module specification

Critical and Contextual Studies 1 will introduce you to the history and theory of your discipline, its extent and conventions, 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 investigates how thinking and articulating ideas about practice in your field might be framed – 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 will begin to introduce you to a range of academic skills needed to produce a graduate-level study in their final year. It helps you to develop your own interests, and to reflect on and take responsibility for the development of your own learning.Critical and Contextual Studies 1 will introduce you to the history and theory of your discipline, its extent and conventions, 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 investigates how thinking and articulating ideas about practice in your field might be framed – 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 will begin to introduce you to a range of academic skills needed to produce a graduate-level study in their final year. It helps you to develop your own interests, and to reflect on 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 first programme begins at the start of the academic year with submission of coursework for assessment after the winter break; the second programme begins at the start of the spring semester, with submission for assessment at the end of the academic year. The two assessments are equally weighted. The following themes and learning activities are indicative.

Semester 1 – The Art of Learning

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. As your understanding grows, you will learn to see the familiar and the everyday – such as objects and artefacts, language, images, technology, politics, or intelligence – in a new light. 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. Teaching and learning itself, learning how to learn and share our knowledge, and the question of pedagogy are at the heart of this programme that will give you a new foundation and broad overview of the world of art and how to practice as an artist. Each week, you will develop small research and writing projects in response to the themes and learning materials, which you collate, connect and submit in the form of a ‘patchwork’ at the end of the programme.

Semester 2 – The Imaginary Museum

In this programme, we explore the changing histories and theories that have defined the way we look at and display art. What is art? When and where does it begin? What does it do? What is the role of artists? Who is the audience? Can these questions even be answered in a singular way, without taking into account specific places, times, cultures, traditions and conventions? Who is in a position to have a say, and why? A series of impulse lectures and seminars aims to construct a history of art, albeit in a non-linear way, that questions received knowledge and orthodox approaches, and counteracts cultural bias – starting from the present, with an emphasis on highlighting previously marginalised ideas and forms of knowledge. 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 and act as a curator (the word ‘care’ is present in this word) through the construction, appraisal and critique of a hypothetical, imaginary display or exhibition.

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:

Subject-specific Skills

1. Demonstrate familiarity with the scope and practice of your discipline and understand it in a broader ethical, historical, cultural and socio-economic context;
2. Understand how your work relates to and arises from previous work in your discipline;

Cognitive and Intellectual Skills

3. Articulate a critical understanding of the objects of your study, using a range of written forms of presentation, noting specific terms, languages, references, genres and audiences;
4. Be able to read, analyse and interpret written texts and other key sources of documented knowledge such as images, environments, objects or artefacts, understanding the role of cultural bias in their production and interpretation;

Transferable Skills

5. Use libraries, databases and other sources of information effectively, and develop appropriate methods for collecting, organising and assessing the material you gather;
6. Mange your own studies, reflecting on and responding to feedback on your own work in order to develop and improve your learning;

Assessment Strategy

The module is assessed in a developmental way which will enable you to continually build your skills and confidence. You will receive formative feedback on your work before each submission; and summative feedback after each submission, guiding you in your progression to the next assignment or level of study. Assessments comprise different types of written texts and visual material that enable you to use different modes of presentation.

Assessment Components

• 1 Patchwork, 2,000–2,500 words
• 2 Case Study or Essay, 1,500–2,000 words

Assessment Component 1 (50%) will be submitted in the first week of term after the winter break. It is designed to help you engage with and be curious about research and writing, and to help express yourself in English if this is not your first language. It is based upon a ‘patchwork’ structure of written work that encourages reflection on various elements of your first semester’s learning journey. The syllabus and assessments address learning outcomes that develop academic skills, including inductions to using libraries and archives, critical reading skills, presentation skills, writing skills, working with feedback, planning and time management skills. Learning Outcomes addressed: 1 – 6. Weighting: 50%

Assessment 2 (50%) will be submitted at the end of semester 2. It is a Case Study or Essay specifically related to the coursework covered in the second of the year’s two teaching periods, testing real-world scenarios and exploring contemporary practice in your discipline from a range of theoretical and historical perspectives. The assignment places a specific emphasis on the employment and critical understanding of traditional academic research and writing conventions.  Learning Outcomes addressed: 1 – 6. Weighting: 50%

Assessment Criteria

Coursework is assessed according to the following criteria:

1. engagement with the learning process and study skills;
2. quality of content (research, accuracy, relevance, scope);
3. quality of presentation (use of language, layout, referencing and academic protocols);
4. effective structure (clarity, links, synthesis);
5. deployment of critical and analytical skills (interpretation, debate and argument).

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