THE EXISTENTIAL MATTERS

Working with Art on Existential Questions.
Enhancing a Normative Orientation in the Curriculum of Social Workers

I am conducting a doctoral study on the pedagogical use of social art in social work concerning existential questions. The central assumption in this project is that relative to the traditional instrumental use of creative means, engaging in social art leads to an existential encounter with and understanding human beings as an existential value for social workers.  My premise is that when Social Work students engage in visual art when working with people, contributing to well-being on the existential level will be possible. Overall, the ambition of my project is to position social art in social work curricula to educate on existential matters. The focus of my project is on a practical curricular question: How can social work students be sufficiently prepared to engage visual arts for addressing existential issues?

Doctoral supervision is by prof. Gert Biesta and prof. Sharon Todd – Centre for Public Education and Pedagogy at Maynooth University, Ireland and by dr. Erik Jansen – HAN Research Center for Social Support and Community Care at HAN Faculty of Health and Social Studies, in Nijmegen in the Netherlands.

My research project is financially supported by the HAN University of Applied Sciences