This course provides a foundational understanding in how the production and consumption of imagery and material culture creates constructions of meaning that influence thinking and behaviors within a society and culture.
Students are taught a critical vocabulary for discussing the importance of visual art in terms of its materiality, symbolic representation, the process of producing visual cultural material, and how these aspects help us to better understand the cultural context and background of a society.
Humans think in language and language is symbolic. Art is part of the visual and symbolic aspect of language that transmits cultural understanding and knowledge that influences and helps shape the values, attitudes and beliefs of the people. Having a better understanding how visual art is used to reinforce cultural values and influences how members of a community internalize the world is critical to more effectively establishing a relationship with people within different cultural contexts and relating to them in a more effective manner, which is important to being missional.
In Acts chapters 17 and 18, we learn that Paul was very observant of Greek visual and material culture. This allowed him to appeal to the Greeks more effectively, opening the door of Athenian society to the Gospel of Jesus Christ.
Understanding how visual art and material culture reinforces the values and cultural beliefs and norms of a society, and helps provide more avenues to effectuate communicating Jesus's message.
Having an understanding how visual art serves as a means to reinforce cultural values and beliefs provides an opportunity to speak about the Gospel of Christ within the symbolic context of a society.
Having a foundational background in how visual art reinforces culture, trains the student to be mindful of the symbolic nature of art as visual language that is applied cross-culturally in missions around the world.
Through group discussions and student presentations, students become familiar with how visual art reinforces culture and is employed to more effectively communicate with others in different cultural contexts.
Through discussions, interactive research, and the material presented, students have a better understanding of the role visual art has in engaging people more effectively in different cultures and societies.
