Social Critical Thinking Through the Arts

Do you wonder about pressing social problems and how to make a difference? In this Yale College-based seminar, we will learn about the art of looking, dialogue, and validating other perspectives as a strategy for social critical thinking. By using the visual thinking curriculum or “art of looking”—a learning tool designed by Harvard’s Education Department and developed by several museums, including the Museum of Modern Art (MOMA)—students will engage in thoughtful discussions regarding global social problems. This museum-originated practice consists of learning through observation and immersive attention to content, holding a wide array of benefits for critical thinking, especially in an era of high-speed means of information delivery. Topics include racism, social movements, feminism, immigration, identity, and inequalities and social injustice.  Students will participate in careful, detailed-oriented observation of modern and contemporary artwork over virtual guided tours to the Yale University Art Gallery (YUAG). No need to know about visual arts or art history or interested in museums. Instead, this class is for those who love learning through discovery.