ECE5001 Aesthetics in Early Childhood Arts

Contents

• Staffing
• Rationale
• Synopsis
• Objectives
• Topics
• Texts
• Reference materials
• Student workload
• Assessment details
• Important assessment information
• Production date
• PDF version

STAFFING

RATIONALE

Aesthetics education is concerned with cultivating the capacity to regard art and non-art with a particular kind of imaginative attention, in order to become increasingly discriminating and critically reflective in one's responses. According to Abbs (1989), aesthetics is `a particular mode of responding to and apprehending experience', and this `mode of response operates through the senses and feelings'. In order to be able to support children's aesthetic development, teachers need to firstly develop their own understanding of aesthetics as a philosophy and to refine their own aesthetic perceptions and judgements through disciplined study and exercises.

SYNOPSIS

Through an exploration of significant writings on aesthetics and a range of practical experiences, this course aims to develop student's own knowledge and appreciation of aesthetics. Since the ability to appreciate art and non-art aesthetically is closely linked to the ability to think philosophically, this course requires students to engage in philosophical inquiry. Readings and practical exercises guide students through a program of work designed to challenge and extend student's aesthetic perceptions and judgements in relation to art and non-art. Students will also consider the implications of their own learning for early childhood education.

OBJECTIVES

The course objectives define the student learning outcomes for a course. The assessment item(s) that may be used to assess student achievement of an objective are shown in parenthesis. On successful completion of this course students will be able to:

1.

demonstrate an understanding of the nature of aesthetics as a philosophy; (All assessment items)

2.

make informed aesthetic judgements in relation to art and non-art; (Reflections, Essay)

3.

critically analyse the literature associated with aesthetics; (Essay)

4.

reflect on the implications of aesthetics for early childhood education. (Reflections)

5.

demonstrate competence in written language and scholarly writing including correct spelling, grammar, and bibliographic referencing. (Reflections, Essay)

TOPICS

TEXT and MATERIALS required to be PURCHASED or accessed

ALL textbooks and materials are available for purchase from USQ BOOKSHOP (unless otherwise stated). Orders may be placed via secure internet, free fax 1800642453, phone 07 46312742 (within Australia), or mail. Overseas students should fax +61 7 46311743, or phone +61 7 46312742. For costs, further details, and internet ordering, use the 'Textbook Search' facility at http://bookshop.usq.edu.au click 'Semester', then enter your 'Course Code' (no spaces).

Gaut, Berys & Lopes, Dominic McIver (eds) 2005, The routledge companion to aesthetics, 2nd edn, Routledge, New York.

REFERENCE MATERIALS

Reference materials are materials that, if accessed by students, may improve their knowledge and understanding of the material in the course and enrich their learning experience.

Whether you are on, or off campus, the USQ Library is an excellent source of information http://www.usq.edu.au/library . The gateway to education resources is here... http://www.usq.edu.au/library/faculties/education/default.htm

Carlson, A 2000, Aesthetics and the environment: the appreciation of nature, art and architecture, Routledge, London.

Franklin, MB & Kaplan, B (eds) 1994, Development and the arts: critical perspectives, Lawrence Erlbaum Associates, Hillsdale, NJ.

Lindqvist, G 1995, The aesthetics of play: a didactic study of play and culture in preschools, Uppsala University, Uppsala.

McLean, J 1996, An aesthetic framework in drama: issues and implications, National Association for Drama in Education, Brisbane.

Scruton, R 1997, The aesthetics of music, Clarendon Press, Oxford.

Thompson, CM 1995, The visual arts and early childhood learning, The National Art Education Association, Reston, VA.
(Whether you are on, or off campus, the USQ Library is an excellent source of information http://www.usq.edu.au/library/ . The gateway to education resources is here... http://www.usq.edu.au/library/faculties/education/default.htm)

STUDENT WORKLOAD REQUIREMENTS

ASSESSMENT DETAILS

NOTES

1.

APA style is the referencing system required in this course. Students should use APA style in their assignments to format details of the information sources they have cited in their work. The USQ library provides advice on how to format information sources using this system. http://www.usq.edu.au/library/help/ehelp/ref_guides/apastyle/default.htm

IMPORTANT ASSESSMENT INFORMATION

1. Attendance requirements:
   There are no attendance requirements for this course. However, it is the students' responsibility to study all material provided to them or required to be accessed by them to maximise their chance of meeting the objectives of the course and to be informed of course-related activities and administration.
2. Requirements for students to complete each assessment item satisfactorily:
   To complete each of the assessment items satisfactorily, students must obtain at least 50% of the marks available for each assessment item.
3. Penalties for late submission of required work:
   If students submit assignments after the due date without (prior) approval of the examiner then a penalty of 5% of the total marks gained by the student for the assignment may apply for each working day late up to ten working days at which time a mark of zero may be recorded. No assignments will be accepted after model answers have been posted.
4. Requirements for student to be awarded a passing grade in the course:
   To be assured of receiving a passing grade a student must achieve at least 50% of the total weighted marks available for the course.
5. Method used to combine assessment results to attain final grade:
   The final grades for students will be assigned on the basis of the weighted aggregate of the marks obtained for each of the summative assessment items in the course.
6. Examination information:
   There is no examination in this course.
7. Examination period when Deferred/Supplementary examinations will be held:
   There is no examination in this course.
8. University Regulations:
   Students should read USQ Regulations 5.1 Definitions, 5.6. Assessment, and 5.10 Academic Misconduct for further information and to avoid actions which might contravene University Regulations. These regulations can be found at the URL http://www.usq.edu.au/corporateservices/calendar/part5.htm or in the current USQ Handbook.

This version produced 11 Dec 2009.