critical thinking visual culture

Understanding What is Visual Culture Art Education

Table of Contents

Visual Culture Art Education (VCAE) is a groundbreaking field that aims to incorporate visual culture, including popular culture, into art curricula. By integrating visual culture in the classroom, students can develop critical thinking skills and navigate the complex world of signs and symbols. VCAE adopts inquiry-based and constructivist pedagogical approaches, empowering students to actively participate in their own learning.

Key Takeaways:

• Visual Culture Art Education (VCAE) integrates visual culture into art curricula.
• By incorporating visual culture, students develop critical thinking skills.
• VCAE adopts inquiry-based and constructivist pedagogical approaches.
• Students become active participants in their own learning.
• Visual culture enhances art education and prepares students for a visually-oriented world.

The Role of Visual Culture in Art Education

Visual culture plays a vital role in art education, expanding the boundaries of artistic study beyond traditional art forms. It encompasses a diverse range of visual expressions, including popular media, advertising, and photography. By incorporating visual culture into art pedagogy, educators can engage students in critical thinking, encourage self-expression, and foster a deeper understanding of social and cultural issues.

Visual culture allows students to explore diverse perspectives, challenge dominant ideologies, and actively participate in shaping their own visual worlds. It provides a platform for students to analyze and interpret visual messages, developing their visual literacy skills. By exposing students to a wide range of visual stimuli, educators can enhance their ability to think critically about the world around them and cultivate empathy, creativity, and cross-cultural awareness.

Expanding Art Pedagogy with Visual Culture

• Incorporating visual culture in art education expands the scope of artistic study beyond traditional art forms
• Visual culture engages students in critical thinking and encourages self-expression
• Visual culture fosters a deeper understanding of social and cultural issues
• Visual culture allows students to explore diverse perspectives and challenge dominant ideologies

By integrating visual culture into art pedagogy, educators create dynamic and engaging learning environments that promote creativity, self-expression, and interdisciplinary thinking. Visual culture pedagogy emphasizes inquiry-based methods, critical thinking, and meaningful connections between course materials and students’ lives, empowering students to actively participate in their own learning. Through visual culture, students develop the skills and knowledge necessary to navigate and thrive in today’s visually-oriented society.

Integrating Visual Culture in the Art Curriculum

Integrating visual culture in the art curriculum is essential for creating engaging and meaningful learning experiences for students. By incorporating visual artifacts and experiences from everyday life, educators can bridge the gap between the classroom and the real world, allowing students to make personal connections to their own experiences and backgrounds.

One way to integrate visual culture in the art curriculum is through the use of multimedia resources. This can include incorporating videos, images, and digital platforms that reflect diverse visual expressions and popular culture. By leveraging these resources, students can explore and analyze a wide range of visual stimuli, expanding their understanding of art beyond traditional forms and techniques.

Another effective method is through field trips to museums or galleries. Exposing students to contemporary art exhibitions and installations allows them to engage with visual culture in a direct and immersive way. These experiences encourage students to critically analyze and interpret visual messages, fostering a deeper understanding of social and cultural issues represented in the artworks.

Exploring Visual Culture in Art Classrooms

Discussions on contemporary art practices are also instrumental in integrating visual culture in the art curriculum. By exploring the works of contemporary artists who draw inspiration from popular culture and mass media, students can gain insights into the intersection between visual culture and art. These discussions enable students to reflect on the social, cultural, and political implications of visual art, fostering critical thinking and encouraging them to develop their own artistic voices influenced by visual culture.

Overall, integrating visual culture in the art curriculum allows students to develop a deeper understanding of the world around them and cultivates creativity, empathy, and cross-cultural awareness. It provides them with the tools to navigate and thrive in our visually-oriented society, empowering them to become active participants in shaping their own visual worlds.

Benefits of Integrating Visual Culture in Art Education:

• Enhances students’ visual literacy skills by exposing them to diverse visual stimuli.
• Fosters critical thinking and analysis of social and cultural issues represented in visual artifacts.
• Encourages personal connections and self-expression through exploring students’ own experiences and backgrounds.
• Expands students’ understanding of contemporary art practices and their own artistic voices.
• Promotes creativity, empathy, and cross-cultural awareness.

Visual Culture and Art Pedagogy

Incorporating visual culture into art pedagogy is essential for creating dynamic and engaging learning environments. This approach recognizes the profound impact of visual culture on students’ lives and encourages educators to embrace it as a tool for art education. By integrating visual culture into art pedagogy, students can develop a deeper understanding of the visual world and cultivate critical thinking skills.

Visual culture art pedagogy encourages educators to adopt an inquiry-based approach that values students’ individual perspectives and interests. It emphasizes the importance of making meaningful connections between course materials and students’ lives, allowing for more personalized and relevant learning experiences. Additionally, visual culture pedagogy promotes interdisciplinary thinking, enabling students to explore the intersection between art, popular media, and everyday life.

Through visual culture art pedagogy, students can explore diverse artistic practices, challenge dominant ideologies, and critically analyze social and cultural issues. By engaging with visual artifacts from popular culture, advertising, and photography, students gain a deeper understanding of the power of images and the ways in which they shape society. This empowers students to become active participants in shaping their own visual worlds and fosters a lifelong appreciation for the arts.

The Impact of Visual Culture on Students’ Learning

Visual culture has a profound impact on students’ learning in art education. By exposing students to a diverse range of visual stimuli, educators can enhance their visual literacy skills and develop their ability to analyze and interpret visual messages. Engaging with visual culture allows students to navigate the complex world of signs and symbols, fostering a deeper understanding of the cultural and social issues represented in visual artifacts.

Furthermore, exploring visual culture in art classrooms encourages students to question, challenge, and critically engage with the visual world around them. By analyzing and interpreting visual expressions from everyday life, students can develop a greater awareness of the perspectives and ideologies embedded in visual culture. This cultivates empathy, creativity, and cross-cultural awareness, empowering students to become active participants in shaping their own visual worlds.

Exploring visual culture in art classrooms offers students the opportunity to develop higher-order thinking skills, such as analysis, synthesis, and evaluation. By critically engaging with visual artifacts, students learn to make connections between art and the world in which they live. They gain the ability to interpret visual messages, decode symbols, and understand how cultural and societal values are communicated through visual representations.

The Benefits of Exploring Visual Culture in Art Classrooms:

• Enhanced visual literacy skills
• Deeper understanding of cultural and social issues
• Development of critical thinking skills
• Promotion of empathy and cross-cultural awareness
• Active participation in shaping visual worlds

Overall, integrating visual culture into art education not only enriches students’ learning experiences but also equips them with the skills and knowledge to navigate and thrive in today’s visually-oriented society.

Visual Culture and Student Engagement

Visual culture plays a crucial role in fostering student engagement in art education. By incorporating elements of visual culture that resonate with students’ interests and experiences, educators can create a more meaningful and relevant learning environment.

Here are some ways in which visual culture can enhance student engagement in art classrooms:

• Connecting art to students’ everyday lives: Introducing visual culture that reflects students’ personal experiences and backgrounds can spark their interest and make art education more relatable. By exploring themes and images that students encounter in their daily lives, educators can create a sense of relevance and foster a deeper connection to the subject matter.
• Encouraging critical thinking and self-expression: Visual culture provides a rich platform for students to analyze, interpret, and express their thoughts and ideas. By using visual artifacts from popular culture, media, and contemporary art, educators can prompt students to think critically, question dominant narratives, and develop their own unique perspectives.
• Promoting active participation and collaboration: Visual culture often stimulates conversations and discussions among students. By incorporating group activities, presentations, and debates centered around visual culture, educators can encourage active participation and interaction, fostering a collaborative learning environment where students can learn from one another’s experiences and opinions.

Exploring Visual Culture in the Art Classroom

When exploring visual culture in the art classroom, educators have the opportunity to open doors to a diverse range of art practices and artistic voices. Through engaging with visual culture, students can develop a broader understanding of the world and gain insight into different perspectives and cultural contexts.

Here are some strategies to explore visual culture in the art classroom:

• Field trips to museums and galleries: Visiting museums and galleries allows students to engage directly with visual culture and experience different forms of artistic expression firsthand. It provides opportunities for students to analyze and interpret artworks, fostering a deeper appreciation for diverse art practices.
• Using multimedia resources: Incorporating multimedia resources, such as videos, documentaries, and online platforms, can expose students to a wide range of visual artifacts and artistic practices. This enables them to explore different art forms, styles, and ideologies, expanding their understanding of visual culture and its impact.
• Facilitating open discussions: Encouraging open discussions about visual culture in the art classroom creates a space for students to share their opinions, ask questions, and exchange ideas. By fostering a supportive and inclusive environment, educators can promote critical thinking and cultural awareness among students.

By integrating visual culture into art education, educators can captivate students’ interest, foster their creativity, and empower them to actively participate in their own learning. Visual culture not only enhances student engagement but also equips them with the skills and knowledge to navigate and thrive in today’s visually-oriented world.

Visual Culture in Contemporary Art Practices

Visual culture is an integral part of contemporary art practices, influencing artists’ creative processes and the ways in which they convey their messages. In today’s visually-oriented society, many artists draw inspiration from various aspects of visual culture, including popular media, advertising, and technology. By exploring the intersection between visual culture and contemporary art, educators can expose students to a diverse range of artistic practices and expand their understanding of the art world.

Through the study of visual culture in art classrooms, students gain insights into the social, cultural, and political implications of visual art. They develop critical thinking skills as they examine the meaning and significance behind visual artifacts. Visual culture also encourages students to question and challenge dominant ideologies, fostering a deeper understanding of the world around them.

By incorporating visual culture into art education, students have the opportunity to develop their own artistic voices that are informed by the visual culture in which they are immersed. They can explore their own identities, express their ideas, and participate in critical conversations. Visual culture provides a platform for students to make personal connections between art and their everyday lives, making art education more engaging and relevant.

• Engage students in discussions on contemporary art that incorporates visual culture elements
• Encourage students to analyze visual artifacts from popular media and advertising
• Expose students to diverse artistic practices that draw inspiration from visual culture
• Facilitate critical thinking by asking students to question the social and cultural implications of visual art
• Encourage students to create their own artwork that reflects their understanding of visual culture

By exploring visual culture in art classrooms, educators can provide students with a well-rounded art education that prepares them to navigate the visually-rich world in which we live. Through the integration of visual culture, students can develop a deeper appreciation for contemporary art practices and develop the skills necessary to critically engage with visual artifacts.

Evolving Perspectives on Visual Culture Art Education

As visual culture art education continues to evolve, educators and researchers are constantly exploring new ways to integrate visual culture into art curricula. This includes examining the impact of digital technologies, globalization, and cultural diversity on visual culture and art education. By understanding and integrating visual culture, educators can provide students with a well-rounded education that prepares them for the visually-oriented world they live in.

Embracing Digital Technologies

In today’s digital age, visual culture has expanded to encompass various forms of visual media, including social media, video games, and virtual reality. This digital landscape presents both opportunities and challenges for art educators. By embracing digital technologies, educators can expose students to a wide range of visual stimuli and provide them with the tools and skills necessary to navigate and critically analyze digital art forms. Additionally, integrating digital technologies into the art curriculum allows students to explore new modes of creative expression and opens up avenues for interdisciplinary collaboration.

Promoting Cultural Diversity

Cultural diversity plays a significant role in visual culture, and art educators have a responsibility to ensure that their curriculum reflects and celebrates this diversity. By integrating visual culture from various cultural perspectives and traditions, educators can create a more inclusive learning environment that values and respects the cultural backgrounds and identities of all students. This promotes cross-cultural understanding and empathy, while also challenging dominant narratives and stereotypes.

Fostering Social Justice and Advocacy

Visual culture can be a powerful tool for social justice and advocacy. Art educators can use visual culture to encourage critical thinking and dialogue around social issues, such as systemic racism, gender inequality, and climate change. By exploring visual artifacts that address these topics, students can develop a deeper understanding of social injustices and become empowered to use their artistic voice to promote positive change in their communities. Visual culture art education can help students recognize the power of art as a catalyst for social transformation and inspire them to become engaged citizens.

As we continue to explore and integrate visual culture into art education, it is important to recognize the evolving nature of the field. Visual culture art education is not a static discipline, but rather a dynamic and responsive practice that adapts to the changing needs and interests of students. By understanding visual culture and integrating it into the art curriculum, educators can provide students with a rich and meaningful learning experience that empowers them to navigate and thrive in today’s visually-oriented society.

