PH4001 - Looking and Making 1 (2025/26)
Module specification | Module approved to run in 2025/26 | ||||||||||||
Module title | Looking and Making 1 | ||||||||||||
Module level | Certificate (04) | ||||||||||||
Credit rating for module | 30 | ||||||||||||
School | The School of Art, Architecture and Design | ||||||||||||
Total study hours | 300 | ||||||||||||
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Assessment components |
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Running in 2025/26(Please note that module timeslots are subject to change) |
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Module summary
The PH4001 LOOKING AND MAKING 1 module consists of seminars, talks, visits and workshops designed to provide a critical and thematic basis from which students are able to explore and expand their personal creative, critical and contextual basis for future practice.
This module will require students to investigate and reflect upon trends in current practice as well as historical models. Case studies and seminar sessions are intended to encourage engagement with, and understanding of, photographic and aligned creative practices. Students will explore these both through guided research as well as practical making. At the beginning of Semester 1 students will agree a basic group code of ethics for study.
The module is shared by, serves and sustains the Honours awards in the BA Fashion Photography and BA Photography courses, delivered in a seamless and integral relationship with the work of other core modules in the level.
Students engage in a series of research tasks and seminars in order to explore and to critically consider the diverse practices, concepts and aesthetics that underpin photographic and creative practices.
Syllabus
At the beginning of the module, its aims and key concepts will be outlined to all students. Students will agree a basic group code of ethics for study. (Learning Outcome 1)
Students will be supported in addressing the Learning Outcomes through a combination of talks, lectures, workshops, seminars and tutorials in order to explore a personal creative, critical and contextual basis for future creative practice.
In this module students are introduced to a range of practical and contextual photographic approaches. These are set within wider critical concerns and discourse including the promotion of fair and ethical practices addressing subjects such as social inclusion, representation and a decolonisation of the photographic medium.
Students will collate practical and research materials into a journal, demonstrating the ability to evidence, record and evaluate and complete briefed tasks to schedule exploring contemporary and historic creative practices, concepts and concerns. (Learning Outcomes 2, 3, 4 and 5).
Balance of independent study and scheduled teaching activity
Scheduled teaching provides the guidance and foundation to ensure that independent study is effective in addressing the module’s 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. Information is provided through a range of means and sources to minimise and remove barriers to successful progress through the module. 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.
Activities foster peer-to-peer community building and support for learning. Interim formative feedback points help students to reflect on their progress and receive help to identify the opportunity for improvement in learning strategies and outcomes in developing the work for this module. Throughout the module, students build a body of research and practice based research work that extends their understanding of creative, contextual and professional opportunities within their areas of interest.
Learning outcomes
1. Agree a basic group code of ethics for study;
2. demonstrate the ability to complete Semester 1 tasks to agreed schedule;
3. demonstrate the ability to use a journal effectively to evidence, record and evaluate briefed Semester 1 tasks exploring contemporary and historic creative practices, concepts and concerns.
4. demonstrate the ability to complete Semester 2 tasks to agreed schedule;
5. demonstrate the ability to use a journal effectively to evidence, record and evaluate briefed Semester 2 tasks exploring contemporary and historic creative practices, concepts and concerns.