Class Year
2020
Access Type
Open Access
Degree Name
Bachelor of Arts
Department or Program
Education Department
First Advisor
Kimberly Williams Brown
Second Advisor
Lisa Collins
Abstract
This paper analyzes a social justice arts program that I developed and taught to third, fourth, and fifth grade students at one school in the Poughkeepsie, NY area. I begin this project by considering my own experiences in art class as an elementary school student, and analyzing the strengths and weaknesses of my school’s art curriculum. Next, I take a multidisciplinary approach to evaluate the current literature on social justice arts education. In this section, I define the characteristics of a high-quality social justice arts program and analyze commonly-available arts education resources for teachers. I continue with an outline of the development of my particular curriculum, as well as my methods for selecting schools and evaluating my program. Finally, I analyze the impact of this project on both myself and my students. I ultimately argue that social justice education of any form takes time, strong relationships, communication, and support from multiple actors.
Recommended Citation
Kennen, Sophie, "“Well, I’m thinking about horse poverty”: Teaching and Learning about Social Justice and the Arts with Elementary School Students" (2020). Senior Capstone Projects. 975.
https://digitalwindow.vassar.edu/senior_capstone/975
Included in
Art Education Commons, Community-Based Learning Commons, Curriculum and Instruction Commons, Curriculum and Social Inquiry Commons, Disability and Equity in Education Commons, Elementary Education Commons, Politics and Social Change Commons, Special Education and Teaching Commons