Arts, Creativity and Human Development

This course is designed to introduce students to the nature of art as a creative process, the role of art in human development, the concept of art skill acquisition from a developmental perspective, and to the major schools of human development theory as they related to arts-based living and learning. The course will aid students in their attempts to effectively plan arts-based interventions for populations of various ages and situations.

Course Objectives To provide students with a working knowledge of, and opportunity to apply concepts from the following topics to be covered:

• Theories and definitions of creativity
• Theories of child development
• Main factors related to the development of a child’s ego
• The role of creativity and play in positive development & growth
• Developmental milestones within each art form
• The role of play and fairy tales in child development
• Socio-cultural factors related to creativity
• Individual factors related to creativity
• Role of art in the development of empathy

Student Learning Outcomes

• Define the nature of creativity (100%)
• Describe the stages of two theories of human development (98%)
• Articulate the theoretical, psychological & theological perspectives of the creative process and demonstrate their application in designing art experiences for children & youth (85%)
• Articulate the role of creativity in psycho/social development and positive growth (90%)
• Discuss the developmental milestones of at least two art forms and design age-appropriate art experiences (95%)
• List and discuss the socio-cultural factors supporting creative environments (95%)
• List and discuss the individual factors that facilitate or decrease creativity (95%)
• List the elements of fairy tales as they relate to child development and apply them in analyzing classic or contemporary fairy tales. (85%)

For further information on this course, check out the Creativity and Human Development site.