Mural "Breath Life," part of the Grove Hall Mural Project By Rob “ProBlak” Gibbs. Photo by Anna Mudd
July 29 - August 1, 2024
Imagination and the arts offer both distinctive windows into the world today as well as powerful tools for reimagining it. As educators, we strive to provide students with both content and critical thinking tools to better understand how our world works and our place within it. While we learn about the forces, trends, and structures that shape our world, the people and communities we study across the globe and the students in our classrooms are not passive observers of inevitable outcomes but active agents, responding to and shaping our present and both imagining and planning for the future. In this workshop we will explore the role of imagination and creativity in promoting individual and collective agency and social change in varied global contexts, and the role of the arts in opening up new imaginative possibilities. We will explore how imagination and the arts allow us to bring more critical consciousness to the status quo, step into differing experiences of the status quo, and to imagine and re-imagine different realities and futures.
- What shapes your imagination? Your students? What is the role of art in shaping the metaphors and narratives that help us make sense of the world?
- What shapes our “moral imagination,” our sense of what is just, our understanding of what is possible, and what feels inevitable?
- How have artists and activists worked together, historically and in the present, to illustrate and influence global issues? What differing forms can/have individual and collective agency take(n)?
- How does power influence how art is created, shared, consumed and valued?
- In an increasingly visual world, how can we help students make sense of the images that are constantly coming our way? How do we help them make meaning of this barrage?
- How can we help harness students’ imagination as creators in responding to current events/global affairs?
Over four days, the Global Studies Outreach Committee will present speakers, lead conversations, and encourage engagement on this topic. Educators will leave the workshop with a deeper understanding of this complex issue, resources they can bring to their classrooms, and relationships with other teachers and experts.
Format
This year’s workshop will take place in-person on Harvard’s Cambridge campus from Monday, July 29–Thursday, August 1, 2024.
Accepted participants will be required to complete 5-10 hours of pre-work in advance of the workshop. This pre-work will center on pedagogical resources developed by Religion and Public Life at Harvard Divinity School. You can learn more about these education frameworks here and explore their resources for educators here.
Cost
The cost to attend the workshop is $100. Breakfast and lunch will be provided at no additional cost. Limited funds are available to applicants who *reside outside of Massachusetts* to help defray travel costs. If you are interested and eligible to receive these funds, please indicate your interest through the workshop application form.
Application
Participation in this workshop is based on a competitive application process. Applications are due on April 1, 2024. Applications can be accessed here: https://harvard.az1.qualtrics.com/jfe/form/SV_1MkazDcwubIffUy
Applicants will be notified of their participation status by April 26, 2024.