Seventeenth International Conference on the Arts in Society

Abstract

Students at the American University in Cairo take part in the First Year Experience, a year-long orientation that exposes them to the liberal arts and humanities. As part of this program students take courses to help them better understand the concept of self, group, and community identity. One of these core curriculum courses is The Human Quest, an exploration of what it means to be human. Students develop their voice as writers, speaker and researchers through contributing to projects in debate, creative writing, film, and music. This paper looks at how students, who do not necessarily identify as artists, can come to view themselves as contributors to various art forms and simultaneously experience a deeper investigation of their self and their identity as a member of their larger academic community.