Content and structure

Content

Stimulating, provoking, repositioning, shifting: artistic/pedagogical practices and ways of thinking make an impact on societal discourse. The Major in “Critical Social Practice in Art Education” takes this quality as a starting point to further develop artistic-educational work in institutional as well as non-formal settings using artistic means. It thereby focuses on urgent social, political, economic, and/or ecological issues. 

Art is understood as a socio-critical modus operandi, as an empowering and transformative practice through which social fields can be reshaped. The program promotes practices such as community-based collaboration, social intervention, aesthetic experimentation, interdisciplinary research, and artistic teaching. Current discourses on care, climate justice, critical urbanism, social change, and artistic activism are addressed and further developed. Public social space serves as a site for participatory interventions and critical engagements with traditional as well as progressive forms of education. 

The Major at Master level is designed for students with demonstrable experiences in socio-cultural educational work and an artistic profile. The program builds on teamwork, in terms of both structure and content. It promotes the development and reflection of artistic-educational work at the intersection of educational institutions, cultural organizations, public space, and social groups. The Major enables students to become agents of (sustainable) change in and for institutional and non-formal artistic-educational domains. 

Structure

The specialized content of the Major in "Critical Social Practice in Art Education" and its pedagogical framework are grounded on the integration of four types of modules: Projects, Studio, Discourses, and Professionalization. These should be understood as mutually dependent and are meant as interacting perspectives within the program: 

The modules in Projects encompass formats of collaborative negotiation, design, and implementation of both conceptual and practical ideas. These ideas are developed and executed in close collaboration with and in collective production by actors within specific fields of practice. 

The modules in Studio encompass formats of individual and guided exploration in artistic processes and techniques; these are accompanied by modules that drive students to think and act with/on their own artistic methods and to apply them to relevant art educational and social practices. 

The modules in Discourses contextualization and development of theory. Students collectively select focal topics within their cohort to apply them to their specific professional trajectories using artistic strategies. 

The modules in Professionalization encompass formats which deal more specifically with themes and practices that relate to the students’ professional expertise. These formats include close analyses and critical reflections about the individuals’ practices. 

Competencies

The students

  • use art as a professional medium of expression and as a space for social action, a means of communication, and a horizon for aesthetic experience; 

  • understand art and design processes as research and explore and develop them accordingly; 

  • are familiar with and reflect on their own positioning within relevant (inter-)disciplinary discourses (education, art theory, cultural and societal analyses, philosophy, etc.); 

  • are competent in conceptualizing, planning, implementing, managing, and evaluating art educational programs; 

  • are able to convincingly justify their professional actions in practical settings based on socio-cultural, situational, and economic analyses; 

  • employ diverse and adaptable forms and methods of communication and interaction in various educational contexts, and can further develop them in collaboration with the involved actors; 

  • are cooperative and collaborative team players who act in a resourceful and network-oriented manner; 

  • have basic knowledge in marketing, sponsorship/acquisition, financing/budgeting, and legal aspects relating to self-employment and the realization of commissioned projects for institutions. 

Admission Requirements

To be admitted, students must have obtained a relevant bachelor’s degree in the field of Art Education, Fine Art, Design, Social Work or an equivalent undergraduate education. In addition, the Major in "Critical Social Practice in Art Education" requests from students a specific interest in educational processes. In particular, the Major demands social and communicative skills, as well as a clear commitment to collective reflection and the development of theory, based on artistic practices. Candidates apply with a socially relevant question or issue motivated by their professional background or developed during their Bachelor's degree, and with a corresponding project portfolio. 

In the Major, students collaboratively explore significant thematic perspectives relating to ecology, politics, or culture. These perspectives are developed within teams and are intended to provide students with connections to pertinent disciplines and public debates. 

Based on their own aesthetic, affective, and socio-corporeal experiences, students collaborate in teams, both within and outside of ZHdK, to develop transformative educational projects in institutional as well as non-formal settings. These projects strive to carve out spaces for reshaping the current conditions for cultural institutions with educational motives. Students have the opportunity to partake in ongoing projects across various research areas at ZHdK and to foster collaboration with stakeholders in specific professional fields. The heterogeneity within the student cohort provides a crucial foundation for learning and a constructive engagement with and across differences.