Arts Based Community Development

The module aims to address fundamental questions about cultural democracy and human rights, with a particular focus on strategies to develop cultural literacy and cultural capital. It aims to develop a practical exploration and examination of aesthetic and ethical issues as expressed in the tensions between product and process in community-based cultural activity.

It aims to encourage and enable an exploration of these issues by providing an experiential context, conceptual frameworks and a forum for examining and exploring the role of the arts in community development.

It should provide students with a context for subsequent learning, enhance their power of independent judgement, enrich their perspectives on human society and encourage reflection on the interface of culture, human rights and community development.

This module maps to the CORU Standards of Proficiency below:

Proficiencies: 1.8,1.23, 5.2, 5.16

1. Show a deeper and broader knowledge and understanding of culture, cultural literacy, cultural capital, cultural rights and cultural democracy

   (Proficiency 5.2)

2. Express a deeper and broader knowledge and understanding of the arts and their role in community development and social care, and the role of the artist and volunteer in this work

   (Proficiencies:1.23, 5.16)

3. Construct a framework for conceptualising differing views on community, and an ability to contest conventional wisdom and develop alternative perspectives;

4. Determine an enriched perspective on social solidarity, a willingness to challenge preconceptions and prejudice, and an enthusiasm towards further enquiry

   (Proficiency 1.8)

5. Develop an enhanced capacity for thought, self-reflection and expression through the arts and for autonomous learning;

6. Value the ability and confidence to articulate an internalised personal world view, manifesting solidarity with others and the ability to engage creatively with them.