Visual culture art education is a dynamic and interdisciplinary field that enriches traditional art education by incorporating elements of popular culture, media, and visual technologies. By integrating visual culture into the art curriculum, educators empower students to be active participants in shaping their own visual worlds and developing critical thinking skills.

Visual culture art education encourages students to explore diverse perspectives, challenge dominant ideologies, and make personal connections to their own experiences. Through visual culture, students develop a deeper understanding of the world around them and cultivate creativity, empathy, and cross-cultural awareness.

The ongoing exploration and integration of visual culture in art education ensure that students are prepared to navigate and thrive in today’s visually-oriented society. To learn more about visual culture art education and its impact on students’ learning, visit Exquisitive Education.

What is Visual Culture Art Education?

Visual Culture Art Education is an emerging field of study and practice within art education that seeks to integrate visual culture, including popular culture, into art curricula to make art instruction more relevant to students.

What is the role of visual culture in art education?

Visual culture plays a crucial role in art education by expanding the scope of artistic study beyond traditional art forms. It encompasses a wide range of visual expressions, including popular media, advertising, and photography.

How can visual culture be integrated into the art curriculum?

Integrating visual culture in the art curriculum involves incorporating visual artifacts and experiences from everyday life into the classroom. This can be done through the use of multimedia resources, field trips to museums or galleries, and discussions on contemporary art practices.

How does visual culture inform art pedagogy?

Visual culture informs art pedagogy by providing a framework for exploring and understanding the visual world. It encourages educators to adopt a student-centered approach that values students’ individual perspectives and interests.

What is the impact of visual culture on students’ learning in art education?

Visual culture has a significant impact on students’ learning in art education. By exposing students to a wide range of visual stimuli, educators can enhance their visual literacy skills and develop their ability to analyze and interpret visual messages.

How does visual culture contribute to student engagement in art education?

How does visual culture intersect with contemporary art practices.

Visual culture is deeply embedded in contemporary art practices. Many contemporary artists draw inspiration from popular culture, mass media, and visual technologies in their work.

How are perspectives on visual culture art education evolving?

Perspectives on visual culture art education continue to evolve as educators and researchers explore new ways of integrating visual culture into art curricula.

What is the conclusion of visual culture art education?

Visual culture art education is a dynamic and interdisciplinary field that enriches traditional art education by incorporating elements of popular culture, media, and visual technologies.

About The Author

Ethan Emerson

Ethan Emerson is a passionate author and dedicated advocate for the transformative power of education. With a background in teaching and a love for writing, Ethan brings a unique blend of expertise and creativity to his contributions on ExquisitiveEducation.com .His articles are a delightful mix of insightful knowledge and engaging storytelling, aiming to inspire and empower learners of all ages. Ethan's mission is to ignite the spark of curiosity and foster a love for learning in every reader.Ethan Emerson, is your companion in the realm of general education exploration. With a passion for knowledge, He delves into the intricate world of Education Expenses & Discounts , uncovering financial insights for your educational journey. From the vitality of Physical Education to the synergy of Education & Technology , Ethan's here to bridge the gap between traditional and innovative learning methods. Discover the art of crafting impressive Resume & Personal Documentation in Education , as well as insights into diverse Career Paths, Degrees & Educational Requirements . Join Ethan in navigating through a sea of Educational Courses & Classes , exploring the nuances of various Education Systems , and understanding the empowering realm of Special Education . With an eye on Teaching & Teachers , He offers a glimpse into the world of educators who shape minds. Let's unlock Studying Tips & Learning Methods that turn education into a delightful journey of growth with Exquisitive Education .

Related Posts

Discover What is Wholesome Education: Guide for US Parents

Understanding What is Political Apathy in Civic Education

Legally Fit: Understanding the Legal Basis of Physical Education

Leave a reply cancel reply.

Save my name, email, and website in this browser for the next time I comment.

• Forgot your Password?

First, please create an account

The importance of vision and visual culture, 1. influence of visual communication.

Visual culture , a field of academic study that emphasizes the cultural meaning of a work of art rather than its aesthetic value, often involves the analysis of visual communication.

This type of communication can be a form of nonverbal persuasion, whether or not it’s intended that way. Because it functions on a subconscious level, the effects can sometimes be quite persuasive; advertisers, marketers, and propagandists know this.

Visual propaganda is a way people try to influence others by projecting their belief systems through pictures or film. The Nazis in particular were notorious for their use of political and ideological propaganda.

These advertisers, marketers, and propagandists rely on snap judgments. Pictures can be very persuasive simply because visual images tend to stick in people’s minds, and people are quick to make judgments on what they see. These judgments can then become ingrained as facts without people even realizing it.

IN CONTEXT The following are some examples of propaganda. This type of visual persuasion has existed throughout time because it’s very effective. Once the image takes hold, it’s very difficult to disassociate it with the idea that it’s connected to. This first image example is from the World War I era. It’s a piece of war propaganda showing the Kaiser of Germany devouring the planet. War propaganda from World War I Here is a piece of Nazi propaganda showing the dangers of the Bolshevik Revolution, which was occurring in Russia at the time: Nazi Propaganda from 1937 Here is a piece of propaganda that could be considered fine art, depicting King Louis of France, or the Sun King, as he was known. This painting shows him as the god Jupiter: Portrait of Louis XIV by Charles Poerson This is a piece of propaganda from 15th century Europe, showing the Ottomans, or the Ottoman Turks, in a very negative light: Anti-Muslim propaganda in Germany from 16th century

Propaganda has existed as long as there’s been politics and artwork to go along with it. Visual propaganda has existed in many different forms; this aggressive method of advertising can thus have a strong influence on mass culture , or ideas developed from the exposure to the same media.

terms to know Visual Culture A field of academic study that emphasizes the cultural meaning of a work of art rather than its aesthetic value Advertising The act or profession of calling attention to one’s products and services through paid announcements in print and other communications media Mass Culture The set of ideas and values developed through exposure to the same broadcast, print, and Internet media outlets

2. Importance of Critical Thinking

To fight the power of persuasion, you need to use critical thinking , or purposeful reflective judgment involving an investigation of assumptions and hidden values, and the careful evaluation of evidence.

IN CONTEXT After the attacks of 9/11, images of the Taliban—and in particular Osama Bin Laden—were everywhere. Attacks on male members of the Sikh religion, whose adherents are required to wear a turban, skyrocketed following 9/11. Yet Sikhs are a religion centered in India, not in the Middle East, and they have no known group affiliation with the Taliban or terrorism at all. People simply associated the turban with the Taliban, and in turn, terrorism in general. This is an example of how powerful images can be, and how strong the associations with information can be, regardless of whether that information is true or false.

Art history teaches you how to engage via critical thinking with images you encounter on a daily basis, making you more consciously aware of the visual information that’s being interpreted.

term to know Critical Thinking Purposeful reflective judgment that involves an investigation of assumptions and hidden values, and the careful evaluation of evidence

summary In this tutorial, you learned that people are often unaware of the influence of visual communication , a nonverbal form of persuasion that functions on a subconscious level. This type of advertising, particularly in the form of propaganda, has existed throughout time because it’s very effective. Once the image takes hold, it’s very difficult to disassociate it with the idea to which it’s connected. In relation to this, you also learned about the importance of critical thinking to fight the power of persuasion. Critical thinking is purposeful reflective judgment involving an investigation of assumptions and hidden values, and the careful evaluation of evidence. Art history promotes this type of thinking by making you more consciously aware of the context behind what you’re viewing. Good luck!

Source: THIS TUTORIAL WAS AUTHORED BY IAN MCCONNELL FOR SOPHIA LEARNING. Please see our Terms of Use .

The act or profession of calling attention to one’s products and services through paid announcements in print and other communications media.

Purposeful reflective judgment that involves an investigation of assumptions and hidden values, and the careful evaluation of evidence.

The set of ideas and values developed through exposure to the same broadcast, print, and internet media outlets.

A field of academic study that emphasizes the cultural meaning of a work of art rather than its aesthetic value.

• Privacy Policy
• Cookie Policy
• Terms of Use

© 2024 SOPHIA Learning, LLC. SOPHIA is a registered trademark of SOPHIA Learning, LLC.

• Our Mission

Visual Art as Critical Thinking

Creative approaches to core subjects

We've heard this story before. The first thing to go in budget cuts is the visual art program or another related art. Proponents of arts education counter with the usual rhetoric on the importance of self-expression and creativity. I, myself, am a product of arts education.

From the early age of kindergarten I was in musical theater. I eventually transitioned in music as a focus, and was a choir nerd in middle school and into college. In fact, my participation in Jazz Choir kept me in school, as I struggled with depression as a young adult. I kept singing into college, where I led the jazz and a cappella ensemble, and participated in a semiprofessional jazz ensemble the Seattle Jazz Singers . Although my schedule no longer allows me to sing on a regular basis, karaoke continually calls my name. I'm sure many of you had have had a similar experience, where art remains a crucial part of your being. These stories alone say "Yes!" to arts education.

Well, I have another argument to advocate for arts education. Visual arts (as well as other arts) are an excellent discipline to build and utilize critical thinking skills. I don't think we often give credit to the deep conceptual and interpretational thinking that goes into the creation of a piece of art, and this is often because art is treated as something separate from the core content areas. School does not need to be this way. In fact, I have recently seen two excellent ways that art can be used to wrestle with rigorous content from the core while allowing for creativity and expression.

I had the privilege of visiting High Tech High and Middle in San Diego, California. The first thing I noticed that art was vital to the culture of the school. Whether using physics content to create kinetic art with pulleys or to create 21st century resumes (see photo above), teachers embraced art as part of the culture of study.

Chris Uyeda was nice enough to sit down with me to talk about a recent chemistry project by his students. They were told that the common image of the atom was WRONG, and that they needed to create a pitch for a better representation of it. Chemistry and the study of the atom require deep conceptual thinking, some of which is hard to grasp. Chris saw art as an opportunity to have students critically think around the content to create a beautiful art piece. The student example below shows just one student's take on a more appropriate representation of the atom through the motif of bees and beehive. Art was a great way to familiarize students with critical content they would need later in the course.

A colleague of mine, Dayna Laur, a social studies teacher at Central High School in York, Pennsylvania, worked with her art teacher colleague Katlyn Wolfgang to ingrate the study of art and politics. Edutopia featured their story and advice , and you can use some of their resources. The driving question for the project was, "How can art reflect and inform the public about policy-making agendas?" In it, the students had to collaborate across classrooms to create an art piece that had a message.

More than just making connections, the art students had to use their critical thinking skills not only to understand all the information and nuances of their public policy issue, but also to synthesize it into an art piece that conveyed a message. Students researched legislation, background information and other pertinent content. Instead of simply creating artwork with a message (which is a natural function of art), they had to wrestle first with critical content of politics and social studies before creating the art piece. Student examples are pictured above and below.

Teachers, your mission is finding ways to integrate art into the core subjects. Use your students' creative impulses to bring a new purpose to interpreting, conceptualizing and critically thinking around content. This type of integration can work for ANY discipline. It will help to value art as not just a separate entity, but rather integral to the school culture. Art is important as a single subject, but also should be valued as core through rigorous integration. In addition to being a fulfilling part of your students' lives, it can engage them in the core content.

ART 8 : Introduction to Visual Thinking

Course Description

Art 8 considers contemporary art as fundamentally emerging from a larger system of visual culture that cuts across many material forms and platforms, from unique works in traditional media like oil painting viewed in museums, to time-based photographic media, to ecological, social, or networked practices. In lecture and studio sections we will encounter and learn terms and concepts common to contemporary visual culture. We examine issues arising from the history, economics, and institutionalization of art as well as issues in contemporary art making and critical thinking. We will discuss and practice material, critical, and presentation skills. In three larger and 6 smaller projects students will progressively define and articulate their subjective interests, conceptual urgencies, and material or procedural affinities. Art 8’s goal is to further students’ own sense of direction and voice as young artists by guiding you toward critical and imaginative skills, toward a practice radical openness and productive doubt, and toward ever-greater awareness knowledge of the cultural contexts you work and live within.

