ART EDUCATION
Offered Spring Semester

PROGRAM DESCRIPTION
Art Education students have the unique opportunity to apply current art education theory and practice while they work with Italian children in the local elementary school. Students gain valuable experience in teaching and in working with children of another culture while interacting with the community in a substantive way. A second class focuses on teaching the development of aesthetic understanding and the theory and methodology for making works of art meaningful and relevant to contemporary students.

ARED 3350/7350 Basic Curriculum in Art Education is the elementary methods course required for licensing and certification throughout the country. This course will be designed to cover the theory and methodology of teaching art at the elementary level and will provide unique opportunities to work with Italian children in the elementary school in the Tuscan hillside town of Cortona. These experiences will provide valuable insights into teaching the content of art to children and in working with students from another culture.

ARED 4010/6010 Art Criticism and Aesthetic Understanding addresses the inclusion of aesthetics and art criticism within the art curriculum. Students will explore methods of criticism and strategies for aesthetic inquiry. They will develop curricular materials that connect to the wealth of art found throughout Italy. Much of this art will be observed in person as field trips take students to various museums and churches throughout the region. Emphasis will be placed on connecting these experiences to issues impotant in art today.