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History professor Ali S. Asani ’77 also attests to the new dimensions that arts can bring to academic discussion. He says, “I combat fear and prejudice with arts education. I just find that the arts are such a powerful tool to humanize cultures that are dehumanized in the media and politics.”
Asani’s seminar, “Muslim Voices in Contemporary World Literature,” requires that students create a portfolio of artistic responses to particular topics covered in discussions of literature. Students can use any artistic medium they choose, and the Elson Family Arts Initiative foots the bill for the materials.
One of Asani’s students, Cote K. Laramie ’14, recorded an original musical piece in Garage Band after reading about the importance of sound in Islamic religious practices. Laramie says, “I would rather record a song than write a very formulated response paper. These projects allow us to work for ourselves, which I believe is the essence of this seminar.”
Asani, a member of the Harvard community for over thirty years, says, “This initiative was a breath of fresh air. There is a prejudice against the arts. The arts are seen as marginal or recreational or extracurricular. At times when you think you have to defend your curriculum from those who marginalize the arts, the fact that Harvard endorses an arts curriculum makes a difference.”
Ismailimail 