Unit 8 Knowledge and Wisdom
SectionOne Pre-reading Activities
Watch the video clip and answer the followingquestions.
Script:
Betty Warren: What is that?
Katherine Watson: You tell me. Carcass by Soutine. 1925.
An anonymous student: It is not on the syllabus.
Katherine:No, it’s not. Is it any good? En? Come on, ladies! There is no wrong answer. Thereis also no textbook telling you what to think. It’s not that easy, is it?
Betty: All right. No. it is not good. In fact, Iwouldn’t even call it art. It’s grotesque.
Connie Baker: Is there a rule against being grotesque?
Giselle Levy: I think there is something aggressive aboutit. And erotic.
Betty: To you, everything is erotic.
Giselle : And everything is erotic.
Katherine: Girls.
The anonymous student: Aren’t there standards?
Betty: Of course there are. Otherwise a tacky velvetpainting could be equated to Rembrandt.
Connie: My uncle Firdie has two tacky velvetpaintings. He loves those clones.
Betty: Thereare standards, technique, composition, color, even subjects. So if you’resuggesting that rotted side of meat is art, much less good art. What are wegoing to learn?
Katherine: Justthat. You have outlined our new syllabus, Betty. Thank you. What is art? Whatmakes it good or bad? And who decides? Next slide, please. Twenty-five yearsago, someone thought this was brilliant.
Connie: I can see that.
Betty: Who?
Katherine: My mother, I painted it for her birthday. Nextslide. This is my Mum. Is it art?
The anonymous student: It is a snapshot.
Katherine: If I told you Ansel Adams had taken it,would that make a difference?
Betty: Art isn’t art until someone says it is.
Katherine: It’s art!
Betty: The right people.
Katherine: Who are they?
Giselle: Betty Warren. We are so lucky we have oneright here.
Betty: Screw you.
Katherine: Could you go back to the Soutine please?
Questions:
1. Why doesthe teacher include a painting which is not on their syllabus?
Answer: She wants to teach her students how to thinkindependently.
2. Whatis the new syllabus for their art of history class?
Answer: The new syllabus will be about what art is,what makes it good or bad, and who decides.
Critical Thinking
l Numerous studiesof college classrooms reveal that, rather than actively involving our studentsin learning, we lecture, even though lectures are not nearly as effective asother means for developing cognitive skills.
l Criticalthinking – the capacity to evaluate skillfully and fairly the quality ofevidence and detect error, hypocrisy, manipulation, dissembling, and bias – iscentral to both personal success and national needs.
l The teacher who fosters critical thinking fostersreflectiveness in students by asking questions that stimulate thinkingessential to the construction of knowledge.
