What If You Were a Superhero? Teaching Gender and Social Justice through Design Pedagogy in a Pre-service Art Teacher Introductory Course

Abstract

Within this qualitative research, I explore how design pedagogy can be utilized in an art education introductory course to assist pre-service teachers in the construction and awareness of social justice, specifically relating to how students deal with gender image and how it intersects with career choices in the current climate of gender bias in disciplines (Cheryan, Ziegler, Montoya, & Jiang, 2017). The focus on social sustainability within design thinking and the design process enhanced participants’ empathy and their understanding of inclusion as they engaged in problem-solving. The participants were encouraged to interrogate their existing knowledge and achieve clear social justice objectives. They made visual work not only to express themselves, but to challenge themselves to hone their social justice sensitivity and responsibility. With the motivation of communicating with viewers, they explored digital technology tools and various methods to meet the Media Art Standards. The research findings indicate that the participants desired to seek visibility and a safe space to discuss gender topics. Through visual and written forms, they demonstrated their critical awareness to reject the idea of gender bias in disciplines. They redefined the meanings and the cultural connotations that are associated with masculine and feminine performance in art education. Through this study, I hope to present an accessible and flexible design pedagogy for art education classrooms, as well as discuss the potential of design pedagogy in contributing new knowledge formation, skill training, and deepening personal connection to lived experience and narratives.