EXPERIMENTS IN INJECTING CRITICAL READINGS OF THE HISTORY OF ARTS AND DESIGN EDUCATION INTO AN INTRODUCTORY COURSE IN PUBLICATION DESIGN

This learning unit was designed for use by 1^st year diploma level visual communication students at a tertiary-level art and design school in Uganda.

Its aim was to introduce the students to publication design (as specified in the curriculum) while at the same time engaging them in critical readings of the history of art and design in Uganda.

We hoped to increase their ability to question the status quo in the fields of culture, society, politics and education; to assess and manage their own learning; and to engage with others outside the project with this work.

Students were introduced to the writings of Margaret Trowell (1904-1989). Trowell founded the first formal European-style school of Art and Design in the Uganda Protectorate in the 1930s. (Supplied separately.)

The publication design module, into which the learning unit was embedded, was delivered in two 2-hour lessons per week over 15 weeks between September 2017 – May 2018.