Media education based on the philosophy of pragmatism

The responsibility for crafts instruction at New York University was transferred recently from the Art Department to the Department of Occupational Therapy, where a new model of media education has been developed. This change resulted from the difficulties students and faculty experienced in integrating craft activities with occupational therapy's conceptual foundations and the realities of practice. These problems are not unique to this university but are common throughout our profession. This paper will discuss these problems and an attempt at their solution by outlining a model for media education based on historical and philosophical concepts pertinent to the profession. This model demonstrates the academic justification for the development and presentation of media education courses by occupational therapy faculty.