module specification

Critical and Contextual Studies 1 introduces you to the history and theory of art, and its broader social and material context in culture and contemporary practice.

You will be guided towards critical reflections on what you see and learn how to read connections between different ideas. In particular, the module  makes you think about art and how it can be understood as practice,, for example, in relation to history, the economy, society and the environment, or through theory and practice. Teaching and learning on the module encourages you to explore these questions in relation to your own background and identity, and to broaden your thinking and understanding of previously marginalised contexts and histories of your discipline.

The module  introduces you to a range of academic skills needed to produce a graduate-level study in your final year. It helps you to develop your own interests,  earn how to work with feedback from your tutors, and take responsibility for the development of your own learning.
 

Critical and Contextual Studies 1 is structured in two teaching programmes of twelve weeks. Each of these programmes culminates in a summative assessment, which is gradually built through the semester through smaller tasks. The two assessments are equally weighted. The following themes and learning activities are indicative.

Semester 1

A series of lectures, workshops and visits to archives and contemporary art galleries encourages you to look at your discipline from a new perspective, and make unexpected connections between art and a broader field of histories, ideas and phenomena that animate society and culture. A series of practical exercises will illustrate how you can work and experiment with these ideas, use research to broaden your own practice, and articulate and debate often complex questions with confidence. The programme promotes reading and writing – that is: working with and sharing ideas in the broadest sense, and all the conventions and methods associated with this work – as a social and creative act. The boundaries between research and practice are seen as fluid.

Semester 2

In this programme, we explore the changing histories and theories that have defined art. art as a discipline. A series of lectures, seminars and workshops aims to construct a history of art.. The programme asks how art can be seen to both produce as well as respond to recurrent questions in society. Coursework for this programme encourages you to experiment with the critical knowledge you have gained.

The course team seeks to embed the University’s Education for Social Justice Framework in fostering learning that is enjoyable, accessible, relevant and that takes account of the social and cultural context and capital of its students. The module’s learning outcomes, its contents and delivery are regularly reviewed to ensure an inclusive approach to pedagogic practice.

Scheduled teaching ensures that independent study is effective and addresses the learning outcomes and assessment tasks. In-class activity makes use of varied student-centred approaches such as active, flipped and blended learning, so that a range of learning strategies is deployed, and individual learning styles are accommodated.

You will be expected to continue with your studies outside of scheduled classes. To support and reinforce independent learning, information is provided through a range of means to that minimise barriers to successful progress through the module. Activities foster peer-to-peer community building and support for learning. Reflective learning is promoted through interim formative feedback points that ask you to reflect on your progress, receive help where you identify the opportunity for improvement in learning strategies and outcomes, and plan the future development of your studies.

The AAD School’s programme of employability events and embedded work-related learning within the curriculum will supports your personal development planning. Through these initiatives, you will increasingly be able, as you progress from year to year, to understand the professional environment of your discipline, the various opportunities available to you, and how to shape your learning according to your ambitions.

On satisfactory completion of Critical and Contextual Studies 1, a number of Learning Outcomes (LOs) will have been addressed. You will:

1. Develop an understanding of the history of art its broader social and material context in culture and contemporary practice, noting specific terms, languages, references, genres and audiences;
2. Learn how to uselibraries, databases and other sources of information effectively, and develop appropriate methods for collecting, organising and  analysing the material you gather;
3. Learn how to present your knowledge using a range of written formats, traditional as well as experimental

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