| Visual expression in tangible form is a complex human phenomenon which has been defined, understood and valued in many different and contradictory ways. In the modern world, the defining, understanding and valuing have been largely determined by the concept of art developed in Western Europe and based largely on ideas derived from classical Greece and the Italian Renaissance.;This concept, along with its accompanying theories and language, has often been asserted as a universal. However, it is not applicable to many, if not most, of the world's visual traditions including many within the West itself.;What is presented here is an interdisciplinary course with multicultural emphasis. It has been designed to serve as an introduction to visual expression on a global basis, and as a contribution to the development of innovative curricular approaches more appropriate to the complexities of the contemporary world with its multiplicity of styles, beliefs and expressions.;The course is explained and justified by the supporting theoretical framework of Visual Culture, and the presentation is based on (1) broad investigation of fields with information relevant to human creations in visual form, and (2) surveys of contemporary educational practices, primarily in the United States and the United Kingdom as reflected in curricular offerings and dominant texts.;The investigation has drawn on those fields traditionally associated with art, including art history, aesthetics and the philosophy of art, and art education. It has also included critical data from anthropology, other social sciences, neuroscience, and from new fields such as Women's Studies, African-American Studies, and Cultural Studies.;Emphasis has been placed on incorporating information from a variety of cultural traditions and conceptual frameworks. I have used the more expansive term, Visual Culture, in differentiating this recommended approach from the approaches of courses such as Art Appreciation, or Survey of World Art which usually have focused on the Western tradition within a Western conceptual framework. However, the term art has such widespread currency that it cannot be abandoned entirely. It is used throughout the document, but with emphasis on its varied, inconsistent and often inappropriate usage. |
