Application of Digital Teaching Materials in Art Education – Example of “Ethnic Arts Research Topics” at National Dong Hwa University

Abstract

This paper focuses on the use digital teaching materials and innovative method in instruction on the anthropology of art, including the world's cultures and ethnic arts. Taking the class “Ethnic Arts Research Topics” in the master's program at National Dong Hwa University in 2009 an example, this paper examines the relationship between ethnic arts and the Convention on the Protection and Promotion of the Diversity of Cultural Expressions of the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO), and also explores the nearly-forgotten oral cultures and art traditions of non-Western ethnic groups. From a geographical perspective, research on the world's ethnic arts may focus on Europe, Asia, the Americas, Africa, and Oceania, and each of these regions has its own artistic characteristics. Research on the relationship between Taiwan’s art and culture and that of other global regions is also included in this class, which combines the research methods of art history with those of anthropology, and it is hoped that this approach will enable a new interchange platform to be established. Thinking about artifacts also leads into the complex relationship between material culture and contemporary art. At least three stages can be identified when a historical perspective is applied to non-Western art: primitive art, colonial art, and contemporary art. The class also examines the historical development of Taiwan's indigenous art, and further discusses how contemporary ethnic art is handed down from one generation to another, while adopting innovations along the way. When designing teaching materials for the class, different sessions variously included ethnographic films, exhibits of cultural artifacts, displays of music and dance ceremonies and performances, field videos and photographs, introduction to e-Museum sites and relevant films, and use of a blog to discuss visual art and images with students. In general, digital teaching materials comprised an important part of the program. In addition, students’ assignments could be completed employing multimedia methods, including use of online materials, music, film, ethnography, tourism advertisements, exhibitions, cultural performances, and interviews. With regard to visual art, it was necessary to find images connected with cultural artifacts, and then convert them to PowerPoint documents. Topics requiring use of visual art included the cultural implications of Maya stone carving, the Kingdom of Benin’s sculpture, the consumptive function of visual art of Vietnamese restaurants, and transformation of Taroko indigenous cloth weaving into a cultural innovative industry. With regard to cultural heritage, many images concerning field research and films from community websites are employed in an introductory role. Some relevant topics in the class include