Arts Education
Full time Master of Philosophy (MPhil)
Part time Master in Education (MEd)
The Arts Education route is for anyone with a research or professional interest in the field of arts education in a broad range of contexts. Two key questions will underpin our exploration of the arts and arts-based pedagogies, “How are the arts distinctively educational?”’ and ‘Why are the arts important to humanity?” Concepts such as aesthetics, empathy, creativity, imagination, expression, the arts and social justice and advocacy will be examined from a range of perspectives, providing an opportunity for you to engage critically with different discourses between the arts, practice and pedagogy. The route is taught by a specialist team within Arts education (eg. philosophy, drama, music, built environment and visual arts). You will also have the opportunity to enjoy learning outside the classroom through opportunities to attend arts focused seminars and workshops with visiting speakers.
Aims
The route aims to develop your understanding of a number of significant themes and contemporary issues. It will offer frameworks for thinking critically about your own teaching and learning, as well as providing critical engagement with international research in arts education.
Each year this route examines several of the issues below:
- key debates and concepts in arts education;
- the role arts based pedagogy can play across a broad range of contexts within and beyond formal education
- the role of creativity and reflective practice in arts education;
- advocacy and social justice as it relates to arts education;
- assessment in arts education;
- opportunities to apply research methods related to arts-based educational enquiry
For details of assessment requirements on this course, please see programme aims.
Student Profiles
The student cohort is drawn from around the world, including the UK, and represents a variety of arts education traditions and perspectives. This is a particular strength of the route and something from which all participants benefit.
Madeleine Brens (Canada)
Past MPhil student now PhD
The Arts Culture and Education route was exactly what I was looking for in an MPhil programme. It was well structured in that we received excellent support from supervisors and training to prepare us for fieldwork research.
Tyler Denmead (USA)
Past MPhil student now PhD
Through the Arts, Culture, and Education programme, I had the opportunity to extend my theoretical sensitivity of the socially-engaged arts field in which I had participated as a practitioner for over a decade.
Nikki Willis (UK)
Past MEd student
The research that I carried out not only informed my own practice but also contributed to contemporary educational debate and policy. In this sense, the ACE course was pivotal in my pedagogical and career development.
Jason Goodreau (USA)
Past MPhil student
…this course helped me better understand the critical importance of the arts in the lives of children and society as well as my role as an educational leader and artist. This program gave me knowlege, experience, and skills to be a more self-confident and collaborative administrator and arts advocate in my school and community.
Anna Williams ( )
Past MPhil student
I looked at music and social capital. Completing the research for my thesis at a Ugandan orphanage was a formative experience for me, made all the more meaningful by being able to contextualise and analyse my results with the help of excellent course tutor support.
Conducting your research project
Although some overseas students return to their country of origin to carry out their research project, you may decide, along with home-based students, to conduct your research project in a local setting. Normally data collection will take place during April and May (though part-time students are advised to collect their data in the Spring term) after the end of the taught elements, but leaving sufficient time for you to analyse your data and prepare your thesis. If this is likely to be true for you, then it would be helpful to you to make any initial contacts you need before you start the route.
You should also bear in mind that the Faculty does not have the funds to support travel and other expenses of your work, although a small amount to cover some fieldwork expenses may be available. You may also be able to apply to your college for some support.
Research Methods Strand
All Masters students on this route are required to attend a generic research methods strand, taught across thematic routes. Methods sessions are essential for a research-based Masters degree. Arts based methodologies may feature in your planning. The research strand constitutes about one-third of the whole programme. Through this strand, you will develop your understanding of different research strategies, develop skills in appraising and synthesising published research studies and acquire the understanding and skills necessary for designing, conducting, analysing, interpreting and reporting a small-scale research study for thesis presentation.
The research strand covers a broad range of social science research methods and is essential for Masters level understanding and critical engagement with the research literature in many specialist areas including arts practices and in education more generally. It offers opportunities and encouragement to apply the knowledge gained in your thematic area, and vice versa. Details of the MPhil and MEd Research Methods courses are provided in separate handbooks.
Application process and Fees
For more information on the application process, fees and entry requirements please see the MPhil pages if you are interested in full-time study or the MEd pages if you are interested in part-time study.
Preparing for the course
Students on this route are encouraged to read a range of background texts on the arts and education before arriving in October. This is especially important for those whose first degree is not in an arts discipline and for those who are not familiar with the English education system.
The course does require confidence and competence in academic writing, and in your application you will need to illustrate you have a proven record of this to a high standard.
Below is a selection of texts we recommend as reading for this route. These texts have been chosen to give a wide-based introduction to different aspects of arts and education, to open up key issues, or to illustrate a key disciplinary tradition. They offer an opportunity for you to familiarise yourself with ideas across a range of areas considered on the course prior to commencing your studies.
Abbs, P. (2003) Against the flow: education, the arts and postmodern culture Routledge Falmer
Allegue, L., Jones, S., Kershaw, B. and Piccini, A. (Eds) (2009) Practice-as-research: In performance and screen Palgrave Macmillan
Amabile, T. M. (1996) Creativity in context Westview
Addison, N. and Burgess, L. (Eds) (2003) Issues in Art & Design Education. London: RoutledgeFalmer.
Armstrong, J. R. (2004) The secret power of beauty Penguin
Atkinson, D. and Dash, P. (Eds) (2005) Social and Critical Practice in Art Education. Trentham Books
Bamford, A. (2006). The Wow Factor – Global research compendium on the impact of the arts in education. Munster: Waxmann
Bresler, L. (2007) (Ed) International Handbook of Research in Arts Education. Springer.
Burnard, P. and Hennessy, S. (2009) Reflective Practices in Arts Education. Dordrecht, The Netherlands, Springer
Burnard, P. (2012) Musical Creativities in Real World Practices. Oxford: Oxford University Press.
Cannatella, H. (2008) The richness of art education Sense Publishers
Craft, A. (2005) Creativity in schools: Tensions and dilemmas Routledge
Davis, J.H. (2008). Why our schools need the arts. New York: Teachers College Press.
Doddington, C and Hilton, M. (2007) Child-Centred Education: reviving the creative tradition. Sage
Eisner, E. (2002) The Arts and the Creation of Mind. London: Yale University Press
Eisner, E. and Day, M. (Eds.) (2004). Handbook of Research and Policy in Art Education. Mahwah, N.J.: NAEA: Lawrence Erlbaum.
Finney, J., Hickman, R., Morrison, M., Nicholl, B., and Rudduck, J. (2005). Rebuilding engagement through the arts. Cambridge: Pearson. ISBN: 1 85749 858 5
Gardner, H. (1993). Frames of Mind; a theory of multiple intelligence. (2nd ed.). Fontana Press.
Greene, M. (2000) Releasing the Imagination Jossy Bass
Hickman, R. (2010, 2nd ed.) Why We Make Art - and why it is taught. Intellect publications, Bristol..
Hickman, R. (2005) (Ed.) Critical Studies in Art and Design Education. Bristol: Intellect.
Parsons, M. and Blocker, H.G. (1993) Aesthetics and Education Chicago: University of Illinois Press.
Simons, H. (2009) Case study research in practice Sage
Sullivan, G. (2005) Art practice as research Sage
Thomas, G. (2009) How to do your research project Sage