Turning Theory into Practice: A Case Study in the Arts

Abstract

Students who take art and music courses learn not only content, but also develop new ways of thinking, communicating, and evaluating. Ultimately, such classes teach students to hear and to see, to be comfortable with ambiguity, to examine issues from multiple perspectives, and to develop sound strategies for working through confusing and sometimes controversial issues. We argue that the ways of thinking presented in these courses can transfer to any discipline. This article presents a targeted case study of our experience tailoring a multidisciplinary arts course specifically to nursing students. We outline the course construction, document our findings, assess our results, and argue for the benefits of visual and aural training. TURNING THEORY INTO PRACTICE: A CASE STUDY IN THE ARTS Abstract: Students who take art and music courses learn not only content, but also develop new ways of thinking, communicating, and evaluating. Ultimately, such classes teach students to hear and to see, to be comfortable with ambiguity, to examine issues from multiple perspectives, and to develop sound strategies for working through confusing and sometimes controversial issues. We argue that the ways of thinking presented in these courses can transfer to any discipline. This article presents a targeted case study of our experience tailoring a multidisciplinary arts course specifically to nursing students. We outline the course construction, document our findings, assess our results, and argue for the benefits of visual and aural training.