Postgraduate Module Descriptor

EFPM224: Creativity and the Arts

This module descriptor refers to the 2019/0 academic year.

Module Aims

To develop understanding of the key concept of creativity.

To provide an introduction to a range of philosophical standpoints towards the arts and the aesthetic.

To provide an introduction to important pedagogical issues for creativity in learning and teaching the arts different cultural contexts from the stances of theory, policy and practice.

Intended Learning Outcomes (ILOs)
This module's assessment will evaluate your achievement of the ILOs listed here - you will see reference to these ILO numbers in the details of the assessment for this module.
On successfully completing the programme you will be able to:
Module-Specific Skills	1. demonstrate a critical understanding of the nature and value of creativity in education; 2. demonstrate a critical understanding of learning in the arts;
Discipline-Specific Skills	3. critically reflect upon and evaluate your own approach or that of other specialist practitioners to fostering creativity in learning and teaching in the arts; 4. critically appraise the module content in order to question and inform your own professional practice;
Personal and Key Skills	5. synthesise and organise ideas to present an argument; 6. undertake both directed and independent study to recognise, justify and analyse key ideas in the literature and relate to practice; 7. work collaboratively in small groups with peers; and 8. present ideas verbally and through writing and engage in critical reflective debate.

Module Content

Syllabus Plan

Whilst the module's precise content may vary from year to year, it is envisaged that the syllabus will cover some or all of the following topics:

understanding creativity and how it can be framed; in particular Possibility Thinking and Wise Humanising Creativity as ways of understanding and nurturing creativity in the arts and beyond;
exploring characteristics of the arts, discussing misapprehensions and raising questions about defining the arts in various cultural contexts;
investigating the main theories of play, how they contribute to learning and relationship between play and creativity;
exploring Possibility Thinking as a way of understanding and nurturing creativity in the arts and beyond;
researching children's creativity in the arts and beyond;
documenting and assessing creativity in the arts and beyond; develop knowledge and understanding of creative teaching and learning in particular through partnership;
gaining an introduction to different pedagogical perspectives on learning and the implications for different teaching contexts and cultures.

The module seeks to enable you to apply approaches to creativity and the arts through active reflection on practice and theory with a focus on pedagogy alongside policy framing. Independent, collaborative and peer to peer learning is also encouraged. Core staff are joined by visiting lecturers who specialise in the applied areas such as arts-education partnership, student voice and participation; a visit is also usually made to a creative school.

This module descriptor captures two modes of delivery: campus-based (C) and blended (B). In the Learning and Teaching section below there are two sets of numbers: one pertains to campus-based delivery and one to blended delivery. Students enrolled on the blended mode will be expected to undertake more independent guided study than those on the campus-based mode.

Learning and Teaching

This table provides an overview of how your hours of study for this module are allocated:

Scheduled Learning and Teaching Activities	Guided independent study	Placement / study abroad
30 (C) 18 (B)	270 (C) 282 (B)

...and this table provides a more detailed breakdown of the hours allocated to various study activities:

Category	Hours of study time	Description
Scheduled Learning and Teaching Activities	24 (C)	(C): 2 x 1.5 hr lecture, 4 x 1.5 hr workshops, 2 x 1.5hr seminar (2 Saturdays with (B) students) AND 8 x 1.5 hr lecture/seminars
Scheduled Learning and Teaching Activities	12 (B)	(B): 2 x 1.5 hr lectures, 4 x 1.5 hr workshops, 2 x 1.5hr seminars (2 Saturdays with (C) students)
Scheduled Learning and Teaching Activities	3 (C) 3 (B)	Individual supervision by academic tutor, face to face or online.
Scheduled Learning and Teaching Activities	3 (C) 3 (B)	Face to face or online debates facilitated by tutors
Guided independent study	32 (B)	Independent Study using online directed tasks to study key aspects of creativity in specialist field arts practice
Guided independent study	80 (C) 60 (B)	Directed study: preparatory work for taught sessions including reading; research tasks; collaborative tasks
Guided independent study	90 (C) (B)	Assignment preparation
Guided independent study	100 (C) (B)	Self directed study

Online Resources

This module has online resources available via ELE (the Exeter Learning Environment).