Art and Play in Childhood 2000
Fall, 2000
Course number PSYC-3078-R
Margery B. Franklin
PLEASE NOTE: I am on campus Tuesdays, Thursdays and Fridays. Conferences will be scheduled for Tuesday afternoon, Thursday morning and afternoon, Friday early afternoon.
Children in our culture spend considerable time engaged in art-making and play. As they explore materials and build forms, they begin to tell stories about their pictures and develop narrative lines for their pretend scenarios. What is the significance of these activities for the child and the observing psychologist? Should we interpret the child's drawing and play as indicators of personal concerns and conflicts, as providing clues to their social understanding or cognitive development, or as windows on the child's imagination? How shall we conceptualize the series of changes from making scribbles and designs to drawing pictures, from piling cups to building houses of blocks? Do we find significant variation among children of different cultures or subcultures in their use of materials for the expression of meaning? What kinds of connections do we see between art-making and play in childhood and aesthetic activities of adult life? These controversial questions, widely debated by psychologists, will be explored through theoretical readings, research studies by psychologists and educators, observational material gathered by students and others, and the use of material from our archive of children's art work and block-building. We will develop the view that art-making and play are distinctive representational activities through which the child forms and communicates her understandings of self, other, and world. Fieldwork in the Early Childhood Center or other setting is strongly encouraged. Intermediate. Some background in psychology, education, anthropology or sociology is advised.
Course requirements
The SEMINAR MEETS TWICE A WEEK, Tuesdays and Fridays, 11:00 - 12:30, in the electronic classroom in the Library. We will be using the facilities of the electronic classroom to view examples of children's art work, block building, and dramatic play settings. While all students will be expected to use the web board for postings (see below), no computer experience is required for this course. Any necessary instruction will be provided as we go along. A few sessions will be held in the Small Film Viewing Room (PAC) so that we may view videos of children working with art materials and engaged in pretend play.
CLASS READINGS will be in books in the Book Store, on Library Reserve, in the course reader, or in the Franklin 'basket' in Library Reserve. See 'Readings' link.
Every week, each student will do POSTINGS ON THE CLASS WEB FORUM. For each student, these will alternate between responses to the assigned readings, and responses to other students' postings. The postings must be put up by 8 p.m. the evening preceding class, so that we will have time to read them before class.
DOCUMENTATION: Students will contribute images of children's art and block buildings, children engaged in art making and play, to our Image Library. In addition to a digital camera for use in the ECC classrooms, we have a camcorder available for those interested in video documentation of art making or play. Audio recorders will also be available. Students preferring to use their own cameras may scan prints to be added to the image library. One aspect of the course is the importance of documentation in research and, more generally, in the understanding of children's experience.
TWO CLASS PAPERS will be assigned, one due mid-semester and another at the end of the semester.
In connection with CONFERENCE WORK, students are encouraged to do FIELD WORK at the ECC or other setting. Conference meetings are 30 minutes, scheduled every other week. Students will post progress reports on their conference work; ongoing conference projects will also be discussed in class. A final paper on the conference project is due at the end of the semester.