module specification

Material Culture will examine the world of things as an important area for research as well as a way of conducting research. That is, it will consider how people design as well as use, collect, appropriate and curate material objects in a variety of environments and how they are used to help create identities. It will address why consumers desire certain commodities. At the same time, we will consider Material Culture Studies as a key methodological approach for researching design practice. The module will use objects as primary research tools to consider how we make sense of the physical world and how objects acquire a variety of meanings for their users, often in unintended ways. As such it will draw on a range of disciplinary approaches, which could include ethnography, Marxism, psychoanalysis, actor-network theory, etc. as well as social history. These ideas will be considered in our weekly meetings and you will be asked to bring in an object or image to contribute to the group discussions; these will go towards compiling a personal portfolio of examples for assessment.

A close analysis of objects and images in relation to a range of theories will enable you to develop knowledge and skills as a reflective practitioner. You will be able to take a single object and use it as the basis for a small exhibition and catalogue entry in order to consider the wider context of material culture operates in different environments and how individuals and societies value, use and curate objects in a number of different ways.

You will develop an ability to analyse your own research and writing in a critical manner with the opportunity for interim weekly oral feedback from the tutor and peers in response to objects and images produced for discussion which will eventually comprise assessment item one.

Available for Study Abroad? NO

The module will use lectures, seminars, gallery visits and study walks as the basis for discussion of material culture and its contexts. Each weekly session will focus on  a different theme, supported by theoretical readings, and students will lead the group discussions by bringing in examples of artefacts, which can be either historic or contemporary.

Students will build a digital portfolio of these examples with accompanying critical evaluations throughout the module for submission at the end of the semester and receive regular peer and tutor feedback, allowing them to reflect on their progress throughout the semester. (LO 1-6)

Formal lectures and workshops are supported by individual tutorials and group seminars. Together they provide the support to ensure that the structured content and independent study conducted throughout this module are effective in addressing the module’s learning outcomes and assessment tasks. The module operates within a framework of mutually supporting modules and curricula, ensuring that course learning outcomes are addressed and met overall. As the module progresses, there is regular interim formative feedback on work in progress that asks you to reflect and identify areas for improvement in the development of your assignments.

Upon successful completion of this module, you will be able to:

Cognitive intellectual abilities

1. Articulate an informed and critical understanding of a variety of theoretical approaches to studying material culture;

2. Critically analyse a range of artefacts in both written and verbal presentations, using a variety of approaches to explain ‘the turn to things’;

Knowledge and understanding

3. Understand and evaluate the different ways in which objects acquire meanings and help shape identities;

Professionalism and values

4. Develop a critical evaluation of your own work, both written and in class presentations and develop ways of articulating an informed response or challenge to peers’ presentations;

5. Demonstrate an awareness of the designer’s responsibility to the afterlife of objects, their impact on users, the environment and future generations;

Transferable skills

6. Take responsibility for managing the assessment process, both formative and summative, in a timely manner.

The module is assessed through:

1. An illustrated digital portfolio of examples of between five and seven objects analysed using key theoretical approaches and including a bibliography of academic texts with the focus on material culture: the objects and the texts used to describe, discuss and critique the selected objects should reflect the range of ideas discussed in class and adopt a variety of positions in relation to Material Culture Studies. (2500 words, excluding bibliography) (LOs1-6);

2. The curation of an object which will ask you to focus on an artefact and consider how you might arrange it as the focus of a small exhibition and an accompanying catalogue entry: full and correct academic apparatus (bibliography, referencing, captioning) is expected. (1500 – 2000 words, excluding bibliography) (LOs 1-6).

The work will be assessed in relation to:

1.  The demonstrated ability to understand, analyse and evaluate the various meanings and importance attached to objects in the social world;
2.  Evidence of a familiarity with a range of textual sources and a variety of designed objects and evidence of an ability to recognise their significance to consumers and other users;
3.  The quality of the presentational skills both written and visual and a recognition of how these interrelate;
4.  A recognition of the designer’s and user’s responsibility in making, buying, using and consuming objects and a sensitivity to the issues of their afterlives.

https://rl.talis.com/3/londonmet/lists/9A2E09F3-CDC2-8B87-F4A0-5AE7006F60D2.html?lang=en&login=1