Art and Culture Course Transforms Museums Across Qatar into Classrooms

In an innovative approach to education, GU-Q transformed the diverse and impressive museums scattered across Qatar into captivating classrooms for a Spring 2023 course, “Theorizing Art in Qatar,” which was offered in collaboration with Qatar Museums. The course empowered students to become critical thinkers and active contributors to Qatar’s flourishing art scene.

Under the guidance of faculty member, Dr. Firat Oruc, students embarked on a transformative journey through the rich cultural landscape of Doha, exploring the very spaces that house these masterpieces. This immersive experience allowed students to engage directly with the artwork, unleashing their creativity and fostering a deep understanding of art’s profound impact on society, history, and culture.

“As an emerging global hub of arts and creative industries, Doha is home to an exceptional collection of artworks representing cultures from the Middle East, Indian Ocean world, Europe, Africa, and the Americas,” explained course instructor, Dr. Firat Oruc. 

Field trips and classes were an integral part of the course, he added, providing students with first-hand experiences at museums based in Qatar, where they could engage directly with the diverse array of traditional, Islamic, Orientalist, modern, public, contemporary, and digital forms of artistic expression. These immersive excursions allowed students to deepen their connection to the art forms studied, allowing for a richer appreciation of the profound impact of art on culture, society, politics, and history.

Participating student and graduating senior Aisha AlMuhannadi (SFS’23) praised the course instructor, Dr. Oruc, for the dynamic learning experience, adding:

“As a Qatari it’s highly important for me to learn about my country’s heritage and future vision and doing it through art was quite enriching and different. I got to share my knowledge with my classmates as well as learn from them.”

And student colleague Benjamin Kurian (SFS’23), agreed. “This class was the best way to end my four years at GU-Q. Rather than looking at art online, we got a chance to explore and experience it in person which enhanced the learning process.”

Throughout the course, students were encouraged to engage critically with the museum displays, participate in discussions, and develop their own interpretations. By the end of the course, participants achieved a range of learning outcomes, including the ability to conceptualize art work across different forms, styles, structures, and modes. They also gained familiarity with major critical and historical approaches to art through examples found within Qatar, allowing them to articulate the relationships between art, culture, society, politics, and history in the specific context of the nation.

Most recently, students reflected on their experiences and insights gained through the course at an engaging discussion hosted at GU-Q and featuring the Chairperson of Qatar Museums, H.E. Sheikha Al Mayassa Bint Hamad bin Khalifa Al Thani, who stressed the critical role of students as key stakeholders in the continued growth and success of Qatar Museums through their rigorous research and study of politics, economics, history, and culture.