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ARTS EDUCATION in THAILAND: WHY IT MATTERS Cristina Penn Schoonmaker F ก ก F F F F F F ก F F F ก ก ก ก F F

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ARTS EDUCATION in THAILAND: WHY IT MATTERS Cristina Penn Schoonmaker F ก ก F F F F F F ก F F F ก ก ก ก F F ARTS EDUCATION IN and talk about a painting not only require THAILAND: WHY IT high level cognitive, visual, and language 1 skills, but also extensive contextual MATTERS knowledge, which only a background in the humanities can offer. The author 2 Cristina Penn Schoonmaker analyzes several works of art as well as discusses modern aesthetics to argue that the arts are an integral part of the human experience, and therefore, should be included in general education courses at กก the tertiary level. The soul never thinks without an image ก - Aristotle - กก More and more reputable state and private กกกก universities in Thailand have attempted to adopt an American model of a liberal arts ก ก education, and yet many of the very กก objectives of this classical curriculum— namely to create a well-rounded, ก ก enlightened, and cultured citizenry, have been lost in translation. ก In recent years, Thai policy-makers and ก parents have lost sight of the original American model by becoming product ก driven consumers who view education as a กก brand name commodity and seek to hasten their children’s education in order to have their offspring join the workforce or the family business—thereby becoming “productive” members of society. This Abstract mindset was brought home in 1999 by Prachuab Chaiyasarn, the Minister of The humanities, especially the visual arts, University Affairs at that time, when he are often neglected at Thai universities announced that universities should focus because they are perceived as rarely on becoming a “university for industry” or yielding tangible results. This paper aims a “university with industry” (as cited in to demonstrate that learning to decode Mounier and Tangchuang 2010:104). 1 กก Universities that primarily cater to 2 ( ก) Lecturer, Department of business and industry belie the very Humanities and Languages, Mahidol essence of a liberal arts education and put University International College, Mahidol Thai students at a major disadvantage in an ever-changing world. Since the Thai University, Nakorn Prathom, Thailand Downloaded from Brill.com09/26/2021 06:47:16AM via free access MANUSYA: Journal of Humanities Regular 17.2, 2014 Ministry of Education (MOE) certified on have no choice but to recognize that September 6, 2010 that the GED would be Thai students today are being short- an acceptable alternative to high school, changed; they are being deprived of a we, at Mahidol University International shared body of knowledge, not only of College, (MUIC), witnessed a marked their own rich cultural traditions and increase in the number of very young those of others, but of cultural universals applicants who were foregoing high school as well. in favor of a GED. Indeed, our university went from a handful of GED applicants Without a solid foundation in the prior to 2009 to over 1300 once the MOE humanities, our students may become mandated this change (MUIC Office of business savvy, but they will also remain Admissions 2009-14). Of particular culturally illiterate and have virtually little concern to us was that parts of the GED, understanding or knowledge of the world namely the language arts and social they live in or the complexities and studies sections, were “western” centric, richness of the human experience. By not thereby depriving these students of their providing a balanced curriculum that own cultural, social, and historical includes both professional training and heritage, which they would have otherwise knowledge of mankind's incredible legacy, received in high school. In fact, the GED creativity, and potential, educators will was never intended to replace high school, leave Thai students ill-prepared to face the but rather it was created for World War II challenges of the modern world or to have veterans who were unable to finish high a meaningful impact on society, the school as they had been drafted to serve country, or humanity as a whole. Broudy their country. goes so far as to say that “without such studies [the humanities or liberal arts] the Another significant issue is the rise in resources for the intelligent popularity of vocational majors at the comprehension of the tasks of life in a free undergraduate level in Thailand. By society are virtually impossible. Only the examining the curriculum of the most study of the arts and sciences provides the prestigious American liberal arts concepts and images with which life is programs at the undergraduate level such construed by the educated mind” as Harvard or Yale, as well as other top (1985:213). The humanities offer us the colleges3, one would be hard pressed to essential tools to decipher who we are, or find business or international hospitality once were, as a people and civilization. and tourism management as potential Because they focus on understanding the concentrations. And yet, these types of human experience, the humanities majors have become quite common at invariably encompass a variety of