Module Information
Module Identifier
AHM1000
Module Title
Artworld: Contemporary Practice in Context (for Students of Fine Art)
Academic Year
2020/2021
Co-ordinator
Semester
Semester 1 (Taught over 2 semesters)
Mutually Exclusive
Other Staff
Course Delivery
Assessment
Due to Covid-19 students should refer to the module Blackboard pages for assessment details
| Assessment Type | Assessment length / details | Proportion |
|---|---|---|
| Semester Assessment | Annotated bibliography (15 sources) - 2,000 words. Compilation of an up-to-date list of secondary sources related to one of the seminar topics, with detailed annotations. | 40% |
| Semester Assessment | Research Essay on one of the seminar topics - 2,500 words, plus Works Cited and appendix with captioned figures (illustrations), formatted in accordance with MLA style | 60% |
| Supplementary Assessment | Annotated bibliography (15 sources) - 2,000 words. Compilation of an up-to-date list of secondary sources related to one of the seminar topics, with detailed annotations. | 40% |
| Supplementary Assessment | Research Essay on one of the seminar topics - 2,500 words, plus Works Cited and appendix with captioned figures (illustrations), formatted in accordance with MLA style | 60% |
Learning Outcomes
On successful completion of this module students should be able to:
1. Situate the production, curation, distribution and reception of contemporary art, including their own practice, in a cultural, political, and socio-economic context
2. Identify, define and debate key concepts of contemporary art discourse.
3. Access, review and document a broad range of subject-specific literature in print and online.
4. Establish, sustain, test and support a position on contemporary art practices in a critical essay informed by research and rooted in theory.
Brief description
Delivered as a series of group tutorials and seminars, this module offers a discussion and study forum on contemporary art practice for MA Fine Art students.
MA Fine Art students are taught alongside MA Art History students, which provides an opportunity to contrast the intentions and concerns of practitioners with the critical reception of their work.
Semester 1 provides a series of group tutorials that prepare students for the weekly Artworld seminars in semester 2. The group tutorials in semester 1 serve as general introductions to contemporary art practice and today’s artworld; they provide key terminology for discussion and introduce students to the essentials of postgraduate research and writing.
In semester 2, students research the practice of established or emerging artists in relation to weekly topics and themes. The themed seminars situate the production, curation and distribution of contemporary art in cultural, political, and socio-economic contexts.
Key terminology to be defined, tested and contested in the seminars include ‘visual culture,’ ‘material culture,’ ‘new media,’ ‘postmodernism,’ ‘identity politics,’ ‘trauma discourse,’ ‘institutional critique,’ ‘relational aesthetics’, ‘social practice’ and the Anthropocene.
To this end, students prepare an annotated bibliography of sources (e.g. reviews, exhibition catalogues, artist statements, theoretical/philosophical essays, art histories) related to one of the themes in order to examine the practices of the artists suggested for study.
Assessing a variety of recommended readings (e.g. artist statements, exhibition catalogues, reviews, theoretical/philosophical journal articles and art history essays) and conducting independent research, seminar members gather primary and secondary sources to explore the state of the artworld and the concerns of contemporary artists. The selection of sample artists and sources is negotiated in individual tutorials.
The research is shared with fellow students during seminars and subsequently via Blackboard, providing all seminar members with an overview and assessment of specific aspects of contemporary art, as well as with a foundation for debates on current developments in the artworld. The research also serves as a basis for the final essay.
The seminar discussions are designed to prepare MA Fine Art students to re-examine their own art practice to arrive at artist statements that are informed by theory and demonstrate the relevance of their work in contemporary contexts.
MA Fine Art students are taught alongside MA Art History students, which provides an opportunity to contrast the intentions and concerns of practitioners with the critical reception of their work.
Semester 1 provides a series of group tutorials that prepare students for the weekly Artworld seminars in semester 2. The group tutorials in semester 1 serve as general introductions to contemporary art practice and today’s artworld; they provide key terminology for discussion and introduce students to the essentials of postgraduate research and writing.
In semester 2, students research the practice of established or emerging artists in relation to weekly topics and themes. The themed seminars situate the production, curation and distribution of contemporary art in cultural, political, and socio-economic contexts.
Key terminology to be defined, tested and contested in the seminars include ‘visual culture,’ ‘material culture,’ ‘new media,’ ‘postmodernism,’ ‘identity politics,’ ‘trauma discourse,’ ‘institutional critique,’ ‘relational aesthetics’, ‘social practice’ and the Anthropocene.
To this end, students prepare an annotated bibliography of sources (e.g. reviews, exhibition catalogues, artist statements, theoretical/philosophical essays, art histories) related to one of the themes in order to examine the practices of the artists suggested for study.
Assessing a variety of recommended readings (e.g. artist statements, exhibition catalogues, reviews, theoretical/philosophical journal articles and art history essays) and conducting independent research, seminar members gather primary and secondary sources to explore the state of the artworld and the concerns of contemporary artists. The selection of sample artists and sources is negotiated in individual tutorials.
The research is shared with fellow students during seminars and subsequently via Blackboard, providing all seminar members with an overview and assessment of specific aspects of contemporary art, as well as with a foundation for debates on current developments in the artworld. The research also serves as a basis for the final essay.
The seminar discussions are designed to prepare MA Fine Art students to re-examine their own art practice to arrive at artist statements that are informed by theory and demonstrate the relevance of their work in contemporary contexts.
Content
Semester 1
1) Group tutorial 1: Introduction to Contemporary Art
2) Group tutorial 2: Introduction to Modes of Interpretation
3) Group tutorial 3: Introduction to Research
Semester 2
1) Art History/Contemporary Art
2) Art/Visual Culture
3) Tradition/Revision
4) Self/Representation
5) Creativity/Technology
6) Production/Consumption
7) Identity/Otherness
8) Markets/Institutions
9) Activism/Relational Aesthetics
10) Practical Theories/Theorised Praxis
1) Group tutorial 1: Introduction to Contemporary Art
2) Group tutorial 2: Introduction to Modes of Interpretation
3) Group tutorial 3: Introduction to Research
Semester 2
1) Art History/Contemporary Art
2) Art/Visual Culture
3) Tradition/Revision
4) Self/Representation
5) Creativity/Technology
6) Production/Consumption
7) Identity/Otherness
8) Markets/Institutions
9) Activism/Relational Aesthetics
10) Practical Theories/Theorised Praxis
Module Skills
| Skills Type | Skills details |
|---|---|
| Application of Number | |
| Communication | Articulating ideas through seminar discussions, annotated bibliography and research essay. |
| Improving own Learning and Performance | Independent study through seminar assignments, research and preparation for seminar presentation. |
| Information Technology | Information retrieval from various academic research portals and online museum collection databases. |
| Personal Development and Career planning | Demonstration of professionalism in research and MLA style documentation. Reassessment of artist statements in light of seminar discussions. |
| Problem solving | In seminar preparation and discussions, essay research and writing. |
| Research skills | In seminar preparation, bibliography and essay research and writing. |
| Subject Specific Skills | Interpretation of contemporary visual culture and theory in art historical contexts. |
| Team work | Collaborating on gathering of sources, sharing of annotated bibliographies in seminar discussions. |
Notes
This module is at CQFW Level 7