Arts+Design Initiative Fund

• Previous Issue
• Previous Article
• Next Article

Assembling Visuality: Social Media, Everyday Imaging, and Critical Thinking in Digital Visual Culture

• Split-Screen
• Article contents
• Figures & tables
• Supplementary Data
• Peer Review
• Open the PDF for in another window
• Permissions
• Cite Icon Cite
• Search Site

Aaron D. Knochel; Assembling Visuality: Social Media, Everyday Imaging, and Critical Thinking in Digital Visual Culture. Visual Arts Research 1 December 2013; 39 (2): 13–27. doi: https://doi.org/10.5406/visuartsrese.39.2.0013

Download citation file:

• Reference Manager

Art education faces significant curricular challenges through the confluence of two contributing innovations that are transforming learning in the art classroom: networked digital technologies and shifts in curricular focus to a visual culture pedagogy. These shifts present forms of visual research in student’s learning that may involve crowdsourcing a community of users, analysis of the social practice of tagging, or assembling image collections that allow students to engage in understanding visuality. Visuality, as a central construct of critical thinking in visual culture, assembles social constructions of images that are often invisible to understand the performativity of visual culture in constructing our social worlds. Efforts to augment the curriculum of a university-level art education course to explore the opportunities social media provides to build students’ critical thinking skills in their relationships to images in a visual culture are reviewed. These investigations in visuality and social media provide an indication of the ways that the field of art education, through a visual culture pedagogy, may contribute to critical thinking in a participatory culture.

Advertisement

Citing articles via

Email alerts, related articles.

• Issue Alerts
• For Authors
• About This Journal

Affiliations

• Online ISSN 2151-8009
• Print ISSN 0736-0770
• Scholarly Publishing Collective
• A Duke University Press initiative
• Phone:  (888) 651-0122
• International:  +1 (919) 688-5134
• Email:  [email protected]
• Partners  
• for librarians  
• for agents  
• for publishers
• Michigan State University Press
• Penn State University Press
• University of Illinois Press
• Duke University Press
• Accessibility
• Terms and Conditions
• Get Adobe Acrobat Reader

This Feature Is Available To Subscribers Only

Sign In or Create an Account

On the site

February 2, 2021

Visual culture: Critical seeing for the 21st century

SupaduDev | Art

“Visual culture is never neutral, and is thus never without value.”

“Visual culture,” Alexis Boylan notes, “has always been inscribed by the dominant and by domination, yet it has also always contained resistance, reversal, and subversion.”

In this historic era of unprecedented visuality, questions about the nature of visual culture have never seemed more alive. The urgencies of racial and gender inequity, the devastation of global health crises, and the precarity wrought by climate change are unrelenting. It takes commitment to look and see critically, and to comprehend the complexity inherent in the visual production of meaning—particularly around politically-charged, pressing issues that affect us all.

And the rewards of this commitment—of this critical seeing—are immeasurable.

How can we navigate this overwhelming visual terrain? Have visual technologies fundamentally changed the nature of truth and knowing? How can we begin to examine the ways that visual culture influences and even shapes us? Boylan not only probes these fascinating and difficult questions, she gives us the tools we need to grapple with both the dark side and the public good of visual culture.

Sarah Elizabeth Lewis , editor of Carrie Mae Weems , brings together essays and interviews that celebrate this legendary artist’s work—her bold originality, her provocative repositioning of the Black female body—and ultimately, the critical importance of Weems’ oeuvre in both the history of photography and contemporary art. With contributions from influential figures including Dawoud Bey, Thelma Golden, and Deborah Willis, the volume examines not only the significance of Weems’ work but also the necessity for an expanded set of concerns in contemporary art—one in which race does not restrict a discussion of aesthetics as it has in the past, robbing Black artists of a full consideration of their work.

Very much of the moment, Fournier argues that for artists and writers working in the wake of modernism from a feminist sensibility, autotheory became a way to engage philosophy and theory from a lived position. Integrating art with life, practice with theory, and fiction with autobiography, autotheory reveals what is at stake in feminist art and literary perspectives.

Through close readings of the work of icons like Martha Rosler, Adrian Piper, Maggie Nelson, and Chris Kraus, Fournier—in the words of McKenzie Wark—gives us “a whole series of tactics for thinking and feeling together from the margins—of gender, race, ability, and colonialism. This autotheory creates spaces for being together for those excluded from a culture that only tolerates difference as the mirror to the universal bourgeois subject.”

Campt offers poignant and spirited analyses of work from artists like Deana Lawson, Simone Leigh, and Arthur Jafa. With lyrical, poignant writing, she compels us to understand that engaging with this artwork requires us to do more than simply look. The work solicits visceral responses to Black precarity. This distinctively Black gaze shifts us from the passive optics of looking at to the active struggle of looking with, through, and alongside . This distinctive gaze gives us a way to imagine a hopeful future.

Visual culture is never neutral, and is thus never without value, Alexis Boylan reminds us. Visual culture is power.

• 60th Anniversary
• Architecture
• Artificial Intelligence
• Biomedical Sciences
• Cognitive Psychology
• Cognitive Science
• Communications
• Computer Science
• Conferences and Exhibits
• Cultural Studies
• Current Affairs
• Digital Humanities
• Direct to Open
• Distribution Partners
• Editors at the MIT Press
• Engineering
• Environment
• Essential Knowledge Series
• Featured Books
• Game Studies
• Grants and Fundraising
• Graphic Novels
• History of Science 
• Information Science
• Knowledge Futures Group
• Linguistics
• Literature & Poetry
• Material Science
• MIT Press Direct
• MIT Press Live!
• Neuroscience
• Open Access
• Physical Sciences
• Political Theory
• Press Director
• Science Fiction
• Science, Technology & Society
• Sloan Management Review
• Social Sciences
• Technology & Society
• Uncategorized
• University Press Week
• Women in Science

Want to create or adapt books like this? Learn more about how Pressbooks supports open publishing practices.

2 Visual and Contextual Analysis

J. Keri Cronin and Hannah Dobbie

The study of visual culture relies on two key skill sets: visual analysis and contextual analysis.

Visual Analysis

Visual Analysis is just a fancy way of saying “give a detailed description of the image.” It is easy to assume that visual analysis is easy or that it isn’t necessary because anyone can just look at the image and see the same thing you see. But is it really that simple?

As individual viewers we all bring our own background, perspective, education, and ideas to the viewing of an image. What you notice right away in an image may not be the same thing your classmate (or your grandmother or your neighbour) notices. And this is perfectly fine!

What do you see when you look at the images below?

In all three cases we have pictures of cows, but there are some important similarities and differences. What do you think is important to note about these images?

Reflection Exercise

Take a 5-10 minutes to jot down a detailed description (visual analysis) for each of the images above.

• What do you notice?
• What do you see?
• What part of the image is your eye drawn to first?
• How are these images similar? How are they different?

Contextual Analysis

Contextual analysis is another very important skill for studying images. This is a fancy way of saying “we need more information about this picture.” You will often have to do external research to build and support your contextual analysis. There is an old saying that “a picture is worth a thousand words,” but we need to think carefully and critically about this. A picture can not tell us everything we might want to know about it! Sometimes it is very important to dig deeper through research to learn more about an image in order to understand how it participates in the meaning making process.

Here is a list of some questions that are useful for guiding contextual analysis. This is not an exhaustive list and not all questions will apply in all cases:

•   Who made this image? Why?
•   Where was the image made? (In a different part of the world? In a laboratory? On the beach?)
•   Who was the intended audience for this image?
•   Where was the image meant to be viewed? (A textbook? A gallery? As part of a movie set? In a family photo album?)
•   When was this image made? How do you know?
•   What kinds of technologies were used to make this image? What kinds of limitations were there on this technology at this time?
•   Is there text in the image? If so, how does it shape our understanding of what we are looking at? What about the image caption? How does it shape our understanding of what we are looking at?

Sometimes you can get clues from the image that can help you answer these kinds of questions, but often you will have to branch out and turn to books, articles, websites, documentary films, and other resources to help build and develop your contextual analysis.

In our examples above the captions give us quite a bit of information. We learn, for instance, who made the pictures (and, in one case, we learn that this information isn’t known). We learn when the images were made and the type of pictures they are–although we may need to look up what an etching , stereograph , or an albumen print is. The titles are fairly descriptive in that they provide us some basic information about what we are looking at.

Reflection Exercise – Part II

The visual analysis we just did combined with the information provided in the image captions gives us a place to start with our investigation into these images. But are many things that we still don’t know about these pictures.

What other things might we want to know if we were going to write about these pictures? Take a few moments and jot down a list of questions you have about these images.

As we generate questions based on these images and then start to do the research to find out the answers to those questions we are starting to build our contextual analysis. Through research we would learn, for instance, that the firm of Underwood & Underwood was a leading manufacturer of stereograph cards in the 19th century and that stereograph cards had a massive public and commercial appeal . The two images, when viewed through a special device known as a stereoscope , merge together to form an image that looks 3-D. Imagine how exciting this would be for viewers in an age before television, movies, and video games. Some have even described this as an early form of virtual reality !

Further research will show us that Edward H. Hacker was a printmaker in Britain in the 19th century and that he was best known for creating engravings of animal pictures. In an era when it wasn’t easy to reproduce paintings, this allowed multiple copies of an image to be shared and circulated. In our example, above he is reproducing a painting by William Henry Davis , an artist who specialised in portraits of livestock.

Today it might seem odd to us that people would want pictures painted of their cows and we might even wonder why someone would hire a printmaker to make reproductions of these images. Why would people want images of their cows? And further, why does the cow in the first picture above look so strange? She is so enormous that her little tiny, skinny legs couldn’t possibly support her body. What is going on here? Did Davis now know how to paint cows?

In fact, Davis was a well-respected artist. The answer to this question can be discovered through a bit of research (more contextual analysis). As we dig into this investigation, we would soon learn that this type of picture was part of a larger 19th trend for creating images of livestock that exaggerated their features as a way to advertise certain breeds and breeders . In other words, the farmers that were commissioning these images were using these pictures to try and prove that their animals were better than the animals owned by competing farmers. These pictures can not be separated out from the economics of 18th and 19th century British farming practices.

In 2018 the Museum of English Rural Life posted a photograph of a very large ram with the words “look at this absolute unit.” This Twitter post went viral and brought a lot of attention to the history behind these kinds of images. Having a picture like this circulate on social media brought a new layer of meaning to the photograph . It didn’t replace the original context, but it added to the discussions about it.

When an image is taken out of its original context new meanings can be generated. Take, for example, a controversial advertising campaign launched in the spring of 2023 by the Italian government . It features the very recognizable central figure from Sandro Botticelli’s 15th century painting known as “ Birth of Venus .” But in this campaign she is out and about enjoying the tourist sites in Italy, playing the role of Instagram influencer. This campaign provoked a strong reaction and many people criticised what they saw as trivialising and making a mockery of a beloved work of art. The associations people have with this painting–that it is a “masterpiece” to be admired and venerated–have fueled this criticism. If the central figure in these advertisements was not a recognizable figure it is unlikely that there would have been any controversy at all. By taking this figure out of context and putting her in AI generated scenes of Italian tourism, some feel it changes the meaning of the original picture. Love it or hate it, the one thing everyone agrees on is that this campaign has generated much discussion!

Visual and Contextual Analysis Exercise

Find a picture that you think expresses something about who you are. It can be from your childhood, a photograph of your dorm room, or a picture of the aunt who taught you how to read. Perhaps it is a picture of you cheering on your favourite sports team or of a special dinner shared with close friends. It doesn’t matter what the subject is as long as it is an example of a picture that you think says something about you.

Step 1 (Visual Analysis): Write a description of this picture. Try to stick to only description in this step, really look at the picture carefully and consider things like:

• What medium is it (e.g.: is it a photograph, a painting, etc.)?
• What colours are used?
• How is it composed? How big is it?
• Are there people in the image?
• Is the image dark or light?
• What is in the background?
• Is there anything blurry or unclear?

*Note: This is not an exhaustive list of questions. Rather, they are given as examples to help you think about what kinds of things to focus on.

Step 2 (Contextual Analysis): Imagine you are going to show this picture to a complete stranger, someone who doesn’t know you at all. Make a list of everything you think that person needs to know about the picture in order to learn a bit about you? What information might help that person understand why this picture is meaningful for you? For example, was this photograph taken on your birthday? Is it a picture of your first pet? Is the person who is blurry in the background your best friend who moved away when you were 11? Then think about why these things are important to you. In other words, what do you know about this picture that wouldn’t be obvious to someone else?

