BIO

My name is Anna Watson, I am currently a sophomore studying Communications at Florida State University. I was born and raised in Tallahassee Florida and enjoy learning new things throughout my college career!

ART FACILITATING COMMUNITY BUILDING TO ALLEVIATE ALIENATION IN CHINESE INTERNATIONAL STUDENTS

Abstract

Art holds a fundamental role in art therapy, distinguishing it from other mental health professions. The primary objective of this dissertation project is to examine how art can facilitate community building and foster connectedness — concepts that have gained significant recognition in recent years (Lowe, 2000). Chinese International Students (CIS) have to forgo immense change in culture in pursuit of advancing their education. This change and lack of familiarity often leads to alienation. Throughout this research, the primary focus is how the art community helps aid alienation within the Chinese International students and how it creates community. While existing research has examined various strategies for helping these students cope with feelings of isolation, there remains a noticeable gap in the literature regarding a comprehensive exploration of the underlying cultural factors within the Chinese context. This study will employ the data triangulation method to investigate the potential role of art in facilitating community building among CISs. The procedures for data collection include written artifacts from WeChat (an international messaging and social media platform) , group interviews after each art session, and observations during two art sessions. The research is ongoing, with a hypothesis that art will help alleviate Chinese students’ alienation.

Keywords: Art, Chinese, International