Draw a “Political Theorist”
This creative activity is one of the series of games I have created and implemented during my post as Assistant Lecturer on the module PO314: Introduction to Political Theory at the University of Kent (2017/18).
Deriving from the game Rotating Corpse, this drawing task invited the students to collaboratively sketch a “Political Theorist” (see the images for a selection of samples). With the exception of two out of 50, the drawings depicted the “Political Theorists” as old white men. Most students were shocked at this ratio and their unconscious bias, and the session concluded with a discussion in which the students critically reflected upon their conditions for thought and assessed their form of thinking through the two types outlined in political theory: normative and descriptive. This drawing activity was designed to create an opportunity for my students to learn the importance of critical thinking and how creativity has the potential to change thought. In my student evaluations, one student commented “I like how Hollie introduce the political thought by playing games with us”.
Instructions:
Fold A4 paper into four sections and write your name on the back.
Draw the head
draw what comes to mind first when you think of what a “Political Theorist” might look like.
Once finished, fold over and pass to the person on your right. Remember to leave lines for the next section!
Draw the torso
think of what props they could have.
pass right.
Draw the legs
get creative, use your imagination to draw something other than two straight legs.
pass right.
Draw the feet
where are they standing/located?
pass back to the original artist.
Present your drawing to the rest of the group.
Seminar Questions:
Is this a drawing of how a “Political Theorist” ought to be or a description of how they actually are?
What two types of thinking am I talking about?
Has this task changed your initial idea of what a “Political Theorist” can be?
*The collaborative drawings were co-produced by the students on 3rd and 4th October 2017 during the seminar.