If I were doing this exercise with this photograph, in step #1 I would focus on things like the colour of the child’s clothing, the size of the dog, and the way the adult, child, and dog are posed, including that the man has one hand on the child, one hand on the dog. I would talk about it being a photograph and how the faded tones suggest that this is an old photograph. I would note that the photograph was taken outside and that these three are standing on what appears to be pavement but that there are trees in the background. There is also what appears to be a wooden sign in the background but it is too blurry to read. I would also point out that the shadows on the ground indicate that it was a sunny day, but the type of clothing the two human figures are wearing suggests that it was also a cold day.

If I were to continue on and complete step #2 I would list that this was a photograph taken in the mid-1970s by my mother and that it is a picture of me (Keri) and my uncle with a dog we happened to meet in the parking lot of Mount Robson Park while our family was moving from British Columbia to Alberta. This was not our dog. We had never met him before nor did we ever see him again. But he was friendly, and I was absolutely enthralled by how fluffy he was. My uncle took me over to introduce me to the dog, staying close to make sure the dog didn’t hurt me.

This picture holds meaning for me for a number of reasons. First of all, it is an early example of my love of animals. Secondly, Mount Robson Park is part of the Canadian Rocky Mountains and was often a destination for family vacations. These trips shaped my interest in nature and outdoor activities in spaces like Provincial and National Parks. This led to me deciding to write my MA thesis on the visual culture of these kinds of places, a document that was eventually turned into a book . And lastly, this picture has taken on a new layer of importance for me lately as my uncle pictured here recently died of cancer. Even though it isn’t a great picture in terms of technical quality, it is a picture that I have framed in my house because it holds a lot of meaning for me.

By doing this exercise you are slowing down the process of meaning making and thinking about how the visual elements of the image relate to the larger context that helps to shape why this picture holds meaning for you. You can see how the two types of analysis–visual and contextual–work together. You need both halves of this equation. By slowing down and doing some deep noticing in our visual analysis, we can notice things that become significant when we switch over to contextual analysis. And our contextual analysis can provide us a starting place for further research if needed.

With this exercise you were working with an image that you are already very familiar with. But this same process can get repeated with any image. When you are working with an image that isn’t from your own personal life, there will likely be more steps needed to arrive at a contextual analysis–research, further reading, etc.–but the process itself remains the foundation for critical thinking about images.

Look Closely: A Critical Introduction to Visual Culture Copyright © 2023 by J. Keri Cronin and Hannah Dobbie is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 4.0 International License , except where otherwise noted.

International Conference on Professional Culture of the Specialist of the Future

PCSF 2022: Technologies in a Multilingual Environment pp 194–201 Cite as

Visual Culture: A Phenomenological Approach

• Vera Serkova   ORCID: orcid.org/0000-0003-4543-0496 11 ,
• Alexandr Ryabov   ORCID: orcid.org/0000-0003-1767-1479 12 &
• Alexander Pylkin   ORCID: orcid.org/0000-0003-4856-3921 11  
• Conference paper
• First Online: 19 February 2023

206 Accesses

Part of the book series: Lecture Notes in Networks and Systems ((LNNS,volume 636))

One of the most important forms of the Multilingual World has always been the language of the visual. The visual world is the basis for the formation of representations of reality and is continuously converted into linguistic structures. The process of such conversion requires special research involving many applied disciplines. Visual studies, whose spontaneous development took place at the end of the last century, became the theoretical basis for combining research efforts in the field of visual studies. The problems of Visual studies are diverse. Contemporary art objects require continuous meaningful correlation, they are open for endless interpretative work. In our opinion, the most important problem of visual studies may be the question formulated in the Kantian spirit how “the visible is possible”. The second question can be formulated in a phenomenological way: how the visible is “realized into reality”. The multitude of problems contained in this line of research was comprehended in E. Husserl’s phenomenology in his theory of spatial syntheses, which Husserl developed in a number of his works. The first part of the article is devoted to the general problems of visual research, and the second part to Husserl’s studies that present the problematics of the “visible world” in a new way.

• Visual turn
• Visual studies
• Edmund Husserl
• Phenomenological approach
• Carnal consciousness
• Kinesthetic concept

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution .

Buying options

• Available as PDF
• Read on any device
• Instant download
• Own it forever
• Available as EPUB and PDF
• Compact, lightweight edition
• Dispatched in 3 to 5 business days
• Free shipping worldwide - see info

Tax calculation will be finalised at checkout

Purchases are for personal use only

Dikovitskaya, M.: Major theoretical frameworks in visual culture. In: Heywood, I. (ed.) The Handbook of Visual Culture, pp. 68–89. Berg, London (2012). https://doi.org/10.5040/9781474294140.ch-001

Dikovitskaya, M.: Visual culture studies: twenty years later. Vis. Stud. 36 (3), 195–197 (2021)

Article   Google Scholar  

Mitchel, W.J.T.: Showing seeing: a critique of visual culture. J. Vis. Cult. 1 (2), 165–181 (2002)

Symposium “Visual Studies/Études visuelles: un champ en question.” Paris (2011). https://repository.globethics.net/handle/20.500.12424/1583742?show=full https://arthist.net/archive/814/lang=en_US . Accessed 15 Sept 2022

Grushka, K., Lawry, M., Chand, A.: Visual borderlands: visuality, performance, fluidity and art-science learning. Educ. Philos. Theor. 54 (4), 404–421 (2022)

Elkins, J.: Farewell to Visual Studies (2011). https://arthist.net/archive/814/lang=en_US . Accessed 15 Sept 2022

Whitney, D.: A General Theory of Visual Culture. Princeton University Press, Princeton (2011)

Google Scholar  

Bylieva, D.: Artistic virtual reality. In: Bylieva, D., Nordmann, A. (eds.) PCSF 2021. LNNS, vol. 345, pp. 462–473. Springer, Cham (2022). https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-89708-6_39

Chapter   Google Scholar  

Nordmann, A.: First and last things: the signatures of visualization-artist. Technol. Lang. 2 , 96–105 (2021). https://doi.org/10.48417/technolang.2021.02.10

Zhu, Y.: Visualizing the composition: a method for mapping inscription and instruction. Technol. Lang. 3 (2), 127–146 (2022). https://doi.org/10.48417/technolang.2022.02.08

Herbert, J.: Visual culture. Visual studies. In: Nelson, R.S., Shiff, R. (eds.) Critical Terms for Art History, 2nd edn., pp. 453–464. University of Chicago Press, Chicago (2003)

Moxey, K.: The Practice of Persuasion: Paradox and Power in Art History. Cornell University Press, New York (2001)

Mitchell, W.J.T.: Interdisciplinarity and visual culture. In: Art Introduction to Visual Culture. Routledge, London (1999)

Reutov, A.S.: Merleau-Ponty’s visual phenomenology. Bullet. Perm Univ. Philos. Psychol. Sociol. 4 , 520–527 (2017). (in Russian)

Madsen, T.V.: Moving eyes: the aesthetic effect of off-centre pupils in portrait paintings. J. Aesthetics Phenomenol. 6 (1), 59–78 (2019). https://doi.org/10.1080/20539320.2019.1587966

Kang, E., Park, E.J.: Phenomenological transparency through depth of “inside/outside” for a sustainable architectural environment. Sustainability 13 , 16 (2021). https://doi.org/10.3390/su13169046

Husserl, E.: Thing and space: Lectures of 1907. Springer, Cham (1997)

Husserl, E.: Ideas Pertaining to a Pure Phenomenology and to a Phenomenological Philosophy. First Book: General Introduction to a Pure Phenomenology [Kersten, F., trans]. Nijhoff, Hague (1982 [1913])

Husserl, E.: Ideas Pertaining to a Pure Phenomenology and to a Phenomenological Philosophy. Second Book: Studies in the Phenomenology of Constitution. [Rojcewicz, R., Schuwer, A., trans.]. Kluwer, Dordrecht (1989)

Drumond, J.: Space. In: Encyclopedia of Phenomenology. Dordrecht, Boston, London (1997)

Riley, H., Newell, R.: Egological meets ecological: drawing aspects in perspective(s). Drawing Res. Theory Pract. 6 (2), 307–332 (2021). https://repository.uwtsd.ac.uk/id/eprint/1835

Nitsche, M.: Sonic environments as systems of places: a critical reading of Husserl’s thing and space. Open Philos. 4 , 136–148 (2021). https://doi.org/10.1515/opphil-2020-0164

Serkova, V.A.: Phenomenology of Culture. Polytechnic University Press, St. Petersburg (2010). (in Russian)

Download references

Author information

Authors and affiliations.

Peter the Great St. Petersburg Polytechnic University, Polytechnicheskaya 29, Saint-Petersburg, Russia

Vera Serkova & Alexander Pylkin

Saint-Petersburg University of State Fire Service of EMERCOM of Russia, Moskovskiy prospect, 149, Saint-Petersburg, Russia

Alexandr Ryabov

You can also search for this author in PubMed   Google Scholar

Corresponding author

Correspondence to Vera Serkova .

Editor information

Editors and affiliations.

Department of Social Sciences, Peter the Great St. Petersburg Polytechnic University, St. Petersburg, Russia

Daria Bylieva

Institute of Philosophy, Technical University of Darmstadt, Darmstadt, Hessen, Germany

Alfred Nordmann

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

Copyright information

© 2023 The Author(s), under exclusive license to Springer Nature Switzerland AG

About this paper

Cite this paper.

Serkova, V., Ryabov, A., Pylkin, A. (2023). Visual Culture: A Phenomenological Approach. In: Bylieva, D., Nordmann, A. (eds) Technologies in a Multilingual Environment. PCSF 2022. Lecture Notes in Networks and Systems, vol 636. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-031-26783-3_17

Download citation

DOI : https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-031-26783-3_17

Published : 19 February 2023

Publisher Name : Springer, Cham

Print ISBN : 978-3-031-26782-6

Online ISBN : 978-3-031-26783-3

eBook Packages : Intelligent Technologies and Robotics Intelligent Technologies and Robotics (R0)

Share this paper

Anyone you share the following link with will be able to read this content:

Sorry, a shareable link is not currently available for this article.

Provided by the Springer Nature SharedIt content-sharing initiative

• Publish with us

Policies and ethics

• Find a journal
• Track your research

Academia.edu no longer supports Internet Explorer.

To browse Academia.edu and the wider internet faster and more securely, please take a few seconds to  upgrade your browser .

Enter the email address you signed up with and we'll email you a reset link.

• We're Hiring!
• Help Center

Developing Students' Critical Thinking Skills through Visual Literacy in the New Secondary School Curriculum in Hong Kong (October, 2014), Asia Pacific Journal of Education

This paper argues that the planned introduction of visual literacy into the New Secondary School Curriculum can play a crucial role in enabling students to think critically and creatively in Hong Kong's highly visual landscape. As Hong Kong's educational system remains entrenched in long-established and conventional pedagogies, the primacy given to the written word is in sharp contrast with the pragmatic roles that visual images play in students' day-to-day life. Hong Kong is well-known for its extremely high level of Internet / broadband penetration and media saturation, yet visual literacy is still in a state of infancy in Hong Kong. Therefore, from a curricular standpoint, as Hong Kong society relies to a greater degree than ever before on visual communication strategies, it is vital that visual literacy be integrated as part of the new curriculum under the current educational reforms. As contemporary Hong Kong culture becomes increasingly dependent on the visual environment, developing visual literacy to enhance students' learning can be an important step in the future towards a more successful implementation and development of the New Secondary School Curriculum.

Related Papers

Aditi Dubey-Jhaveri

VERONICA MILAGROS BELLIDO LAZO

This dissertation was underpinned by a critique of the impact of images on students living in an image-saturated world, and how students’ critical thinking skills can be developed through images. It was founded in evidence that while images are now a major mode of communication, it is equally important for young people to be visually literate in order to take part in a democracy. The power of images lies in the fact that they usually portray ideologies, thus increasing their potential to instil and confront beliefs. Within this context, it becomes crucial to encourage in students a deep comprehension of the significance of images around diverse social and cultural issues. In The New Zealand Curriculum (Ministry of Education, 2007) one of the five Key Competencies is the development of ‘thinking’ as an end in itself and the means by which other ends are achieved. The visual art section of the curriculum stresses the development of ‘visual literacy’ as students learn how to discern, p...