Thai universities, including MUIC, disciplines from philosophy, religion, and Bangkok University, and Rangsit literature to language and the arts, as well University. If we add globalization and as many other fields of study, including ASEAN’s goals into the equation, we some of the social sciences. Each of the disciplines that make up the humanities 3 See the following websites for comparison: provides us with greater insight into http://catalog.yale.edu/ycps/majors-in-yale- understanding the human experience— college/ both past and present. https://college.harvard.edu/academics/fields- study/concentrations 2 Downloaded from Brill.com09/26/2021 06:47:16AM via free access Arts Education in Thailand: Why It Matters Much of what we know of our past comes According to Mounier and Tangchuang to us through the arts—be it in the form of (2010:107), the Thai Ministry of pottery, sculpture, painting, music, Education, like those in other countries, architecture, or literature, among others. has come to regard the mission of higher Thus, the various disciplines in the education as needing to meet the demands humanities, and more specifically the arts, of the labour market, rather than fostering have an indelible symbiotic relationship an academic environment that transmits a insofar as one cannot exist without the shared body of knowledge upon which other. In short, the arts feed the cultural and scientific scholarship is built. imagination, encourage creativity, teach, It is this very paradigm shift in higher and move us, as well as develop our education that has made many Thais, cognitive and problem solving skills, but including some administrators, educators, most importantly, they improve our and parents believe that the arts are quality of life (Broudy 1979:348, Dewey superfluous ornamentation that has no 2005:39, Eisner 1998:8, Richmond, intrinsic or academic value; consequently, 2009:102). they do not merit the curricular attention that other disciplines such as math and The Thai National Curriculum of 2008, science deserve. Basic Education Core Curriculum B.E. 2551, does indeed include arts education This paper aims to dispel these beliefs by from grade 1 to grade 12 and demonstrating that the study of the acknowledges its benefits insofar as the humanities, especially the visual arts, not “learning of the visual arts develop only promote the development of a creativity, artistic imagination, beauty national identity, and an insight into as appreciation, aesthetics, and worthiness, well as an understanding of other cultures which affect the quality of human lives”. and world-views, but more importantly, Primary and high school students learn the study of the arts foster cognitive, to understand “the relationship between linguistic, as well as other essential high the visual arts, history and culture” and level skills. Finally, we will propose learn to appreciate the “values of suggestions on how the visual arts can be artworks representing the cultural integrated across the curriculum and heritage, local wisdom, Thai and encourage Thai universities to include art universal wisdom; art appreciation and appreciation as well as art history courses application in daily life” (2008:209). in the general education curricula. And yet, once Thai students enter university, arts education is virtually The arts teach us who we are nonexistent. An artificial divide has been created whereby students who demonstrate Without a doubt, some of the greatest a predilection for the arts study studio or benefits of arts education are establishing the performing arts at specialized a strong cultural identity, interpreting, and universities such as Silpakorn University, understanding the world in which we live. among others, whilst the majority of Thai In studying the arts, Tom Anderson university students receive little or no maintains, “students should attain a sense formal instruction in art history, art of their being in a cultural continuum, of appreciation, or aesthetics. having roots, of owing their cognitive and cultural foundations to those who came 3 Downloaded from Brill.com09/26/2021 06:47:16AM via free access MANUSYA: Journal of Humanities Regular 17.2, 2014 before …” (1990:138). The study and Buddha is the most abstract of the images appreciation of the arts allow us to of the Buddha, a tribute to the Thai ability comprehend that cultures do not develop to blend religious meaning and literary in isolation and that each culture absorbs descriptions with a sophisticated artistic elements from other cultures. However, it sensibility to produce a remarkable and is how we shape these influences, and original creation of transcendent what we do with them that make a people spirituality in a human form” (1993:179). culturally unique. Art and culture are Why is the 14th century Walking Buddha irrevocably entwined; they are, indeed, the such an important turning point in human experience. Buddhist iconography? Traditionally, most Thai art is religious in Firstly, it is sculpted in the round, and the subject matter mainly because Buddhism Buddha is depicted as walking, with the plays such a vital role in the people’s heel of his right foot slightly raised, daily life.
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