Programme Specifications
Art History
Information provided by School of Art:
Museum and gallery volunteer roles and collections-based research projects available
Information provided by School of Art:
History of Art, Architecture and Design
Information provided by School of Art:
September 2023
Information provided by School of Art:
The School of Art provides a setting where art is created and debated, exhibited and experienced, where art history students study alongside practising artists, curators and published historians. The programme aims to:
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Offer advanced training in the discipline of Art History.
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Provide opportunities for students to develop advanced specialist knowledge and understanding of histories of art and visual culture across places and periods, as well as in-depth knowledge and understanding about specialist topics through original, tutor negotiated research.
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Develop advanced understanding of relevant conceptual, theoretical and historical frameworks, applicable to Art History.
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Provide opportunities for students to develop a broad range of advanced subject-specific and transferrable skills that will equip them for further study and/or their future career (in particular as art historaians, art educators, or professionals in the artworld and wider heritage and cultural sector).
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Introduce students to a variety of advanced interpretative methods and forms of questioning to encourage critical and historical engagement with art and visual culture.
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Encourage students to communicate their research and articulate ideas through seminar presentations and discussion.
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Provide opportunities for students to learn from the School of Art’s museum collection, including through direct study of collection objects and involvement in museum practice.
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Provide, where required, access to art studios, print workshops, photographic and digital equipment.
Information provided by School of Art:
the programme provides opportunities for students to develop and demonstrate knowledge and understanding, skills, qualities and other attributes in the following areas
Information provided by School of Art:
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A1 The fundamental issues, contexts, concepts, theories, and debates (historical, contemporary, cultural settings) in art and visual culture and how they relate to the students’ own research.
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A2 The key intellectual tools, theoretical frameworks, and methodologies of Art History.
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A3 The concepts, values, and debates that inform study and practice in the field of art history, set in the context of the development of Art History as a discipline.
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A4 The interpretative methods and forms of questioning distinctive to Art History.
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A5 Factors related to for initial employment in Higher Education teaching in Art History.
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A6 The contemporary art world and cultural industries, including the variety of opportunities for graduate employment; the significance of the work of other Art Historians; major developments in current and emerging media and technologies; the role and impact of intellectual property; relationship with professional contexts beyond academia (including the arts and heritage sector, the art market, and media).
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Lectures (synchronous and asynchronous)
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Seminars
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1:1 and small group tutorials
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Workshops
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Guided independent research
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Group-oriented problem-based learning
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Q&A sessions
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Essays
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Dissertation
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Seen and unseen examinations
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Visual analysis
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Artefact study
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Reflective writing
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Slide test
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Presentation (live and recorded)
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Exhibition project
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Critical journal
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Book review
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Literature review
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Fine art portfolio
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Annotated bibliography
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Essay plan
Information provided by School of Art:
10.2.1 Intellectual skills
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B1 Visual skills: close and systematic visual examination, informed by appropriate knowledge of materials, techniques, and cultural contexts; clear and precise description, using ordinary and specialist terminology as appropriate and demonstrating awareness of the inherently translative relationship between the visual and the verbal; technical evaluation of artefacts considering materiality, production, methodology, and cultural context.
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B2 Interpretive skills: set the artefacts studied within appropriate historical, intellectual, cultural, and institutional contexts; draw upon personal responses to artefacts distinct from other relevant meanings; develop arguments from close observation of artefacts; produce logical and structured narratives and arguments, supported by relevant evidence; relate the processes of making artefacts to their cultural functions; understand the role of artefacts as carriers of meaning and value; understand the iconographic value, informing culture, and the creative and production value; identify and analyse the development of and interrelation between forms and genres.
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B3 Historical skills: use appropriate methodologies for locating, assessing and interpreting primary sources; select relevant evidence from the wide range of types of evidence used in the subject area, and apply it to the examination of historical issues and problems; produce logical and structured narratives and arguments supported by relevant evidence; marshal and appraise critically other people’s arguments
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B4 Cognitive skills: analyse arguments, tasks, and bodies of evidence, breaking them down into, and effectively dealing with, their component parts; bring evidence or ideas of different sorts or from different sources together in a productive way; identify and present the key elements of an argument; discriminate between alternative arguments and approaches; ability to apply knowledge and experience so as to make appropriate decisions in complex and incompletely charted contexts.
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B5 Open-mindedness: be open and receptive to new things and ideas; identify the merits of unfamiliar arguments or cultural artefacts and the merits or shortcomings of familiar ones; appreciate and evaluate divergent points of view and to communicate their qualities.
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C1 Research skills: capacity for critical, effective, and testable information retrieval and organisation; ability to design and carry out a research project with limited tutorial guidance.
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C2 Communication skills: communicate information, arguments, and ideas cogently and effectively within a range of discourses as appropriate to particular audiences, and in written, spoken, or other form using appropriate visual aids and information technology resources; particular abilities in the deployment of visual material in conjunction with written, oral, and other forms of communication; the ability to listen effectively, and to participate constructively in discussion and debate.
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C3 Museum skills: apply knowledge of the theoretical, methodological, and professional principles in contemporary museum practice to develop a range of techniques related to museum work, including object research, museum communication, exhibition and interpretive planning, collections management, and collections care.
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C4. Professional skills: fundamental skills appropriate to teaching, learning, and assessment in Higher Education.
Information provided by School of Art:
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D1Teamwork: the ability to work constructively and productively in teams.
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D2 Diligence: undertake and complete set tasks, whether routine and familiar or requiring the acquisition and application of new skills.
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D3 Autonomy: develop an independent argument that is informed by, but not dependent on, authorities in the subject area; define one’s own brief, and formulate arguments that effectively structure relevant information; employ a variety of current and emerging digital technologies, demonstrating digital literacy.
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D4 Time management and personal initiative: work to briefs and deadlines, including managing concurrent projects; take responsibility for one’s own work; reflect on one’s own learning and make constructive use of feedback; take shared responsibility for one’s own course of studies.
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D5 Critical engagement: formulate and articulate reasoned, independent judgements and arguments, supported by analysis of evidence and experiences, and informed by, but not dependent on, the ideas and arguments of others.
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D6 Problem solving: identify, analyse, and creatively solve problems individually or as part of a team.
MA Art History [V393]
Academic Year: 2023/2024 scheme - available from 2002/2003
Duration (studying Full-Time): 1 years