Study-Unit Description

Study-Unit Description


CODE ACA3010

 
TITLE Arts in the Community - Part 2: Visual Arts, Dance

 
UM LEVEL 03 - Years 2, 3, 4 in Modular Undergraduate Course

 
MQF LEVEL 6

 
ECTS CREDITS 4

 
DEPARTMENT Arts, Open Communities and Adult Education

 
DESCRIPTION This study-unit provides exposure and engagement with collaborative and inclusive ways of doing art and participating in artistic projects when these are tied to adult education, training and development objectives.
This specific study-unit engages students with visual arts and dance for adults, older adults and community contexts (whereas Year 3 of the same programme of studies features the related study-unit Arts in the Community - Part 1: Theatre and Music)
More specifically, the components of this study-unit are:

- Visual Arts with Adults, which offers a brief historical overview of community-based arts before describing and analyzing different aspects and challenges associated with the implementation of art projects with adults in different contexts, such as participatory and educational strategies that employ visual arts methods and the recruitment of participants. This part will also present a variety of approaches to developing actual visual arts projects with different groups and artistic media.

- Dance, which will explore the role of dance and its use within adult and community-based educational contexts. It will focus on the development and creation of dance and movement-based concepts, and strategies that can be implemented for a variety of settings and participants. Importance will be given to how dance and basic choreographic skills can be utilised for a variety of pedagogical and educational projects and outcomes.

Study-Unit Aims:

This study-unit aims to provide an exploration of cross-cultural artistic collaboration and engagement with ethical practices tied to 'the cause': where, when and how it happens.
It also analyses the social interaction and the praxis content-integrated rationale, i.e. 'circumstantial': needfulness, consequential or both.

The Visual Arts component offers opportunities to reflect upon and analyze strategies, approaches, media, issues and challenges associated with the implementation of visual arts in different adult learning and training contexts.

The Dance component offers opportunities to learn about and how to implement dance and movement-based concepts and strategies for pedagogical and educational projects and outcomes involving adults.

Learning Outcomes:

1. Knowledge & Understanding:
By the end of the study-unit the student will be able to:

- Discuss a limited knowledge-base related to visual arts and dance as global, social and artistic constructs;
- Examine strategies, approaches, media, challenges etc. in given case studies featuring visual arts- or dance-facilitated teaching and learning for adults; and
- Discuss how visual arts and dance techniques can contribute towards personal, professional and social development and wellbeing.

2. Skills:
By the end of the study-unit the student will be able to:

- Use choreographic skills in a variety of settings in order facilitate creative and/or educational projects;
- Integrate cross-cultural and cross-art form practice in adult education and training contexts;
- Analyze strategic application of visual arts and dance in specified or documented adult learning community contexts;
- Analyze the role of the educator in developing collaborative projects with adult participants in various social contexts about key community issues; and
- Plan a practice-based, creative, interdisciplinary visual arts- or dance-facilitated teaching and learning collaborative session for adults.

Main Text/s and any supplementary readings:

Main Texts:

- Amans, D. (Ed.). (2017). An introduction to community dance practice. Basingstoke: Palgrave Macmillan.
- Harris, P., Lawton, M., Walker, A., Green, M. (2019). Community-based art education across the lifespan: finding common ground. Teachers, College Press.
- Vella, R. & Sarantou, M. (Eds.). (2021). Documents of Socially Engaged Art. InSEA.

Supplementary Readings:

- Barton, G. (Ed.) (2014). Literacy in the Arts: retheorising learning and teaching. London, Springer.
- Blom, L. & Tarin Chaplin, L. (1988). The Moment of Movement: Dance Improvisation. London: Dance Books.
- Bowman, W., Elliott, D., & Silverman, M. (2016). Artistic Citizenship: artistry,social responsibility, and ethical praxis. Oxford: Oxford University Press.
- Green, J. (2002). Somatic Knowledge: The Body as Content and Methodology in Dance Education. Journal of Dance Education 2(4): 114–118.
- Helguera, P. (2011). Education for socially engaged art. Jorge Pinto Books.
- Mateus-Berr, R. & Reitstätter, L. (2017). Art and Design Education in Times of Change : Conversations Across Cultures. De Gruyter.
- Shapiro, S. (ed.). (2008). Dance in a World of Change: Reflections on globalisation and cultural difference. Human Kinetics.
- Vella, R. & Pule, M. (Eds.). (2020). Conducting participatory arts projects: A practical toolkit. University of Lapland. (Open access).

 
STUDY-UNIT TYPE Lecture and Independent Study

 
METHOD OF ASSESSMENT
Assessment Component/s Assessment Due Sept. Asst Session Weighting
Presentation (20 Minutes) SEM2 Yes 20%
Oral and Written Exercises SEM2 Yes 80%

 
LECTURER/S Maria M. Brown (Co-ord.)
Raphael Vella
Deborah Williams

 

 
The University makes every effort to ensure that the published Courses Plans, Programmes of Study and Study-Unit information are complete and up-to-date at the time of publication. The University reserves the right to make changes in case errors are detected after publication.
The availability of optional units may be subject to timetabling constraints.
Units not attracting a sufficient number of registrations may be withdrawn without notice.
It should be noted that all the information in the description above applies to study-units available during the academic year 2024/5. It may be subject to change in subsequent years.

https://www.um.edu.mt/course/studyunit