United Nations Sustainable Development Goals Open Pedagogy Fellowship
COVID-19 and the Dark Side of Life:
Expressing Human Negative Emotions Through Art Expression
Professor Rebecca Portis, Montgomery College (Maryland);
Dr. Demelash Areda, Maricopa Community Colleges (Arizona)
2021-2022
Introduction:
You are a part of a collegewide effort to increase access to education and empower students
through "open pedagogy." Open pedagogy is a "free access" educational practice that places you
- the student - at the center of your own learning process in a more engaging, collaborative
learning environment. The ultimate purpose of this effort is to achieve greater social justice in
our community in which the work can be freely shared with the broader community. This is a
renewable assignment that is designed to enable you to become an agent of change in your
community through the framework of the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals
(SDGs). For this work, you will integrate the disciplines of English and Literature and Biology to
achieve SDG #3: Good Health and Well-Being. With a focus on strengthening the capacity of all
countries, in particular developing countries, for early warning, risk reduction and management of
national and global health risks.

Learning Objectives:
The objective of this assignment is to provide students an opportunity to explore the role of
artistic expression in various forms and its impact on life-thwarting allostatic overload in relation
to the current Covid-19 pandemic. Through drawing, painting, music composition, documentary
production, writing, and poetry, the deep scars of our past and the new injuries experienced can
have a formidable place in the educational environment and beyond without the threat to be
extinguished, but rather promoted and supportive to heal ourselves and our communities.
Ultimately, these forms of expression will promote the contribution and benefit of art as a
substantive method for rehabilitating the health and welfare of a society plagued by the trauma
and darkness of many things, but particularly now from the emergence of the Covid-19 pandemic.

Purpose/Rationale: Art is an important tool to express human emotions including great
suffering, trauma and tragedies that hinder beneficial growth. Mental health practitioners often
focus on diagnosis and treatment of orders to alleviate such suffering (Baumeister, Bratslavsky,
Finkenauer, & Vohs, 2001), while ignoring the much-needed management of emotions associated
with the disorders. Furthermore, the health benefits of expressing human emotions have been well
recognized by both art therapists and other mental health workers who have relied on artistic
expression for years. “Art therapy is a unique kind of psychotherapy that uses the process of
making and viewing art within the context of a helping relationship to increase well-being for
clients of all ages” (Malchiodi, 2011). A study conducted by Coombs and his colleagues (2002)
reported a positive result of exploring emotional experience within a therapeutic relationship.

Instructions:
1.

Artwork/Infographics:

Infographics are useful tools to explain difficult concepts or break down complex information to
make it easier to understand (Easy WebContent, Inc. (DBA Visme). 2021). You can find various
infographic templates via google search and places such as Canva.
For this assignment, students will prepare a professional, self-descriptive and informative
infographic related to negative human emotions caused by the COVID-19 pandemic. See below a
sample of infographics showing depression and COVID-19 exposure. This sample is provided as
a basic example of an art focused infographic.
Each student will be asked to reflect on their connection to the material of focus and explore and
apply their inspiration and profound creativity. Each student will use their insight to create a
visual work of art that reflects negative emotions (anxiety, depression, isolation etc.) caused by
COVID-19 exposure. Ultimately this work will be displayed on the course’s website gallery.
2.

Documentary/Video:

This assignment challenges students to take time to think about material provided and discussions
had. You will use your insight to create a 3-minute video/film that reflects negative human
emotions caused by pandemic COVID-19. Ultimately, this work will be displayed on the website
gallery.
The video shall include a brief narrative about the following entities:
− History of COVID-19
− Mental health impacts of COVID-19
− Use of various artistic expression to treat mental health disorders caused by pandemic
COVID-19

3.

Poem

This assignment will challenge you to take time to think about your connection to the materials of
focus. You will use your insight to create a poem (entitled “Darkness in the Light Side of Life”
that reflects expression of negative human emotions through poem to explain deep states of mind,
spirit and emotions associated with the pandemic. The poem will be presented in written form or
short podcast/video presentation. Please notice that you may write in language of origin and
provide a translated version or write in English. Ultimately, this work will be displayed on the
website gallery.
4.

Music

This assignment challenges you to take time to think about your connection to the materials of
focus (pandemic COVID-19 and human negative emotion). You may create music in any format.
Ultimately, this work will be presented on the website gallery.

Format Requirements:
Write a 2-page substantive reflection following all assignment expectations.
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An upper right-hand header (only)
1-inch margins
12 -point font
Double-spaced
Calibri or Times New Roman font style
Work Cited page if needed

Your Works Cited page should be a page of its own with the upper right-hand header. The
citation will look like this:

COVID-19 and the Dark Side of Life: Expressing Human Negative Emotions Through Art
Expression is licensed by Professor Rebecca Portis, Montgomery College (Maryland) and Dr.
Demelash Areda, Maricopa Community Colleges (Arizona) under the Creative Commons
Attribution 4.0 International (CC BY-NC)