Scottish Educational Review

Rehana Adil

In a contemporary society dominated by visual media, critical visual literacy (cvl) is a significant skill to inculcate, and yet, in some educational systems, its integration in teaching and education has not (yet) achieved enough recognition, especially in a context like Pakistan. As it is assumed that students will develop the necessary competencies by themselves as they operate in a far more visually stimulating world today. This view, however, is contested in literature where it is claimed that students can learn to develop cvl competencies just like they develop their phonemic literacy skills. Thus, the current study investigated how the use of images in a classroom of 12-year-olds in Karachi, Pakistan can help them develop cvl. Using an action research methodology with video-recorded observations, focus-group interviews, teacher’s reflections, and students’ work, data was obtained over 10 weeks. The findings from the study suggested that as students analysed and interpreted im...

Denise R Newfield

English Teaching Practice and Critique

Literacies and Numeracies Exposed Conference

Linda Knight

Social Studies Research and Practice

Paige Vitulli

Drawing from research on art integration, we discuss why visual arts and social studies can be powerful partners in promoting critical thinking skills. Because this is an increasingly visual society, visual literacy is becoming progressively more important. Through the visual arts, students have the opportunity to analyze and evaluate information, which are critical academic and citizenship skills. The integration of these two content areas and skills facilitates effective use of the limited time teachers have with students. In order to demonstrate the integration of art and social studies, we provide a lesson plan on Western Expansion.

Veronica Garcia Lazo

Essentials of Teaching and Integrating Visual and Media Literacy

Alexa Miller

Journal of Adolescent & Adult Literacy

Mary Hamilton

RELATED PAPERS

Revista Española de Salud Pública

Jeremías Secchi

Revista Brasileira de Enfermagem

Jussara Martini

Journal of Medical Genetics

Christine Hall

Contabilidad y Negocios: Revista del Departamento Académico de Ciencias Administrativas

Martin Petroll

Taina Huttunen

Geologia USP

Luiz Eduardo Anelli

Dung-hai Lee

Independent Journal of Management & Production

Ademir José de Abreu

SRI JNPG COLLEGE REVELATION A JOURNAL OF POPULAR SCIENCE

Mohamad Mugni Taufik

ala al-hamarneh

Chemical Engineering Journal

Andrew Daugulis

Manoella Fortes Fiebig

Chemical Physics Letters

Prem B Bisht IITM

Shazana Aziz

Reishi Takashima

Juliet C. Alex-Nmecha

Journal of Biomechanics

Denis Gravel

Composites Science and Technology

Tsung-Ting Tsai

Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America

charity onyishi

Journal of Limnology

Erik Jeppesen

Estudios Atacameños

María Paz Bajas Irizar

Okla. L. Rev.

Curtis Thomas

Journal of Tropical Ecology

Tatenda Nyenda

See More Documents Like This

•   We're Hiring!
•   Help Center
• Find new research papers in:
• Health Sciences
• Earth Sciences
• Cognitive Science
• Mathematics
• Computer Science
• Academia ©2024

Jump to navigation

Resources and Programs

• Teaching the Four Skills
• U.S. Culture, Music & Games
• Massive Open Online Courses (MOOCs)
• Other Resources
• English Club Texts and Materials
• Teacher's Corner
• Comics for Language Learning
• Online Professional English Network (OPEN)

Integrating Critical Thinking Into The Exploration Of Culture

When one thinks about culture, what often comes to mind are the foods, languages, celebrations, music, and clothing of people from different areas of the world. While these things are certainly part of culture, there are a lot more cultural components that are not quite as easy to see. As Sonia Nieto and Patty Bode note , “Culture includes not only tangibles such as foods, holidays, dress, and artistic expression but also less tangible manifestations such as communication style, attitudes, values, and family relationships” (p. 17 1).

English teachers have a special responsibility to help students navigate the components of culture that may not be easily visible. Many students studying English may eventually wish to travel, attend school, or work in other countries. Others may choose to work in industries that require them to interact with English speakers from many different backgrounds. Therefore, it is important that students are able to think critically about their personal experiences and cultural values, those of other people, and the potential conflicts differences may cause. This critical thinking will help them to navigate and resolve potential cultural misunderstandings.

This month the Teacher’s Corne r will present four successive activities to help students examine and deepen their understanding of culture:

Week 1: Reflecting on Hidden Cultural Rules, Part One Week 2: Reflecting on Hidden Cultural Rules, Part Two Week 3: Thinking About Intercultural Interactions Week 4: Successfully Navigating Intercultural Interactions

Educators are positioned to provide students with a chance to take part in activities and discussions that promote self-examination, reflection, and critical thinking. In doing so, teachers can help students begin to understand the less obvious parts of their own culture as well as those of other cultures. Activities like these, and the kind of thinking they require of students, have a lasting effect on how learners approach interacting with people from different backgrounds.

Reference: Nieto, S. and P. Bode. (2012). Affirming Diversity: The Sociopolitical Context of Multicultural Education (6 th ed.). Pearson. 

Table of Contents

This week’s Teacher’s Corner encourages students to think critically about the unspoken rules and expectations of different cultures. Because English is a lingua franca—a common language used by speakers with different native languages—the ability to successfully navigate different cultural expectations is becoming more and more valuable.

As noted by K. David Harrison in his book The Last Speakers , “languages abound in ‘cultural knowledge,’ which is neither genetic nor explicitly learned, but comes to us in an information package—rich and hierarchical in its structure” (p. 58). Every language has its own cultural “information package,” including English. However, because English is studied and spoken by so many different types of people from various backgrounds, there is not one set of unspoken rules or expectations for all English speakers. Rather, as teachers of English, we must prepare our students to be aware of differences and be ready to work through any potential miscommunications that may occur.

Activity: Generating a list of behaviors and planning a skit

Time: 60 minutes

• To help students reflect on what defines culture and to understand that different cultural groups have rules and expectations that may not always be communicated directly.
• To listen, speak, read, and write about culture in English.

Materials: Culture Group Descriptions (Appendix A), Example Scenario (Appendix B), poster/chart paper, different color markers, student notebooks, pencils

Preparation:

• Decide how you will divide your class into groups. There should ideally be a minimum of four groups with 3 to 6 students in each one. If you have a small or large class, adjust groups accordingly.
• Prepare copies of the Culture Group Descriptions and cut them into fourths for distribution. Note that each group of students will be assigned a single culture description (1, 2, 3, or 4). If your class is divided into more than four groups, you can assign the same description to multiple groups, but each group will need its own copy.
• Figure out how you will share the Example Scenario with students, such as by projecting it or making copies.
• Begin by asking students what they think culture means. They can discuss this in small groups or as a whole class.
• Create a Culture Thinking Map on chart/poster paper by writing culture in a circle in the middle. As students share their ideas with the class, draw lines coming out of the circle to record students’ responses.
• Explain to students,  “Every cultural group has visible or spoken elements that are easy to see and understand. These are things like common celebrations, foods, clothing, and music. Additionally, we can also observe common ways of interacting such as greetings and goodbyes. However, every culture also has rules and expectations that are not discussed, directly taught, or easy for other people to see.”
• Tell students that they are going to participate in an activity to examine some of the parts of culture that are not as easy to see.
• Have students get into groups according to the plan you prepared before starting the activity.
• Continue by explaining that each group will be assigned one description of a fictional culture. Working together, the groups should discuss the description and write down a list of behaviors they believe that members of their assigned cultural group would show in a conversation or interaction.
• Model this portion of the activity by choosing one or two of the characteristics from a Culture Group Description. Talk to students about what behaviors a person might show during a conversation or interaction as a result of each characteristic. Record responses in a chart as shown below.
• Have students create the same chart in their notebooks. Working together, each group should discuss the characteristics from the assigned description. Students should write down a list of behaviors they believe that members of their assigned cultural group would show in a conversation or interaction.
• Once groups have had adequate time to prepare a list of behaviors, tell students that they will now be given an example scenario. Say, “Using this scenario and the list of behaviors you wrote, your group will create a skit. The skit must be about the example scenario and the actors must demonstrate as many of the behaviors as possible. You will perform this skit for the rest of the class. Based on your skit, your classmates will try to determine some of the characteristics of your culture, so keep this in mind as you are working.”
• Display or distribute the example scenario, review it with students, and answer any questions they may have.
• As groups work on writing their skits, move around the room to ensure students understand the assignment. Note that not every student from a group must act in the skit, but all group members should help to write it.
• Students should write down a script or at least an outline of their skit in their notebooks in order to continue during the next class.
• Provide time for students to practice their skits. If needed, review each group’s culture description, list of behaviors, and skit to offer suggestions.
• After the activity is complete, collect all materials for use during upcoming classes.

In the next activity in this month’s Teacher’s Corner, students will perform and observe skits and work with classmates to describe each culture group.

Harrison, K. D. (2010). The Last Speakers: The Quest to Save the World’s Most Endangered Languages . Washington, DC: National Geographic Society.

During last week’s Teacher’s Corner activity, students began to think critically about what defines culture. They also planned a skit based on the characteristics of an assigned culture group. This week, groups will perform their skits as others observe and try to identify characteristics of each culture group.

Activities: Skit Presentations and Brainstorming

Time: Varies depending on the size of your class, but all groups will need to present skits, reflect on those they watch, and brainstorm a list of descriptors. Estimated time is 45-60 minutes.

Materials: Culture Group Descriptions (Appendix A), Example Scenario (Appendix B), poster/chart paper, different color markers, student notebooks, pencils, student skits (written and brought in by students)

• Copy the Skit Observation Table (shown in Procedure Step 3) on the board for student groups to use to record observations as they watch skits and discuss what they see. Students should copy the table into their notebooks before groups share their skits.
• If you have a very large class, with multiple groups representing each culture, you may choose not to have every group perform their skit in front of the whole class. Instead, you can divide up the class (in half, or in multiple sections) and have each section watch the groups in their section. If you divide up the class, make sure that all of the culture groups (1-4) are represented in each section. Every student should make observations about all the culture groups.

Activity one: Skit Presentations and Observations

• Begin by reviewing the purpose of the skits with students and answering any questions. Remind learners that the goal of the skit is to demonstrate the list of behaviors they made with their group based on their assigned Culture Group Description.
• Tell students that they will have 10-15 minutes to practice their skits before performing them for others. If you are splitting your class in half or into sections as described under Preparation, share the plan with students.
• Once the time allotted for practice has passed, draw students’ attention to the Skit Observation Table. Explain that as students present their skit, they should share the number of the culture group they are representing. Members of the audience should record this number on the Skit Observation Table. As they watch the skit, students should also note what behaviors they observe, as shown below.
• Once students have had a chance to view all of the skits from each of the other culture groups, they should work together with their group members for about 15 minutes to compare notes, discuss observations, and brainstorm ideas about characteristics of each culture. Characteristics should be recorded in the Skit Observation Table.
• After groups have had sufficient time to discuss and record characteristics, bring the class back together. Tell students that they will now share ideas in order to attempt to create a description of each cultural group.
• Label four sections of the board or four pieces of chart/poster paper with culture group 1, culture group 2, etc. Tell students that you will record the characteristics they share about each culture group and that they should also copy the information into their notebooks.
• Remind students that this is just a learning experience and that no one assumes any student shares the behaviors or characteristics of the culture group they represented for the activity.
• Beginning with Culture Group 1 on the board or chart/poster paper, have students volunteer to share characteristics that were observed during the skit. Continue with each culture group until a list of characteristics has been recorded for each one.

Activity Two: Descriptive Brainstorming

• Explain to students that now that a profile of each culture group has been established, the next step is to list words or phrases that describe each culture group. At this point, you can share the culture group Descriptions (Appendix A) either by photocopying, projecting, or having students read them aloud, to provide students with as much information as possible.
• Divide the class into four large groups or, if you have a large class, create smaller sections and assign each one a culture group to focus on. Provide students with chart/poster paper and markers to record their list.
• Tell students that they should carefully read the description and profile of their newly assigned culture group and think about positive and negative descriptions that may be used to describe the group. Inform the class that they will have 10 minutes to record as many positive and negative words as they can to describe the culture group they have been assigned. Have each group elect a recorder to write down student responses.
• Provide ample time for groups to review the list of characteristics generated about their assigned cultural group during the first activity, as well as the original culture group Description.
• Then, set a timer for 10 minutes and allow students to begin recording their one-word descriptions.
• What are some positive aspects of this culture group? What do you think they would do well? What would people like about someone from this group?
• What are some negative aspects of this culture group? What do you think they would not be very good at? What would people dislike about someone from this group?
• Once time is up, have each group select one student to share what their group wrote down to describe the others. Give each group ample time to share their list.
• What descriptors would you characterize as positive? Which ones are negative? Create a list for each.
• Which of the positive descriptors do you agree with most? Which do you disagree with? Why?
• Which of the negative descriptors do you agree with most? Which do you disagree with? Why?
• Do you think this is a fair representation of the culture group you represented during the skit? Why or why not?
• Ask students to find a partner that was assigned to a different culture group during Activity 1. Have partners share the reflections they recorded in their notebooks.
• Once partners have had time to discuss reflections, ask students to volunteer to share their feelings about this experience and whether their culture group was described accurately or not. Encourage students to discuss the implications of this activity beyond the classroom.

