Cultural Awareness in Teaching Art and Design

Cultural Awareness in Teaching Art and Design addresses an emerging area of development in contemporary pedagogy, the fostering of cultural awareness and sensitivity in the designers of tomorrow.

By offering new and unique examples of how to better educate students around issues of cultural awareness, this book presents teaching methodologies that ultimately, facilitate students in becoming better, and more inclusive, art and design professionals. Today, the role of education in the addressing of social and cultural issues is increasingly seen as central to pedagogical methodologies. Through engaged teaching, experiential learning, socially orientated pedagogy, or any other definition, the idea that students can and should be exposed to, and deal with, issues of importance to various stakeholders is increasingly seen as central to the teaching and learning experience - whether it be in relation to local communities, national economies, regional cultural identities or more. Using a series of innovative, cross disciplinary case studies in art and design teaching, with authors approaching questions of cultural awareness and engagement through the lenses of art history, product design, communication design, film, architecture, and interior design. In presenting their pedagogical methodologies and case studies the authors in this text offer a unique cross disciplinary design perspective that captures the cultural and social concerns of several regions of the world: Europe, North America, Asia and Africa and the Middle East.

This book will be essential reading for art and design educators and students interested in questions developing and applying models of cultural awareness and engagement in the classroom and studio.

Kirsty Macari is Co-Head of Undergraduate Programmes in DJCAD at the University of Dundee which includes Architecture, Urban Planning and Contemporary Art Practice. Kirsty studied Town and Regional Planning and Urban Design combined with significant experience of public and private sector practice across Planning and Economic Development before joining the University of Dundee. She is Depute Chair and a Board Member of Architecture & Design Scotland and Depute Chair of the Planning Schools Forum. Her research interests are focussed on design thinking within built environment professions and practice-based learning.