VISUAL ARTS AND SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT EDUCATION
| Title | ΕΙΚΑΣΤΙΚΕΣ ΤΕΧΝΕΣ ΚΑΙ ΑΕΙΦΟΡΟΣ ΑΝΑΠΤΥΞΗ ΣΤΗΝ ΕΚΠΑΙΔΕΥΣΗ / VISUAL ARTS AND SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT EDUCATION |
| Code | ΕΠΜ129 |
| Faculty | Education |
| School | Primary Education |
| Cycle / Level | 1st / Undergraduate |
| Teaching Period | Winter/Spring |
| Coordinator | Martha Ioannidou |
| Common | No |
| Status | Active |
| Course ID | 600024162 |
Programme of Study: PPS Tmīmatos Dīmotikīs Ekpaídeusīs Merikīs Foítīsīs (2026-sīmera)
Registered students: 0
| Orientation | Attendance Type | Semester | Year | ECTS |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| KORMOS | Elective Courses | 7 | 4 | 5 |
Programme of Study: PPS Tmīmatos Dīmotikīs Ekpaídeusīs (2024-sīmera)
Registered students: 2
| Orientation | Attendance Type | Semester | Year | ECTS |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| KORMOS | Elective Courses | 7 | 4 | 5 |
| Academic Year | 2025 – 2026 |
| Class Period | Winter |
| Faculty Instructors | |
| Weekly Hours | 3 |
| Total Hours | 39 |
| Class ID | 600278594
|
Course Type 2021
Specific Foundation
Course Type 2011-2015
Knowledge Deepening / Consolidation
Mode of Delivery
- Face to face
Digital Course Content
- e-Study Guide https://qa.auth.gr/en/class/1/600278594
- At the Website of the School:
- eLearning: https://elearning.auth.gr/course/view.php?id=13796
- eLearning (Moodle): https://elearning.auth.gr/course/view.php?id=107
- Other: https://carefull.web.auth.gr/
Erasmus
The course is also offered to exchange programme students.
Language of Instruction
- Greek (Instruction, Examination)
- English (Instruction, Examination)
Learning Outcomes
Using the visual arts as a source of ideas, students will not only engage and develop their knowledge of the visual arts. Still, they will also create values and learn to reflect critically on global issues concerning our sustainable future. More specifically:
§ They will gain a broader overview through art history of the connection between artistic and cultural production and the concept of sustainability. They will also identify works of art made in response to social and environmental issues and artistic movements that espouse sustainability principles.
§ They will understand the role of art in ensuring and promoting respect for cultural diversity.
§ They will see through the works of the visual arts, particularly the importance of the conservation and management of natural resources.
§ They will relate artistic harmony and balance in art to ecological perspectives.
§ They will identify the rights and obligations of active citizenship, linking delinquent behaviours to sustainability in society and the environment (natural resources, recycling, pollution & overconsumption, social and human relations, the school environment, schools and multiculturalism, etc.).
§ They will propose ways to relate participatory democracy to Sustainable Development.
§ They will become aware of concepts, ideas and values related to sustainable development in the school environment and explore ways to elaborate them within the curriculum better.
§ They will review and reflect on the role of the visual arts and their potential as a means to raise awareness and vigilance around issues of democracy and peace, social justice, racism, racial discrimination, poverty alleviation, etc.
§ Students will actively participate in creating art that promotes sustainability and care for the environment and society. They will develop teaching scenarios based on the curriculum, using visual arts as a tool. This practical approach will foster collaborative work as students create groups and engage in exercises to involve young children in building sustainable communities and practices.
General Competences
- Apply knowledge in practice
- Retrieve, analyse and synthesise data and information, with the use of necessary technologies
- Adapt to new situations
- Make decisions
- Work autonomously
- Work in teams
- Work in an international context
- Work in an interdisciplinary team
- Generate new research ideas
- Appreciate diversity and multiculturality
- Respect natural environment
- Demonstrate social, professional and ethical commitment and sensitivity to gender issues
- Be critical and self-critical
- Advance free, creative and causative thinking
Course Content (Syllabus)
The concept of sustainability is present in many aspects of our daily lives. We care for the environment, want balanced economic growth, and defend social justice and well-being in many areas. As Sustainable Development is marked as a cultural issue, it leaves us the scope to draw ideas and values from art, which often serves as a means of expressing sustainable development while respecting cultural diversity.
