Adding More Black Space: Integrating African American Visual Culture and History into Design Pedagogy

John Jennings, Associate Professor, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign

It would be an ideal situation if there were only one totally inclusive documentation of the history of our society and its relationship to design. However, there  are many stories, histories and perspectives. Unfortunately, some perspectives have traditionally been considered more valid than others and often aggressively enforced and propagated as absolute truth. I personally feel that this overt academic chauvinism should not be countenanced. It is also my profound belief that it is part of our duty as design educators to provide the most complete and holistic representation of design history and practice in all of its nuanced cultural contexts. To support a homogeneous stance on this matter is a disservice to our students and to the study and practice of design itself.

As a result of this belief, I have implemented projects, lectures, and activities into my design courses that, I feel, have facilitated a greater understanding of African American cultural experiences and histories in the context of the study of visual communication. In my opinion, these curricular additions have helped to nurture a greater range of interest and tolerance in our students which is vital to help prepare them to navigate the shifting landscape of graphic design in a constantly transforming and ever "flattening" global marketplace.

My proposed presentation will have the twofold purpose of identifying possible problematic concerns when cultural diversity is not taken into consideration and to detail the results of some of my attempts to provide a more inclusive learning environment for our art and design students at UIUC.

Watch the video of the presentation here: http://www.socialstudiesconference.org/node/229