Spring 2022 Course Offering

EDCS 640M: Seminar: Interdisciplinary Ed

(Special Topic: Imagination-Based Education)
CRN 89138

Instructor: Keith Cross, M.C. Ph.D

Thursdays, 5:00-7:30PM
Room: Online

“Knowledge emerges only through invention and re-invention, through the

restless, impatient, continuing, hopeful inquiry human beings pursue in the world,
with the world, and with each other.” --Paulo Freire, Pedagogy of the Oppressed

Creativity is routinely pushed to the margins of practice in traditional education settings.

Likewise, learners’ autonomy in determining their educational experiences is virtually non-
existent in such settings. More than merely failing to cultivate their artistic sensibilities, such an
education renders those who experience it, disinclined, if not wholly incapable of significantly
changing anything about the world they have inherited or their circumstances within it. But
what if we could design education that encourages and grows learners’ creativity, cultivating
their ability to shape themselves and the world, such that they are comfortable directing their
own learning and outfitting themselves with the requisite knowledges to solve problems and
adapt to new situations?

In the Imagination-Based Education course, we explore methods for developing rigorous

educational practice with creativity as its central ideological and methodological focus, and we
seek to understand the liberating potential of this approach to education. In this course, we will
engage with concepts and theories related to imagination, creativity, autonomous learning, and
the development of positive learning dispositions, as part of a framework for the development
of learning opportunities and environments in which creative practices are the basis of learners’
(largely self-determined) acquisition of academically viable competencies. We will focus
particularly on the application of this framework to creative writing (e.g., films, songs, novels),
given the major role of language in mediating human knowledge. However, an important
component of the course is our “imagining” the application of the framework to other
disciplines, or imagining other frameworks altogether.

WHAT PREVIOUS STUDENTS SAID ABOUT THE COURSE:

“Awesome course! I loved that this course was offered and made available to students! I believe this
class is a wonderful opportunity to students of all disciplines. I truly enjoyed the course material and
readings provided. This class has helped me to grow as a student as well as in my research! Mahalo nui!”

“Fantastic course that challenges educators to think beyond typical norms of education. An absolute
must for anyone considering on a creative approach to the field.”

“I really enjoyed exploring the field of education based on imagination. Each element in this course
trained [me] to be a better learner. This class reminded me of the joy and the importance of spending
time on what I love and obsessed about.”

Feel free to contact the instructor (kcross2@hawaii.edu) if you have questions about this
course.