Next week, students will continue to think critically about culture as they add to their initial ideas about what makes up culture on the Culture Thinking Map from Week 1. Students will also begin to discuss and reflect on how cultural differences can make intercultural communication challenging at times. 

So far this month in the Teacher’s Corner, students have had a chance to adopt characteristics of a fictional culture group, plan and perform skits, and observe and describe culture groups other than those they were assigned. Through critical thinking, reflection, and discussion, these activities have helped students recognize that culture includes more than just food, clothing, and celebrations. This week, students will add ideas to the Culture Thinking Map and reflect on potential breakdowns in communication that could happen when people interact.

PREPARATION

Time: 30-45 minutes Goals:

   To help students continue to reflect on what defines culture.

   To think about and discuss potential miscommunications or misunderstandings that could happen

during intercultural interactions.

   To listen, speak, read, and write about culture in English.

Materials: culture group Descriptions (Appendix A), Example Scenario (Appendix B), Culture Thinking Map with students’ ideas about culture from Week 1, different color markers, chart/poster paper, student notebooks, pencils

Ensure that the Culture Thinking Map (Week 1) and descriptive lists (Week 2, Activity 2) are displayed in the classroom.

Gather copies of Culture Group Descriptions (Appendix A) and Example Scenario (Appendix B) , or be sure you have a way to project them.

ACTIVITY ONE: ADDING TO THE CULTURE THINKING MAP

Display the Culture Thinking Map from Week 1. Start by asking students to review the ideas about culture they previously added to the map.

Next, have students get into groups of 3-4.

Remind students to consider how they thought critically about culture during the other activities. Ask them to discuss additional ideas they would now add to the map.

Allow groups to discuss for five minutes. Then, have students share their ideas. Using a different color of marker, add new ideas to the Culture Thinking Map.

ACTIVITY TWO: REFLECTING ON INTERCULTURAL INTERACTIONS

Ask students to recall the number of the culture group they were assigned when they created and performed the skit. Have students hold up fingers to indicate which group they were a part of.

Tell students that for the next activity, they will need to create a new group of four students. Their new group should be made up of one member from each of the culture groups. It is OK if some groups have more than four members as long as each culture group is represented. Provide time for students to get into new groups.

Tell students that for the next activity, each of them will represent their assigned culture group. Students should approach the activity from their culture group ’s point of view.

Project or pass out the Culture Group Descriptions and remind students about the descriptive lists they created in Activity 2 during Week 2. Provide students a few minutes to review these items.

Explain to students that they will revisit the Example Scenario they used to plan their skits during Week 1. This time, students will participate in a discussion with classmates from each of the different culture groups and answer questions.

Display the following instructions for students to read:

Choose two culture groups. For each one, think about the description, the skit you

observed, and the descriptive list. What do you think would happen if members of both of these culture groups were in this scenario? Would people from the different groups interact easily and get along well? Would the interaction be difficult, or would anyone get upset?

List areas where you think the interaction might go well and areas where you think communication could be difficult. In your answers, refer to your descriptions of the culture group ’s behaviors and characteristics.

Repeat Steps A and B for a different pair of culture groups.

After students read the instructions, answer any questions about the task.

Tell students to write down their responses in their notebooks. Provide student s with at least 20 minutes to work in groups. As they do so, move around the room and observe.

When time is up, g ather students’ attention again. Ask learners to reflect on what they discussed and wrote down in their notebooks, thinking specifically about the reasons that intercultural interactions can be successful or challenging. Provide some examples by saying “For instance, in some cultures, direct eye contact is a sign of respect. However, in others, it is a sign of respect to not make eye contact. Or some cultures prefer to speak directly about issues when someone is upset, while others prefer to minimize feelings and maintain relationships. These differences could cause a misunderstanding.”

Givestudents5minutesingroupstogenerateafewreasonsthatinterculturalinteractionsmight succeed or be a challenge. Let students know that they will share their ideas with the class to create a new thinking map.

Writethewords“Factorsthatcanaffectinterculturalinteractions”inacircl einthecenterofa piece of chart paper or on the board. Have each group share the reasons they came up with and add them to the chart paper to create a new thinking map.

Onceallgroupshavesharedtheirideasandallnewideashavebeenaddedtothemap,explainto students that they will use this Intercultural Interactions Thinking Map during the next activity.

In next week’s Teacher’s Corner, students will bring together all of their ideas and reflections in order to think critically about how to successfully approach intercultural interactions. 

Each week of this month’s Teacher’s Corner has required students to reflect and think critically in order to deepen their understanding of culture and how it can affect interactions. This week, students will apply their experience and knowledge to figure out how to make intercultural interactions successful, even if they are challenging.

Preparation

• To help students continue to reflect on what defines culture.
• To think about ways to avoid or mediate miscommunications or misunderstandings during intercultural interactions.

Materials: Culture Thinking Map (Week 1) and Intercultural Interactions Thinking Map (Week 3), student notebooks, pencils

1.     Ensure that all of the thinking maps and descriptive lists from previous activities are displayed in the classroom so that students can see them.

2.     If desired, assign students to participate in completely new groups. Alternatively, students can continue to work in the same groups used during Activity 2 of Week 3.

3.     If you have a large class, you can make a plan for how students will present their scenes at the end of Activity 2. Instead of having each group present to the whole class, you can pair groups to present to each other.

Activity one: writing scenarios

1.     Have students get into groups (see Step 2 under Preparation).

2.     Give groups a few minutes to review the information on the Intercultural Interactions Thinking Map and the information they recorded in their notebooks about how different groups would interact with each other (See Step 6 in Week 3, Activity 2).

3.     Tell students that they will work together with their group to create a scenario where a misunderstanding or miscommunication due to cultural differences might occur. Provide students with the examples below so that they understand expectations for this part of the activity.

a.     Example 1: There are eight people in a sales department at a company. The two leaders have received a cash bonus for the achievements of their department. One leader comes from a culture where resources are shared amongst community members and accomplishments are celebrated by everyone. The other leader comes from a culture where the needs of each individual are most important and every person works for and keeps what they earn or receive. The two leaders must come up with a plan for what to do with the bonus money.

b.     Example 2: A teacher is giving a test to his or her class. The teacher notices that three of the students from the same culture group are whispering and helping each other on the test. After class, the teacher asks these three students to stay and explain why they were cheating on the test. One student explains that they were simply trying to help each other get good grades and make their parents proud because their parents want them to do well in school. The teacher must decide whether the students should get in trouble and have to retake the test.

4.     Let students know that another group of their classmates will act out the scenario they write. Allow time for students to ask questions and clarify what they are expected to do. Tell students that they will have 20 minutes to write down a scenario with their group.

5.     As students are working, move around the room and check in with each group to ensure that the scenarios make sense and will work for others to act out. Help any groups that need guidance or may be struggling with ideas.

6.     When 20 minutes have passed, check to see that all groups have finished. If needed, give students more time to complete the task.

7.     When students are done, collect all of the scenarios.

Activity TWo: Acting out and Reflecting on scenarios

• Read the scenario.
• Discuss the different elements of culture that may cause conflict or misunderstanding in the scenario. Write these cultural elements down on the same paper as the scenario.
• Think about possible ways to resolve the conflict or misunderstanding. Write these resolutions down on the same paper as the scenario.
• Make a plan for how to act out the scenario using one of the resolutions your group thought of.
• Answer any questions that students may have about the assignment.
• Tell students they will have 15 minutes to discuss the scenario, brainstorm possible resolutions, and practice performing the scene.
• When 15 minutes have passed, tell students that in a moment they will present their scene to their classmates. If you have paired groups together, as noted in Step 3 under Preparation, explain the plan to students.
• Explain to students that as they watch their classmates, they should reflect on a few things. Write the following questions on the board:

a.     What were the different cultural elements that caused a problem in this situation?

b.     How was the conflict avoided or resolved?

• After each group performs their scene, ask the rest of the class (or the other group if groups are paired) to discuss and share their answers to the reflection questions.
• After all groups have shared their scenes, ask students to reflect on the following questions in their notebooks in class or for homework:

a.        What are some possible reasons that intercultural interactions can be successful or not?

b.       What are some actions you, or any person, could take to prevent or resolve misunderstandings when interacting with people from different backgrounds?

The activities in this month’s Teacher’s Corner have aimed to help students increase their cultural awareness through reflection and critical thinking. Because speakers of English come from many different backgrounds, the ability to recognize and acknowledge the less obvious elements of culture is an important skill for students studying English. With this knowledge and a better understanding of how to apply it to intercultural interactions, teachers are setting students up for success as they communicate in English.

• Privacy Notice
• Copyright Info
• Accessibility Statement
• Get Adobe Reader

For English Language Teachers Around the World

The Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs, U.S. Department of State, manages this site. External links to other Internet sites should not be construed as an endorsement of the views or privacy policies contained therein.

University Library, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign

Art & Design: Art History: Theory & Methodology

• Article Databases
• Introductions to Theory
• American Indian Studies and Critical Indigenous Studies
• Biopolitics and Critical Race Theory
• Queer Theory & LBGTQIA Studies
• Postcolonial, Anti-colonial, and Decolonial Theory
• Feminism & Gender Studies
• Cultural Perspectives
• Deconstruction
• Intertextuality
• Sociological & Marxist Perspectives
• Structuralism, Poststructuralism, & Postmodernism
• Ecocriticism

Visual Culture & Visual Studies

• 18th- and 19th-Century Perspectives
• Connoisseurship
• Iconology & Semiotics
• Psychoanalytical Perspectives

• << Previous: Ecocriticism
• Next: Historical Approaches >>
• Last Updated: Nov 9, 2023 10:53 AM
• URL: https://guides.library.illinois.edu/AH_TheoryandMethod

Learn more about updates regarding the 2024–2025 FAFSA process.

• School of Liberal Arts & Sciences
• Undergraduate Programs
• Graduate Programs
• Continuing Studies

Study Abroad

• Center K–12
• Interdisciplinary Studies
• Undergraduate Advising

Admissions & Aid

• Undergraduate
• Admissions Contacts
• Student Financial Services

Life at Pratt

• Life in Brooklyn
• Diversity, Equity & Inclusion
• Residential Life & Housing
• Health & Safety
• Student Success
• Athletics & Recreation
• Student Involvement
• Student Affairs
• Title IX & Nondiscrimination
• Current Students
• Prospective Students
• International Students
• Administrative Departments
• People Directory

History of Art and Design

• History of Art and Design / Library and Information Science, MA/MS
• History of Art and Design, BA
• History of Art and Design, BFA
• History of Art and Design, MA

Humanities and Media Studies

• Media Studies, MA

Math and Science

Social Science and Cultural Studies

• Critical and Visual Studies, BA
• Writing, BFA
• Writing, MFA

English Language Support for International Students

General Education

• Writing and Tutorial Center
• School of Liberal Arts and Sciences >
• Social Science and Cultural Studies >

Critical and Visual Studies at Pratt

Critical and Visual Studies is a dynamic interdisciplinary bachelor of arts degree offering a strong foundation in the social sciences, history, and philosophy while immersed in Pratt’s uniquely vibrant community. Critical and Visual Studies emphasizes critical thinking and research, writing, and social theory. If you are excited about the interconnections of society, culture, the environment, and urban space, then Critical and Visual Studies is the major for you.

The Experience

Our students work closely with faculty and advisors to forge individual paths of study anchored in a core curriculum that combines theoretical exploration with practical applications. Our program underscores the utmost importance of persuasive writing and efficient communication. Students embark on a systematic and rigorous exploration of the social, political, ecological, and aesthetic underpinnings of cultural production. Every facet of social life – from society and history to everyday life, music, media, fashion, art, globalization, and environment – is a potential object of your studies.

