Aesthetics, Empathy and Education

«Empathy must be part of education because knowledge without it is incomplete» (Swanger, Essays in Aesthetic Education, 1990). Aesthetics, Empathy and Education pursues Swanger’s assertion in myriad ways. The text is divided into four sections. The first addresses research methodology from widely differing perspectives. The second section scrutinizes research again, this time addressing the self as the research subject. The third section takes a more specifically philosophical approach to the topic, challenging some underlying assumptions about education and empathy. Finally, the fourth section looks at classroom practice. Aesthetics, Empathy and Education is essential reading for pre-service teachers, graduate students and instructors.

Boyd White (PhD, Concordia University) is Associate Professor in the Department of Integrated Studies in Education at McGill University. Dr. White is the author of numerous journal articles, and has chapters in various texts, among them ReVisions: Readings in Canadian Art Teacher Education (3rd ed.), Starting with… (3rd ed.) and What Works: Innovative Strategies for Teaching Art. Recently, he has published two books: Aesthetics Primer (2009, Peter Lang) and Essays on Aesthetic Education for the 21st Century, co-edited with Tracie Costantino (2010). Tracie Costantino (PhD, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign) is Associate Professor of Art Education at the University of Georgia. In addition to numerous published articles and book chapters, her recent work related to the transformative potential of aesthetic experience was published in the book she co-edited with Boyd White, Essays on Aesthetic Education for the 21st Century (2010).