The relationship between sustainability and art goes back several centuries, either through the content of the work or through the technique and rational use of materials. Contemporary artistic practices tend to focus more explicitly on current concerns related to social justice and ecological issues. Most of the goals and key pillars for sustainable development, as listed by UNESCO, are a reference point in the work of artists internationally.
Education, together with society, can mutually contribute to the formation of sustainability-oriented attitudes. Sustainable development understood more as a moral norm than a scientific term, is linked to the value of peace, human rights and the environment. Thus, while presupposing knowledge from science, technology, economics and politics, it proposes changing our relations with others and the natural world. It requires us to recognise the interdependence between humans and the natural environment and to realise that this interdependence means that no social, economic, political or environmental goal can be achieved at the expense of another. As Sustainable Development is marked as a cultural issue, it leaves us the scope to draw ideas and values from art. For example, movements such as Land Art, Environmental Art, and Street Art all project (and are shaped by) the same themes related to sustainable development.
Visual arts education and education through the arts and cultural goods at school should not only adapt to the demands of the times but also lead to critical reflection on the role of art in the social sphere. It is a powerful tool that can awaken consciences and inspire reactions and artistic practices that courageously address concerns about key environmental issues, social injustices, and intercultural understanding.
Furthermore, the enhancement of visual arts education by integrating elements of sustainable development is not just a choice, but a necessity in the modern school. This integration will not only promote creative thinking, critical and systematic thinking, reflection, and the development of skills, attitudes, and values, but also instill a sense of responsibility towards our environment and society.
Main themes:
* The concept of sustainability in the long history of the arts
* Art and respect for Cultural Diversity
* Art and Ecology
* Art and Activism
* Sustainable and recycled materials in art
* Art, Social Justice, Racial discrimination & Gender Equality
* Visual Education and sustainable development in school practice: Ways of bridging the two areas, objectives, perspectives and connection with the curriculum.
Keywords
Sustainability, Art and Sustainable development, Recycling, Peace, Coomunication, Respect
Educational Material Types
- Notes
- Slide presentations
- Video lectures
- Podcast
- Audio
- Multimedia
- Interactive excersises
- Book
Use of Information and Communication Technologies
Use of ICT
- Use of ICT in Course Teaching
- Use of ICT in Laboratory Teaching
- Use of ICT in Communication with Students
- Use of ICT in Student Assessment
Course Organization
| Activities | Workload | ECTS | Individual | Teamwork | Erasmus |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Lectures | 56 | ✓ | ✓ | ||
| Reading Assigment | 25 | ✓ | ✓ | ||
| Internship | 6 | ||||
| Artistic Workshop | 17 | ||||
| Interactive Teaching in Information Center | 6 | ||||
| Project | 15 | ✓ | ✓ | ||
| Written assigments | 15 | ✓ | ✓ | ||
| Artistic creation | 10 | ||||
| Total | 150 |
Student Assessment
Description
Written essay 40%
Project, artistic proposal 60%
Student Assessment methods
- Written Exam with Multiple Choice Questions (Formative)
- Written Assignment (Summative)
- Oral Exams (Summative)
- Labortatory Assignment (Summative)
- Artistic Performance (Formative)
Bibliography
Course Bibliography (Eudoxus)
Ιωαννίδου, Μ. (ed) (2022). Το άγγιγμα της τέχνης: Προγράμματα εκπαίδευσης εκπαιδευτικών για βιωσιμότητα μέσα από τις εικαστικές τέχνες. Frederick University, Cyprus.
Χαραλαμπίδης, Α. (2018). Η τέχνη του 20ού αιώνα. Θεσσαλονίκη: University Studio Press Α.Ε. [2η έκδοση αναθεωρημένη]
Παπαβασιλείου, Β. (2015). Αειφόρος Ανάπτυξη και Εκπαίδευση: Το Πολυδιάστατο μιας Σχέσης. Αθήνα: Κ.Θ.ΜΠΑΜΠΑΛΗΣ ΜΟΝΟΠΡΟΣΩΠΗ Ι.Κ.Ε.
