college gone PC mad - how can you make people create multicultural art?

[sharklet]

AAAArrrghhh!

The College I teach at has gone PC mad! I have now been told I have to alter the project briefs I hand out to students to include diversity and be multi-cultural. Its jut going to stifle thier creativity!

Its madness!

My boss has tried re-writing them to include this and it sounds stupid. The students are studying Media Make-up Btec and are researching things like fashion designers and designing thier own make-up looks.

I will now have to tell them when I set them thier project when they have an open brief to design thier own bodypainting look - that actually they must create a multicultural design. Its so unfair on them - all that will happen is they will all start painting egyptian mummies and henna patterns and the like and it will bring the standard of work down because they will feel trapped. And then my life will be a misery trying to expain why the marks will go down.

They made us a do special millenium themes a few years ago as they were getting special millenium funding for it - they all painted robots...

Sigh am glad I'm about to resign!

[philippat]

is there no way you can include an element of multi-cultural design whilst still encouraging their creativity?

is there a research element followed by a creative element? (or could it work that way?) They will need inspiration sources whatever they do, so surely you could find some books/videos/events/museum displays to encourage that without forcing them to copy them?

I agree, being pc just for the sake of it is pointless, BUT looking at bodyart without introducing design sources from other cultures seems pointless too for me - there's so much inspiration there that the students might not have been introduced to yet.

[sharklet]

Oh yes we research all that in the course itself. Body art is full of multi-cultural diversity. Which is what bugs me so much. Every project - even if that project is researh the best type of airbrush for airbrushing nails and explain why - would also have to display diversity and have a multicultural aspect - by diversity they don't just mean ethic diversity but skills diversity and abilites (i.e. disabled deaf etc.) I have to go through every project and alter it to this. Every subject has to do this. A project about any subject you care to choose would have to proove it contained it.

The idea behind this project has always been to allow them a free reign to delvelop thier own idea. Each one usually has an idea by the time they come to do the project. I know that what will happen is most of them will be forced to pretend they had another few ideas as well to show multicultural diversity.