The Department of English at Jahangirnagar University (JU) held a workshop on visual thinking and idea generation on August 2, introducing MA students to creative approaches to understanding and applying contemporary literary and cultural theories.
Titled “Visual Thinking and Idea Generation,” the workshop was held from 11:30am to 1pm at the department as part of the MA course LECS 502: Contemporary Critical Theories and Pedagogies (Critical Humanities).
Cartoonist and illustrator Eeha Nawar attended the session as the guest speaker.
The four-credit core course introduces students to a range of theoretical frameworks, including Affect Theory, Ethical Criticism, Trauma and Testimonial Criticism, Medical Humanities, Posthumanism, Ecocriticism, Cognitive Literary Criticism and Digital Humanities.
During the workshop, Nawar demonstrated how visual arts, media texts and editorial cartoons can be used alongside literary theories to explore contemporary cultural and social issues.
She said literary theory was not confined to written texts and discussed how visual thinking could offer alternative ways of approaching complex theoretical concepts.
“Learn, study and understand the other side of the story. It helps develop critical thinking and contributes to building a strong character,” Nawar said.
Students participating in the workshop explored different methods of visualising ideas through art, including mind mapping, selecting visual elements and developing concepts across different media.
The session also covered the use of digital installations, graphic texts, cartoons and doodles as tools for developing and communicating ideas.
The workshop concluded with an interactive question-and-answer session, during which students discussed ways of applying visual media and digital humanities approaches to their course materials.
Other students from the department also attended the session.