Art Education

BRIEF HISTORY OF THE DEPARTMENT

The Department of Education accommodated all the programmes in Arts Education, Science Education, Education Foundations and Social Science Education. On Monday, August 9, 1982, the Senate of the University of Nigeria, Nsukka approved the creation of the Department of Educational Foundations, Sub-department of Arts Education and Sub-department of Science Education. Although the sub-department of Arts Education was carved out of the Department of Education and Co-ordinators appointed every year to provide leadership to the young Sub-department, it became independent and functional in 1994. In 2005/2006 academic year, the University Senate upgraded it to a full department, hence, the Department of Arts Education.
Right from its birth, the Department of Arts Education housed the following programmes: Comparative Education, Curriculum Studies, Educational Technology, Education combined with English, French, Fine and Applied Arts, History, Igbo/linguistics, Music and Religion. The Department awards B.A/Education degree. In 2007, a broadfield curriculum in Cultural and Creative Arts was developed and was approved by the Senate of the university. This programme was verified by the National Universities Commission in 2010 and approval granted to the Department to implement it in 2011. The first in-take of students into the programme was in 2012/13 academic session. Today the department has matured and the core staff strength includes six (6) Professors, six (6) Senior Lecturers, four (4) Lecturer 1, four (4) Lecturer II, two (2) Graduate Assistants.

PHILOSOPHY

The philosophy of the department is in tandem with Nigerian Philosophy of Education which is to develop individuals into sound and effective citizens who will fully integrate themselves into the Nigerian Society. The programmes offered in the department are planned for maximum self-development, self-fulfilment and self-sufficiency of the students. The students upon graduation will be life-long learners. The programmes are designed to expose students to a robust and rounded education for the training of the mind and equipping them with appropriate skills and competencies for them to live in and contribute to the development of their society.

The programmes also produce competent arts teachers for the different levels of education in Nigeria. As a result the students are equipped with the knowledge, skills, competencies and values, required to teach the art subjects.

OBJECTIVES

The main objectives of the department are as follows:

1.   To produce highly qualified and competent arts teachers.

2.   To produce enough arts teachers who will teach the different art subjects in school.

3.   To produce teachers who are professionals and educators with sound ethics.

4.   To produce arts teachers with Information and Communication Technology skills and who can integrate them in teaching and learning.

5.   To produce teachers who will be dedicated to finding solutions to the great challenges of arts education in Nigeria.

6.   To produce teachers who have a well-informed knowledge of the different arts subject which they will apply in the advancement of the Nigerian society.

7.   To enable the students acquire entrepreneurial and Information skills that would help them function effectively in the 21st century.

8.   To produce arts teachers who can appreciate the values of the Nigerian society and inculcate them in the learners.

9.   To produce teachers who are broad minded and can instil the spirit of tolerance in learners from diverse areas of Nigeria.

SCOPE
The programmes offered in the Department of Arts Education are as follows:
1.   Education/Creative Arts
2.   Education/English
3.       Education/Fine and Applied Arts
4.       Education/French
5.   Education/History
6.   Education/Igbo Linguistics
7.   Education/Music
8.   Education/Religion

The theoretical and practical aspects of these programmes are explored in-depth to enable students acquire pedagogical and life skills for 21st Century existence.
The department runs a four and three – year standard degree programmes for students admitted through UTME or Direct Entry (DE). The students, in each category, undertake courses in the different arts subjects, education and teaching practice carried out in existing secondary schools around the University in their second, third and final years as applicable.

ENTRY REQUIREMENTS

In addition to the University general admission requirement, students are admitted into these programmes in two levels:
1.   UTME
To qualify to be admitted into the programme by this mode, candidates must possess the West African School Certificate (WASC) or Senior Secondary School Certificate or the General Certificate of Education at ordinary level or their equivalent, with credit passes in at least five(5) subjects in not more than two sittings. One of these five subjects to be passed at credit level must be English Language and other arts subjects to be combined with education.
2.   DIRECT ENTRY (DE)
To qualify for Direct Entry, candidates must have NCE or OND with at least merit pass in their art subjects’ combination plus Five (5) credits including English Language at O’level.

JOB OPPORTUNITIES
The programmes in the department are designed to produce professional teachers whose services are needed in the following establishments:
-Â Â Â Schools
-Â Â Â Ministries (Education, Internal Affairs, Foreign Affairs etc.)
-Â Â Â Banks
-Â Â Â Museums
-Â Â Â National Universities Commission
-Â Â Â Embassies
-Â Â Â National Commission for Colleges of Education
-Â Â Â Media Houses
-Â Â Â Airports, Oil and Motor Companies
-Â Â Â Arts Councils/Galleries
-Â Â Â Performing Arts Organisations

STRESS AREAS
Code
Foundation Courses             0
Festivals and Cultures                                     1
Teaching Methods                     2
Music and Cultures                              3
Arts and Crafts                                           4
Children’s Literature                                       5
Drama in Education                                       6
Entrepreneurship in Arts Education               7
Moral Education                      8
Project                            9

STAFF

List of Staff

Name of Journal:
International Journal of Arts and Technology Education

Current Address of the Journal:
Department of Arts Education, Faculty of Education, University of Nigeria, Nsukka
Current website:Â Â Â http://edu.unn.ng/cms/art-and-science-teaching-and-learning

Current Issues:Â Â Â Â Â International Journal of Arts and Technology Education
Vol 9. No 1, 2013 ISSN: 1596-8510