Berlin, Germany, stands as an ideal city for The Pratt Berlin study abroad program invites sophomores and juniors to broaden your cultural, intellectual, and creative horizons with a semester in one of Europe’s most vibrant artistic and literary hubs. Housed in a newly renovated button factory in Kreuzberg, one of Berlin’s central and thrilling neighborhoods, this program offers writing majors and minors in creative writing, critical and visual studies, and humanities and media studies a complete 16-credit package, encompassing core classes and electives taught by our BFA Writing faculty. Explore further opportunities on Pratt’s Study Abroad Program page:

Visit Pratt’s Study Abroad Program page .

Symposium and Speaker Series

Our Speaker Series brings celebrated scholars and intellectuals to Pratt, offering our students invaluable opportunities for engagement and interaction. Past speakers have included luminaries such as: Randy Martin (who laid the foundation of the major), Manthia Diawara , Coco Fusco , Nona Sheppard , Frances Negrón-Muntaner , Gayatri Gopinath , Franco “Bifo” Berardi , Subhankar Banerjee , Cecilia Vicuña , T.J. Demos , J. Kēhaulani Kauanui, Jaskiran Dhillon , Julietta Singh , Roderick Ferguson , Jasbir K. Puar , Arjun Appadurai , Lisa Duggan , Alain Badiou , Tina Campt , Simon Critchley , Vijay Prashad , Gina Dent , Robert Gooding-Williams , Saidiya Hartmam , David Harvey , Gyan Prakash , Michael Taussig , and Ruthie Gilmore .

More Fall 2023 Symposium talks can be found at Talks.Pratt

September 21: Factory Farming and Agricultural Exceptionalism with Jan Dutkiewicz

October 5: Archipelagoes of the Unseen with May Joseph

October 26: Monsters and Human Variety from Pliny the Elder to Linnaeus’ “Systema natura” with B. Ricardo Brown

November 2: TERFism and Feminism Against Cisness with Sophie Lewis

November 9: Imagining a World Without Police with Geo Ciccariello-Maher

November 30:  New York Liberation School with Conor Tomás Reed

Scholar-in-Residence Program

Join in profound dialogues with eminent scholars visiting our department for extended lectures and discussions. Our past scholars-in-residence have included notable figures such as Partha Chatterjee , Stanley Aronowitz , Patricia Clough , Juan Cole , Susan Meiselas , Avery Gordon , Robin Blackburn , Susan Buck-Morss , and Laura Mulvey .

Learning Resources

Our interdisciplinary program emphasizes the richness and complexity of social life, offering abundant learning resources.

Learning resources

The Writing and Tutorial Center also has knowledgeable tutors and peer advisors to assist students in their work.

Our Faculty

Pratt’s Department of Social Science and Cultural Studies (SSCS) is passionately committed to interdisciplinary studies, engaging with a diverse spectrum of topics spanning from cultural theory to pressing local and global social issues. Our faculty members boast expertise in history, anthropology, sociology, philosophy, social and political theory, cultural studies, urban studies, race and ethnicity, gender studies, media analysis, and environmental studies.

Our faculty members are committed to the pursuit of equity through their teaching, research, and public engagement. They bring this dedication and extensive experience directly into the classroom. Explore our Social Science and Cultural Studies faculty to delve deeper into our academic community:

Faculty and administrators .

Dan Boscov-Ellen

Assistant Professor

Francis Bradley

Associate Professor

Uzma Z Rizvi

Our distinguished alumni are leading diverse and thriving careers, addressing critical challenges and creating innovative work that reimagines our world.

Recent Alumni News

Erin odenkirk ’23.

Author and Illustrator 

Erin Odenkirk appeared with her Emmy Award-winning actor Bob Odenkirk to talk about their recent book “Ziliot & Other Important Rhymes” NPR’s Wait, Wait, Don’t Tell Me.

Selin Bucak ’12

Journalist and writer

The Last Day Before Exile.

Displaced people are often presented as “waves” of immigrants, instead, Bucak’s new book, The Last Day Before Exile, reframes this narrative,  sharing the stories of immigrants who, during some of the hardest moments of their lives, must decide whether to stay or leave. Tracing the steps of professionals who have moved from the Gaza Strip, Pakistan, Morocco, Iran, Afghanistan Turkey, and Ukraine, Bucak shares stories of rebellion, fear, and, in some cases, victory.

Fernando Ortiz Báez ’14

Upper Manhattan & Bronx Borough Director New York City Economic Development Corporation

Fernando Ortiz Báez was honored by El Diario as part of their Hispanic Heritage Month “EL Awards” as one of the most influential Latino Men in the tri-state area for his work in economic development and community engagement in The Bronx and Upper Manhattan.

Molly Adams ’12

Founder and Board Member of the Feminist Bird Club

Molly Adams and Sydney Golden Anderson have recently published Birding For A Better World: A Guide to Finding Joy And Community in Nature. “an inspiring guide to inclusive birding, and “illustrates how anyone can engage in the universally available activity of birding, and support equity and environmental justice at the same time.”

Where They Work

• Assistant Vice President; Government & Community Relations, New York City Economic Development Corporation
• Senior Analyst National Institute for Children’s Health Quality National Institute for Children’s Health Quality (NICHQ)
• External Relations Officer, Friends of Firefighters
• Director, Programs & Strategy, NationSwell
• Editor, Dow Jones Private Equity News
• Associate Project Manager, Creative Operations, Tommy Hilfiger
• Multimedia Design & Production Specialist at Arnold & Porter Kaye Scholer LLP
• Alaska Botanical Garden, Marketing Graphic Designer
• PCA, COVID Unit, Yale New Haven Health
• Director of Operations, A Case for Women
• Clinical Trial Project Manager at Neurological Clinical Research Institute at Massachusetts General Hospital
• Lecturer in Law, University of Kent
• Founder, Feminist Bird Club | Advocacy and Outreach Manager, New York City Audubon
• Communications Manager at Urban Dove | Outings Leader at Latino Outdoors NYC
• Psychotherapist
• Certified sommelier
• Marketing Strategy Manager (Film, TV and Sports), Fox 
• Collection Move Registrar, Philadelphia Museum of Art
• Director of Editorial Photography, Saks Fifth Avenue
• Supply Chain Manager, Atlantic Chemicals Trading Group

Success Stories

Alumni & Students Share a Meal & Conversation in New Program

Shaping a Positive Future for NYC

A Pratt Pair Gives Back to the Schools Where They Got Their Start

With Ahmad Shaibani, MS City and Regional Planning ’17

Prattfolio Story

Reimagining Place Together: Taconic Fellows and Rockaway Residents Envision Landfill’s Future

Ready for more.

Pratt Institute

@prattinstitute

From the Catalog

Sample courses.

• CST-100 First-Year Seminar 3 credits
• CST-440 Senior Thesis I 3 credits
• CST-480 Senior Thesis II 3 credits
• PHIL-200 Problems in Philosophy 3 credits
• PHIL-205 Philosophy Through Film 3 credits

Program Overview

Critical and Visual Studies is a dynamic interdisciplinary bachelor of arts degree with a strong foundation in the social sciences, history, and philosophy while immersed in Pratt’s uniquely vibrant environment. Critical and Visual Studies emphasizes critical thinking and research, writing, and social theory.

If you are excited about the interconnections of society, culture, the environment, and urban space, then Critical and Visual Studies is the major for you.

About the Bachelor of Arts in Critical and Visual Studies

Students are encouraged to pursue individual paths of study grounded in a core curriculum  emphasizing both theoretical foundations and practical applications. Critical and Visual Studies  merges the liberal arts and the social sciences with the study of visual and material culture. Our innovative program emphasizes the importance of being able to write persuasively, represent one’s ideas effectively, and to communicate efficiently. These skills are honed through the systematic and rigorous study of the social, political, and artistic  meanings of cultural and aesthetic production. In the Critical and Visual Studies program, every aspect of social life— art, political systems, music, media, fashion, sustainability and the environment in a global economy—is a potential object of study.

The Liberal Arts and Sciences Context at Pratt: Strong Foundations, Multidisciplinary Programs

The curriculum is grounded in both classic and innovative texts of critical theory, visual studies, philosophy, social science, and history. Students choose from a diverse offering of electives and the department’s formal Minors in Psychology, Cultural Studies, Philosophy, Sustainability, Gender/Sexuality, and Social Justice/Social Practice. Students may also choose electives and concentrations from within the School of Liberal Arts and Sciences and across the Institute. The fundamental goal of the faculty in Critical and Visual Studies is to provide students with a challenging and rigorous liberal education that helps them become critical, articulate, well read, intellectually flexible, and culturally literate – students who write well, know empirical methods of research and field work, and are able to express their views. In the Senior year, this work culminates in either a written capstone thesis or  project.

The Critical and Visual Studies program will offer students:

• a critical understanding of culture grounded in philosophy, history, and the social sciences;
• training in social theory, analytical/empirical research methods, and modes of communicating results;
• the ability to critically interpret and integrate written, oral, and cultural expressions and objects;
• the opportunity to pursue in-depth studies and make links between academic work and the wider world with a faculty whose work and teaching is on the cutting edge of scholarship and cultural criticism. 

Uniquely well versed in a wide range of intellectual disciplines and creative approaches, our faculty are approach a liberal arts education as “learning to learn” rather than “schooling” or training.  We provide our students graduate with a foundation for independent lifelong learning, preparing them to thrive in a future economy where they will need critical and analytical skills to move seamlessly amid changing economic circumstances and evolving career paths in the public and private sectors. 

The faculty’s teaching and research interests span the fields of sociology, cultural studies, philosophy, global history and historiography, globalization/imperialism/colonialism/post-colonialism, critical theory, psychology, gender and sexuality, environmental studies, sustainability, science and technology, ethnography, urban studies, visual culture, cinema, documentary film, theater and performance studies.

The dynamic array of cultural events and institutions offered by New York City provide students and faculty the opportunity to immerse themselves in the intellectual life of the city, both outside of the Institute and by participating in a rich array of on-campus events including:

• The Departmental Speaker Series , which brings renowned scholars and intellectuals to Pratt and gives our students the opportunity to meet and interact with them. Past speakers have included:  Randy Martin (who as Chair of SS&CS laid the foundation of the major), Manthia Diawara , Coco Fusco , Licia Fiol-Matta , Leticia Alvarado & Nao Bustamante , Nona Sheppard , Frances Negrón-Muntaner , Gayatri Gopinath , Franco “Bifo” Berardi , Subhankar Banerjee , Cecilia Vicuña , T.J. Demos , J. Kēhaulani Kauanui, Jaskiran Dhillon , Julietta Singh , Roderick Ferguson , Jasbir K. Puar , Arjun Appadurai , Jack Halberstam , Lisa Duggan , Alain Badiou , Tina Campt , Simon Critchley , Vijay Prashad , Gina Dent , Robert Gooding-Williams , Saidiya Hartmam , David Harvey , Gyan Prakash   Vicente Rafael , Martha Rosler , Sukhdev Sandhu , Michael Taussig , and Ruthie Gilmore .
• The Scholar-in-Residence Program   has brought major scholars to to the department for  extended lecture/discussion series. Past scholars-in-residence have included Partha Chatterjee , Stanley Aronowitz , Patricia Clough , Juan Cole , Susan Meiselas , Avery Gordon , Robin Blackburn , Susan Buck-Morss , and Laura Mulvey .

Field Trips to share and engage with each other and with our “City” at large.

• Senior Thesis Presentations which are public presentations by seniors allowing them the opportunity to present their work to their peers and to show the course of their own intellectual development to the broader Pratt community. ​

The Bachelor of Arts in Critical and Visual Studies 

The first year: foundation.

The first year of the program provides students with a foundation in critical theory, visual studies, philosophy, literary approaches, research methodologies, and social sciences. The centerpiece is the first-year seminar in which students become acquainted with the range of subjects, methods, and theories from which, later in their careers at Pratt, they will be able to assemble their own specialized paths of study.

