Aesthetics and Art Education.

Overview & Synopsis

Divided into five parts, this anthology analyzes various aspects of the theory and practice of aesthetics and aesthetic education. Each part contains an introduction and articles by various authors. Part 1, "Aesthetics as a Field of Study," outlines aesthetic questions, case problems, types of aesthetic theory, and recent aesthetics in England and the United States. Part 2, "Some Problems of Aesthetics," presents analysis of the concepts of creativity, aesthetic experience, interpretation, critical evaluation, and art itself. Part 3, "Purposes of Aesthetic Education," discusses the arts as basic education, philosophy and theory of aesthetic education, teaching art in public schools, and the usefulness of aesthetic education. Part 4, "Curriculum Design and Evaluation," addresses such issues as the pursuit of excellence in arts education and detecting and assessing aesthetic learning and development. Approaches to curriculum design are discussed along with the cognitive and moral outcomes of aesthetic education. Part 5, "Teaching and Learning in Aesthetic Education," describes the character of critical discussion, and how teachers must have knowledge of its principles and possible levels of discourse. This can help them teach relevant concepts of aesthetic criticism and understand the conceptual character of works of art. (KM)