What is Contextual Studies?

Hi there everyone! Semester 2 is finally here! "yay?"
anyways, we had our first ever Contextual Studies lesson today
Mr Charles gave us a brief introduction on what "Contextual Studies" actually means

Here are the lecture slides which were uploaded in Mr Charles blog

 

For better view of the video,do go visit my lecturer's blog :D

Link : "http://parablesofsharma.com/2013/08/13/contextual-studies-lecture-01/"

So, what is CONTEXTUAL STUDIES ALL ABOUT??

contextual studies refer to a study placed on the theory, method, and application of the study process rather than on the 'what' of the object of study. In this study, selected tenets of comparative literature arCe merged with selected tenets of the field of cultural studies. 

Reference : http://www.ask.com/question/what-is-contextual-studies

Contextual studies is actually the study of meaning or purpose behind "something". As a designer, we are constantly looking for a meaning & relevance behind our artwork. This is very critical in order to attract people to our artwork.So, it is best if we inculcate the habit of asking "Why". For example,

"why is the Mona Lisa painting so well known?" or maybe "why is Starbucks so successful?".

In other words, there's always a summary/story behind everything.

Reference : 1) http://www.straightdope.com/columns/read/1750/why-is-the-mona-lisa-so-famous 

2) http://eatinggoodly.com/2011/02/25/starbucks-success/

During this lecture, Mr Charles introduced 2 new words to us which are "Noir" and "Cult"
We are told to search up the meaning of the words before the next class 

Stay tune for my next post :D