The Second Year: Free Electives, Symposium, and Moderation

The second year of the program is rich in elective offerings that permit students to explore and expand the interests they discovered in their first year of study. The second year is anchored by the two-course sequence of Symposium and Moderation. In Symposium, department faculty lecture and lead a seminar in which students gain further exposure to models of intellectual work. In Moderation, students reflect on their studies during semesters one through three. Moderation enables students to take stock of their initial experiences in the program, examine their goals and interests, evaluate their performance, establish their commitment to a course of study, and chart their final two years of college.

The Third Year: Guided Electives and the Pursuit of a Focus of Study

In the third year of the program, students pursue Minors and concentrations through electives. The concentrations are individually designed courses of study, such as mass media and society, psychology and the arts, or war and culture.  The Department offers Minors in Cultural Studies, Psychology, Philosophy, Sustainability, Gender and Sexuality, and Social Justice and Practice.

Students may also add minors in studio art to their programs.  A complete list of Minors available in the School of Liberal Arts and Sciences is available here: https://catalog.pratt.edu/undergraduate/minors/#minorstext

Senior Year

In the fourth year, students take all-Institute electives and complete their studies with the capstone courses Senior Thesis I and Senior Thesis II, in which they work with faculty in developing, researching, and writing their thesis or project. The senior thesis hones students’ abilities to express themselves, argue their ideas, and make fresh sense of the broader social and cultural worlds they research.

Critical and Visual Studies Coordinator B. Ricardo Brown, PhD [email protected]

Academic Advisement Coordinator Erich Kuersten [email protected]

Office Tel: 718.636.3567 Fax: 718.399.4575 www.pratt.edu/critical-visual-studies

Learning Outcomes

Students in Critical and Visual Studies:

• Ground their intellectual work in the Social Sciences and Cultural Studies.
• To think clearly, critically, and for themselves, that is, learn to learn.
• Analyze and critique classical, modern, and newly emerging knowledge and social transformations.
• Grasp the interconnections and histories of  diverse fields of human inquiry with cultural, social, and political relations.
• Refine their knowledge of diverse cultures and communities.
• Appreciate the importance of material cultural production such as cinema, literature, and the arts.
• Understand analytical and quantitative reasoning and methodologies in comprehending the natural and social worlds.
• Gain an understanding of the historical past both for its own sake and to think creatively about the future.

School of Liberal Arts and Sciences

Suggestions or feedback?

MIT News | Massachusetts Institute of Technology

• Machine learning
• Social justice
• Black holes
• Classes and programs

Departments

• Aeronautics and Astronautics
• Brain and Cognitive Sciences
• Architecture
• Political Science
• Mechanical Engineering

Centers, Labs, & Programs

• Abdul Latif Jameel Poverty Action Lab (J-PAL)
• Picower Institute for Learning and Memory
• Lincoln Laboratory
• School of Architecture + Planning
• School of Engineering
• School of Humanities, Arts, and Social Sciences
• Sloan School of Management
• School of Science
• MIT Schwarzman College of Computing

Creative collisions: Crossing the art-science divide

Press contact :.

Previous image Next image

MIT has a rich history of productive collaboration between the arts and the sciences, anchored by the conviction that these two conventionally opposed ways of thinking can form a deeply generative symbiosis that serves to advance and humanize new technologies. 

This ethos was made tangible when the Bauhaus artist and educator György Kepes established the MIT Center for Advanced Visual Studies (CAVS) within the Department of Architecture in 1967. CAVS has since evolved into the Art, Culture, and Technology (ACT) program , which fosters close links to multiple other programs, centers, and labs at MIT. Class 4.373/4.374 ( Creating Art, Thinking Science ), open to undergraduates and master’s students of all disciplines as well as certain students from the Harvard Graduate School of Design (GSD), is one of the program’s most innovative offerings, proposing a model for how the relationship between art and science might play out at a time of exponential technological growth. 

Now in its third year, the class is supported by an Interdisciplinary Class Development Grant from the MIT Center for Art, Science and Technology (CAST) and draws upon the unparalleled resources of MIT.nano ; an artist’s high-tech toolbox for investigating the hidden structures and beauty of our material universe.

High ambitions and critical thinking

The class was initiated by Tobias Putrih, lecturer in ACT, and is taught with the assistance of Ardalan SadeghiKivi MArch ’23, and Aubrie James SM ’24. Central to the success of the class has been the collaboration with co-instructor Vladimir Bulović, the founding director of MIT.nano and Fariborz Maseeh Chair in Emerging Technology, who has positioned the facility as an open-access resource for the campus at large — including MIT’s community of artists. “Creating Art, Thinking Science” unfolds the 100,000 square feet of cleanroom and lab space within the Lisa T. Su Building, inviting participating students to take advantage of cutting-edge equipment for nanoscale visualization and fabrication; in the hands of artists, devices for discovering nanostructures and manipulating atoms become tools for rendering the invisible visible and deconstructing the dynamics of perception itself. 

The expansive goals of the class are tempered by an in-built criticality. “ACT has a unique position as an art program nested within a huge scientific institute — and the challenges of that partnership should not be underestimated,” reflects Putrih. “Science and art are wholly different knowledge systems with distinct historical perspectives. So, how do we communicate? How do we locate that middle ground, that third space?”

An evolving answer, tested and developed throughout the partnership between ACT and MIT.nano, involves a combination of attentive mentorship and sharing of artistic ideas, combined with access to advanced technological resources and hands-on practical training. 

“MIT.nano currently accommodates more than 1,200 individuals to do their work, across 250 different research groups,” says Bulović. “The fact that we count artists among those is a matter of pride for us. We’ve found that the work of our scientists and technologists is enhanced by having access to the language of art as a form of expression — equally, the way that artists express themselves can be stretched beyond what could previously be imagined, simply by having access to the tools and instruments at MIT.nano.”

A playground for experimentation

True to the spirit of the scientific method and artistic iteration, the class is envisioned as a work in progress — a series of propositions and prototypes for how dialogue between scientists and artists might work in practice. The outcomes of those experiments can now be seen installed in the first and second floor galleries at MIT.nano. As part of the facility’s five-year anniversary celebration , the class premiered an exhibition showcasing works created during previous years of “Creating Art, Thinking Science.” 

Visitors to the exhibition, “zero.zerozerozerozerozerozerozerozeroone” (named for the numerical notation for one nanometer), will encounter artworks ranging from a minimalist silicon wafer produced with two-photon polymerization (2PP) technology (“Obscured Invisibility,” 2021, Hyun Woo Park), to traces of an attempt to make vegetable soup in the cleanroom using equipment such as a cryostat, a fluorescing microscope, and a Micro-CT scanner (“May I Please Make You Some Soup?,” 2022, Simone Lasser). 

These works set a precedent for the artworks produced during the fall 2023 iteration of the class. For Ryan Yang, in his senior year studying electrical engineering and computer science at MIT, the chance to engage in open discussion and experimental making has been a rare opportunity to “try something that might not work.” His project explores the possibilities of translating traditional block printing techniques to micron-scale 3D-printing in the MIT.nano labs.

Yang has taken advantage of the arts curriculum at MIT at an early stage in his academic career as an engineer; meanwhile, Ameen Kaleem started out as a filmmaker in New Delhi and is now pursuing a master’s degree in design engineering at Harvard GSD, cross-registered at MIT. 

Kaleem’s project models the process of abiogenesis (the evolution of living organisms from inorganic or inanimate substances) by bringing living moss into the MIT.nano cleanroom facilities to be examined at an atomic scale. “I was interested in the idea that, as a human being in the cleanroom, you are both the most sanitized version of yourself and the dirtiest thing in that space,” she reflects. “Drawing attention to the presence of organic life in the cleanroom is comparable to bringing art into spaces where it might not otherwise exist — a way of humanizing scientific and technological endeavors.”

Consciousness, immersion, and innovation

The students draw upon the legacies of landmark art-science initiatives — including international exhibitions such as “ Cybernetic Serendipity ” (London ICA, 1968), the “ New Tendencies ” series (Zagreb, 1961-73), and “ Laboratorium ” (Antwerp, 1999) — and take inspiration from the instructors’ own creative investigations of the inner workings of different knowledge systems. “In contemporary life, and at MIT in particular, we’re immersed in technology,” says Putrih. “It’s the nature of art to reveal that to us, so that we might see the implications of what we are producing and its potential impact.”

By fostering a mindset of imagination and criticality, combined with building the technical skills to address practical problems, “Creating Art, Thinking Science” seeks to create the conditions for a more expansive version of technological optimism; a culture of innovation in which social and environmental responsibility are seen as productive parameters for enriched creativity. The ripple effects of the class might be years in the making, but as Bulović observes while navigating the exhibition at MIT.nano, “The joy of the collaboration can be felt in the artworks.”

Share this news article on:

Related links.

• Art, Culture, and Technology Program
• Center for Art, Science and Technology (CAST)

Related Topics

• Technology and society
• Center for Art, Science and Technology
• Nanoscience and nanotechnology
• School of Architecture and Planning

Related Articles

Celebrating five years of MIT.nano

The art of science and the science of art

The technology of enchantment

Celebrating the Center for Advanced Visual Studies, a pioneer in melding art, science, and tech

Previous item Next item

More MIT News

Optimizing nuclear fuels for next-generation reactors

Read full story →

Study: Life’s building blocks are surprisingly stable in Venus-like conditions

Visiting scholars from Ukraine kick off Global MIT At-Risk Fellows Program

3 Questions: Progress on updating MIT’s undergraduate curriculum

A protein found in human sweat may protect against Lyme disease

Pushing material boundaries for better electronics

• More news on MIT News homepage →

Massachusetts Institute of Technology 77 Massachusetts Avenue, Cambridge, MA, USA

• Map (opens in new window)
• Events (opens in new window)
• People (opens in new window)
• Careers (opens in new window)
• Accessibility
• Social Media Hub
• MIT on Facebook
• MIT on YouTube
• MIT on Instagram

• Entertainment
• KSAT Insider
• Newsletters

San Antonio Zoo to host 9th annual Monarch Fest

Activities include monarch tagging, seed giveaways, dance party.

Rebecca Salinas , Digital Journalist

SAN ANTONIO – The San Antonio Zoo will host its 9th annual Monarch Fest this weekend.

The festival, which celebrates the migration and milkweed of monarch butterflies , will include classes, giveaways and other activities on Saturday and Sunday.

Recommended Videos

Here is the schedule of events for both days:

• 9-9:30 a.m.: Cowboy Photo Op – Great Lawn
• 10 a.m.-2 p.m.: Seed Giveaway (First 250) – Great Lawn
• 10 a.m.-2 p.m.: Plant Chat – Great Lawn
• 10 a.m.-2 p.m.: Monarch Practice Tagging – Great Lawn. Learn how to hold butterflies and tag them with identification stickers properly. Zoo Crew will guide guests through the process using butterfly nets and laminated paper butterflies for practice.
• 10 a.m.-2 p.m.: Pollinator or Not Game – Great Lawn. Guests are shown 10 different animals and are asked to guess which ones act as pollinators and which do not. The game teaches that many animals, not just bees and butterflies, can act as pollinators!
• Noon-4 p.m.: Monarch Character Photo Op – Roaming
• 2-2:30 p.m.: Animal Ambassador Presentation – Great Lawn
• 4:30-5 p.m.: Cowboy Dance Party – Great Lawn

Access to the festival is included with standard zoo admission. Guests can pay an extra $4 to get into the John & Greli Less Butterfly Rainforest and $6 for the Project Selva 4D Theater Showing.

“Guests of all ages can participate in educational games and crafts and learn how to help save the monarch butterfly population,” the zoo said in a news release.

San Antonio is the first city to earn the Monarch Champion designation from the National Wildlife Foundation. By doing this, the city has helped the monarch population by dedicating space to monarch habitats, displaying educational signage, and more.

Click here for more information about the event. The zoo’s Giants of the Ice Age exhibit will also be on display this weekend, and general admission includes access to that. The Giants of the Ice age exhibit is open through May 5.

Find events, festivals and hidden gems in San Antonio and surrounding areas.

Copyright 2024 by KSAT - All rights reserved.

About the Author:

Rebecca salinas.

Rebecca Salinas has worked in digital news for more than 10 years and joined KSAT in 2019. She reports on a variety of topics for KSAT 12 News.

SA Live : Mar 20, 2024

Ksat news at noon : mar 20, 2024, judge denies motion for change of venue in case of former sapd officer james brennand, good morning san antonio 9 a.m. : mar 20, 2024, northside isd students participate in outdoor challenge testing teamwork, critical thinking skills.