Critical aesthetic pedagogy: Toward a theory of self and social understanding

This dissertation attempts to describe a new form of education called Critical Aesthetic Pedagogy. The object of this pedagogical method is to infuse aesthetic experience into critical educational practices in order to enhance capacities in students that are indispensable for social empowerment. By exposing students to participatory encounters with artworks that possess certain qualities that encourage the sharing of experiences and the recognition of common sources of oppression, educators can create a sense of empowerment that will prepare students to enable social justice. As illustration of this process, the Lincoln Center Institute's Aesthetic Education Program is described. This program provided a practical framework for incorporating aesthetics into critical pedagogical practices, which contributed to the development of the aforementioned pedagogy.;The tool used to measure the ultimate success of this critical aesthetic process was a narrative paper in which a group of 46 teacher education students enrolled in a foundations of education course were asked to write reflecting on the entire semester's assigned readings and related class discussions in the light of their own personal experiences and using the LCI Aesthetic Education experience as a backdrop. A narrative analysis of students' reflective papers was conducted looking for recurring themes that indicated an enhanced critical awareness and empowerment to pursue social change.;This analysis showed that the infusion of aesthetic experiences into critical pedagogical practices can indeed enhance the development of social consciousness, and thus promote the adoption of educational methods that advance social change. Students in this study responded to this method in one of three ways: by moving toward critical reflection, social empowerment, or resentment. These responses depended on the power of their aesthetic experience, and this in turn is influenced by the life experiences they bring to their encounter with the work of art included in the curriculum.