Additional bibliography for study
Ioannidou, M. (ed) (2022). The touch of art: Teacher training for sustainability through the visual arts. Frederick University, Cyprus
Ιoannidou, M., Mitakidou, S. (2022). The multifunctional role of visual journals in the VAE and the ESD. In Pavlou, V. (ed) (2022). Enhancing Visual Arts Education with Education for Sustainable Development; A Handbook for Teachers. Frederick University, Cyprus. ISBN: 978-9925-7866-0-2
Mitakidou, S., Ιoannidou, M. (2022). CARE Regenerate Change. In Pavlou, V. (ed) (2022). Enhancing Visual Arts Education with Education for Sustainable Development; A Handbook for Teachers. Frederick University, Cyprus. ISBN: 978-9925-7866-0-2
Ιoannidou, M., Mitakidou, S. (2022). CARE Preserve Change. In Pavlou, V. (ed) (2022). Enhancing Visual Arts Education with Education for Sustainable Development; A Handbook for Teachers. Frederick University, Cyprus. ISBN: 978-9925-7866-0-2
Ιoannidou, M., Mitakidou, S. (2022). Art education policies and practices in Greece. In Pavlou, V. (ed) (2022). What is really happening now? Connecting art education with real life issues. Frederick University, Cyprus. pp.107-114. ISBN: 978-9925-7866-0-2
Ιoannidou, M., Mitakidou, S. (2022). Aristotle University of Thessaloniki training programme and Artists Templates. Vella, R. (ed) (2022). Integrating Principles of Education for Sustainable Development into Visual Arts Education in Teacher Education Programmes. Frederick University, Cyprus. pp. 59-62, 96-125, 174-177. ISBN: ISBN 978-9925-7866-5-7
Ιoannidou, M., Mitakidou, S. (2022). Professional Learning Community, Greece. In Hall, E. (ed) (2022). Professional Learning Communities in a Project Connecting Primary Art Education with Education for Sustainable Development. Frederick University, Cyprus
Ioannidou, M. & Mitakidou, S. (2023). Voicing a sustainable future through VAE: Culture in action. In Vella, R & Pavlou, V. (eds.). Art, Sustainability and Learning Communities: Call to Action. Intellect UK
Mitakidou, S. & Ioannidou, M. (2023). Visual arts for inclusion in diverse school contexts: A kaleidoscope of learning. In Vella, R & Pavlou, V. (eds.). Art, Sustainability and Learning Communities: Call to Action. Intellect UK
Pavlou, V. (ed) (2022). Enhancing Visual Arts Education with Education for Sustainable Development; A Handbook for Teachers. Frederick University, Cyprus. ISBN: 978-9925-7866-0-2
Vella, R. (ed) (2022). Integrating Principles of Education for Sustainable Development into Visual Arts Education in Teacher Education Programmes. Frederick University, Cyprus. pp. 59-62, 96-125, 174-177. ISBN: ISBN 978-9925-7866-5-7
Sacha, Kagan (2011). Art and Sustainability. Transcript Verlag, Bielefeld.
UNECE, (2005). “Strategy for Education for Sustainable Development” adopted at the High-level meeting of Ministers of Environment and Education of UNECE Member States in Vilnius (Lithuania) on 17 March 2005.
Σκούλλος, Μ.(2009). Η Τέχνη ως «εργαλείο» στην Εκπαίδευση για το Περιβάλλον και την Αειφόρο Ανάπτυξη.1ο ΠΑΝΕΛΛΗΝΙΟ ΔΙΕΠΙΣΤΗΜΟΝΙΚΟ ΣΥΝΕΔΡΙΟ ΤΕΧΝΗΣ & ΠΕΡΙΒΑΛΛΟΝΤΙΚΗΣ ΕΚΠΑΙΔΕΥΣΗΣ
Keith, Nurse (2006). Culture as the Fourth Pillar of Sustainable Development. London
Last Update
26-03-2025
