Creating Art in a Critical Research and Writing Course

Key Questions in the Art-Based Writing Movement Is there a place for artistic creation in a required writing course that emphasizes critical thinking and research? A necessary starting point to answer that question for the purpose of this report is another question: What is the nature of critical thinking? Three perspectives inform the response: the Framework for Success in Postsecondary Writing (Framework; Council of Writing Program Administrators [CWPA], National Council of Teachers of English, & National Writing Project, 2011); the WPA Outcomes Statement for First-Year Composition 3.0 (Statement; CWPA, 2014), which is applicable to required general education writing courses; and that of those beyond writing studies: educators and practitioners in the fields of art and design. According to the Framework, critical thinking is “the ability to analyze a situation or text and make thoughtful decisions based on that.” By “writ[ing] about familiar or unfamiliar texts [and] examining assumptions about the text held by different audiences,” students can “think through ideas, problems, and issues; identify and challenge assumptions; and explore multiple ways of understanding” (CWPA et al., 2011, p. 7). The Framework offers a comprehensive list of indicators of, and strategies for, critical thinking: