ORIGINAL RESEARCH

 

Moving sciences beyond museums and theatres

 

Wetenskap: soveel meer as museums en teaters

 

 

Jugathambal Ramdhani^I; Sarita Ramsaroop^II

^ISchool of Social Sciences, University of KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa
^IIDepartment of Curriculum and Instruction, University of Johannesburg, South Africa

Correspondence

 

 

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ABSTRACT

Recent literature suggests that art and aesthetics are evident in ancient times, as well as in Islamic, Indian, Chinese, African and Western medieval traditions. However, literature on the incorporation of art and aesthetics into economic and management sciences and social sciences is not so readily available. Using a narrative exploratory study, this article reported on two lecturers' interpretation of the sensory contemplation or appreciation of aesthetic judgement within their academic programmes at a higher education institution. Stimulating creativity, passion and imagination is just part of an array of characteristics that prospective educators will need to develop in their teaching. Research has indicated that to become a reflective practitioner, educators should be able to assess and explore the success of their practices. It is this freedom to imagine, assess, explore and reflect continuously on new ways of doing things that leads ultimately to practical application. Teaching aesthetically also requires a strong grounding in pedagogical content knowledge, thereby allowing students to become transformers of society. The main thrust of this article was to determine how we develop and embody these qualities in ourselves and in the modules we teach. The results of the study indicated that whilst early socialisation processes did impact on how aesthetics was incorporated for one participant, culture did not play a very significant role for the other. The findings also indicated that students have a real appreciation of the incorporation of the aesthetic domain within the disciplines.

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OPSOMMING

Die jongste literatuur toon dat kuns en estetika in antieke, Islamitiese, Indiese, Chinese, Afrika en Westerse Middeleeuse tradisies voorgekom het. Inligting oor die inkorporering van kuns en estetika in sosiale wetenskappe en ekonomiese en bestuurswetenskappe is egter nie so geredelik beskikbaar nie. Hierdie artikel doen verslag oor twee dosente se vertolking van die sensoriese beskouing of waardering van estetiese oordeel in die akademiese programme aan 'n hoëronderwysinstelling deur middel van 'n narratiewe, verkennende studie. Om kreatiwiteit, passie en verbeelding te stimuleer, is maar 'n paar van 'n reeks eienskappe wat voornemende opvoeders in hul onderrig moet ontwikkel. Navorsing het getoon dat om 'n nadenkende praktisyn te word, moet opvoeders in staat wees om die sukses van hul praktyke te assesseer en ondersoek. Dit is hierdie vryheid om voortdurend nuwe maniere om dinge te doen te bedink, assesseer, verken en daaroor na te dink wat uiteindelik tot die praktiese toepassing lei. Om esteties te onderrig, vereis ook grondige kennis van die pedagogiese inhoud ten einde studente in staat te stel om transformeerders van die samelewing te word. Die hoofdoel van hierdie artikel is om te bepaal hoe ons hierdie eienskappe kan ontwikkel en in onsself en die modules wat ons onderrig, kan vergestalt. Die bevindings van die studie dui daarop dat hoewel sosialiseringsprosesse 'n invloed het op hoe estetika vir een deelnemer geïnkorporeer is, kultuur nie 'n beduidende rol vir die ander gespeel het nie. Die bevindings dui ook aan dat studente opregte waardering het vir die inkorporering van die estetiese domein in die verskillende dissiplines.

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Full text available only in PDF format.

 

Acknowledgements

Competing interests

The authors declare that they have no financial or personal relationships which may have inappropriately influenced them in writing this article.

Authors' contributions

J.R (University of KwaZulu-Natal) and S.R. (University of Johannesburg) contributed equally to the research and writing of this article.

 

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Correspondence:
Sarita Ramsaroop
21 Eastwood Lodge
Phillips Road, Beyerspark
Boksburg 1459
South Africa
Email: saritaram@uj.ac.za

Received: 05 July 2011
Accepted: 22 Nov. 2011
Published: 16 Nov. 2012