware, and online resources in the planning and delivery of information in K-12 classrooms.

ART/MUSE/THTR 585, Sec. 80, 2 credits
Instructor: Dr. Lori Gray

Week 5
THE KINESTHETIC INTELLIGENCE:  THE BODY AND ITS ROLE IN LEARNING
July 16-19 (Tues - Fri), 1:00 – 6:00 PM, Masquer Theatre

Although we live in an era of testing, many educators agree that logical/analytical tests, administered with paper and pencil while sitting at desks, are not the ideal methods for assessing understanding and channeling information.  Through Piaget, we know that “Knowledge is tied to actions.”  It is through physical explorations and discoveries that the first structures of the mind are formed.  This language of the body has a vital role in the learning environment, yet it is often undervalued and even discouraged in schools. This course will introduce the bodily-kinesthetic intelligence, and help educators identify bodily-kinesthetic students.  Discussion and body-centered activities will address the role of the body in the learning process, and help to better understand the connection between the body and the mind.

ART/MUSE/THTR 586, Sec. 80, 2 credits
Instructor:  Karen A. Kaufmann