Importance of Arts - Essay Example

Running Head: Importance of arts- Final Essay Name: Institution: Date of submission: Introduction Arts as a subject, arts is an essential field of study not just for an educational thrill but as a tool to give students a gateway into the rich and diverse interesting careers around the globe. It teaches individuals in all levels of learning about their own culture, history, and origin as well as those of others. It cultivates self-expression, critical thinking, and effective problem solving techniques among students (Schramm & Caterino, 2006). Most students who successfully undertake an arts program will eventually develop a high capacity to weigh meanings of various emerging matters and make meaningful evaluations and judgments aimed at bringing the best and sustainable solution. The importance of studying arts as a discipline To have acritical analysis of the importance of studying arts to individual and society is best done through the assessment of the various disciplines that fall under the field of arts. The major components of arts discussed are sociology, political science, literature, social science, anthropology, and religion (Roskin, 2007). Sociology From the abstract to this assignment, sociology is the study of generally organized way of life that include values, norms, institutions, and artifacts, that is passed on from generation to generation. When summed up, sociology deals majorly with the study of human culture (Atalas, 2006).The most important fact about culture is that it is very ordinary. The study of sociology therefore, is very important since every human society has its own shape, purpose, values, beliefs, and meanings. Every society does its best expresses these items and passes them on from one generation to another, in institutions, and in arts and learning. We use the term culture to mean a whole way of culture and socialization process in life (Macionis and John, 2010). The study of arts therefore, is a basic tool in incorporating good socialization strategies in the society and enriches students and other individuals in the society to mutually relate and cooperate with one another in a manner that promotes harmony in the society. Political science As an intermediary discipline, political science positions itself on the fault line between the most crucial two cultures of academy, the sciences, and the arts. Whereas classical political philosophy has its basic definition from the concerns for Hellenic and Enlightenment thought, political scientists have the great character marked by a great concern and orientation towards the contemporary nation state, along with the study of classical thought, and as such have a great deal of sharing some terminologies with sociologists (Aabriel, 2002).Political science is an important subject for study since it strives to bring an insight into matters concerning the allocation and efficient transfer of power in an effective decision-making process. It also includes the study of the roles and systems of governance that comprise governments and international organizations, and political behavior (Klingemann, 2007). With this in mind, it is evident that political science is vital for the stability of political systems in the society. Religion According to Murphy (2007), most societies are now multicultural and therefore have numerous beliefs that vary from other societies. As most religious landscapes keep changing, there is need for new skills to negotiate differences, to promote harmonious living and to promote peace, and to work cooperatively in the entire global society. The primary goal for religions today is to actively encourage interaction and cooperation for the benefit of every member of the society. A multicultural society needs to incorporate and accept a variety of perspectives among different cultures to promote peace and avoid conflicts (Alatas, 2007). Additionally, the Study of religion syllabus has a keen observation not to promote any particular belief or religious tradition. The syllabus design isto be available to all students with little regard of the existence or level of any individual religious beliefs (Bouma, 2006)). Therefore, religion as a branch of art has a very critical role in promoting an ethical and peaceful society. Social science Similar to health sciences, the social science hasbeenexperiencing many considerable developments and specialization since its inception. The various disciplines falling under social science include education, psychology, demography, gerontology, and history (Roberto, 2010). It is evident that all of these disciplines have very important contributions to understanding the socialization of every society, and each has developed specialized disciplines of inquiry related to social life. Therefore, the study of arts as a subject will lead students to understanding the aspects of social science and its principles. Anthropology This is another broad subject in the wide field of arts. As the other subjects discussed above, anthropology has its weight and importance. Cultural anthropology in particular emphasizes on cultural relativity and the use of findings to come up with cultural critiques (Kessler, 2006). This became particularly prominent in the United States, from Boaz’sopinions against 19th-century racial ideology that were presented through Margaret Mead's advocacy for gender equality and sexual liberation, to the current criticisms of post-colonial harassment and advocacy for multiculturalism (Hatt and Klonk, 2002). Principally across the globe, anthropological knowledge plays a very critical role in ensuring a holistic society. Literature Finally, literature is a principal component of arts syllabus. The study of literature is of great importance in the contemporary society. This is because the study of literature helps any person to have a great insight of the true nature of a certain society. A distinctive characteristic of literature is how it appears as imitation of life (Druckman et al 2007). It acts as a mirror that reflects individual’s true life. Furthermore, literature offers an individual a new way of thinking about the world and how society operates. It allows people to develop new ideas and moral points of view and help in arriving at problem solving techniques (Mansfield, 2010). Literature is an art form and has the ability of bringing different emotions and a general feeling of holistic well-being. Literature allows students to have a great understanding of the philosophical movements and ideas that prevailed in a certain culture at a specific time. Reading and internalizing new words, vocabularies, and new phrases can increase everyone’s lexicon. There is some satisfaction in the understanding of literature and be able to spot the references in contemporary culture (McCutcheon, 2007). Conclusion From the above essay, it can be concluded that the study of art subjects and its incorporation in school curriculum is of great importance to both an individual and society as well. The various subjects falling under the field of play a pivotal role in developing a society where people incorporate different cultural practices, religious beliefs, and different behavioral backgrounds among others to ensure development of a mutually coexisting society (Braun & McCutcheon, 2008). The promotion of multi-cultural society and the blending of various cultural practices result in good international relations and derive its principles from the study of arts subjects. This therefore means that, it is without any doubt that the importance of arts in studies is vital for societal coexistence. Reference Aabriel, A 2002, Ventures in political science, London, Lynne Rienner Publishers. Alatas, S 2006, The Autonomous, the Universal and the Future of Sociology, Current Sociology, 54(15), p. 7–23 Bouma, G 2006, Australian Soul: Religion and spirituality in the 21st century, Melbourne, Cambridge University Press. Braun, W & McCutcheon, R 2008, Introducing Religion, Equinox, London. Druckman, J.,Green, D & Kuklinski, J 2011, Cambridge Handbook of Experimental Political Science, New York, Cambridge University Press. Hatt, M and Klonk, C 2006, Art History: A Critical Introduction to its Methods (Manchester 2006), pp. 213. Kessler, G 2006, Studying Religion: An introduction through cases, 2nd edn, McGraw Hill, New York. Klingemann, H 2007, The State of Political Science in Western Europe, Opladen, Barbara Budrich Publishers. McCutcheon, R 2007, Studying Religion: An introduction, Equinox, London Mansfield, E 2002, Art History and Its Institutions: Foundations of a Discipline, New York, Routledge. Macionis, G & John, L 2010, Sociology 7th Canadian Edn. Toronto, Ontario, Pearson Canada Inc. Murphy, T 2007, Representing Religion: Essays in history, theory and crisis, Equinox, London. Roberto, F 2010, Quantitative Narrative Analysis (Quantitative Applications in the Social Sciences), Beverly Hills, CA, Sage. Roskin, M., Cord, R., Medeiros, J & Jones, W 2007, Political Science: An Introduction. 10th edn. New York, Pearson Prentice Hall. Schramm, S & Caterino, B 2006, Making Political Science Matter: Debating Knowledge, Research, and Method, New York, New York University Press. Read More