Elon professor contemplates value of critique in arts and humanities disciplines

Phillip Motley, associate professor in the School of Communications, served as a co-editor of a special issue of Arts and Humanities in Higher Education (AHHE) focused on the signature pedagogy of critique in arts and humanities disciplines. The issue, co-edited by Motley, Nancy Chick of the University of Calgary, and Emily Hipchen of the University of West Georgia, was published online in mid-July and will be available in print in early 2017. 

The special issue was born out of a panel session on the pedagogy of critique that Motley organized at the 2014 conference of the International Society for the Scholarship of Teaching and Learning held in Quebec City, Quebec. Several of the contributing authors for the AHHE special issue participated in that panel. 

Motley co-wrote the introduction with Chick and Hipchen titled, “A conversation about critique as a signature pedagogy in the Arts and Humanities.” He also contributed an article to the issue titled, “Critique and process: Signature pedagogies in the graphic design classroom.” 

Lauren Kearns, associate professor in Elon’s Department of Performing Arts, also authored an article titled, “Dance critique as signature pedagogy.”

Other contributors included faculty members from Vanderbilt University, the University of Wisconsin-Stevens Point, the University of Wisconsin-Parkside, the University of Wisconsin–Marathon County, and the University of Wisconsin Colleges.

Arts and Humanities in Higher Education is a quarterly peer-reviewed academic journal that publishes articles, reviews and scholarly content relating to the arts and humanities in higher education.