2016/17 Undergraduate Module Catalogue

ARTF2127 Keywords

20 creditsClass Size: 100

Module manager: Professor John Mowitt
Email: j.w.mowitt@leeds.ac.uk

Taught: Semester 1 (Sep to Jan) View Timetable

Year running 2016/17

Pre-requisite qualifications

100-120 credits at level 1 in any of the above programmes 40 of which have to be core.

Module replaces

While the module does not formally replace the former Aesthetics I and Aesthetics II modules, it is meant to take on the role of a shared and transdisciplinary Level Two modules for FAHACS students on cultural studies and history of art.

This module is not approved as a discovery module

Module summary

Representation, Form, Context, Interpretation and Power are words one hears often in the School of Fine Art, History of Art and Cultural Studies (FAHACS). They are heard frequently because they are actually concepts used by teachers and scholars in these fields to analyse works of art and cultural practices whether realised as paintings, texts, buildings, actions or otherwise. What do these concepts mean; how are they used; when and why were they produced; what debates have they stirred? These are the questions that students in this module will engage. Considering various answers to them will enable students not only to be more articulate about the work of cultural analysis and critical practice, but also to understand the conceptual coherence across different programmes in FAHACS. Through reading, writing and speaking students will become active and self-aware participants in the cultural history of the present.

Objectives

This core module prepares students for engaged, critical research at a consolidated level in art history, cultural theory and cultural and media studies. Students learn how to think conceptually about their objects of intellectual curiosity and to reflect historically on the disciplines with which they are affiliated.

Learning outcomes
On completion of the module, you will have
- consciously made the transition from the introductory first year of study to the more specialised and demanding second year.
- critically analysed, considered and reflected on the keywords 'representation,' 'form,' 'context,' 'interpretation' and 'power,' both in general terms and with reference to your programme of study.
- carefully worked through a series of theoretical texts.
- made connections between concepts, readings and lectures in the module.
- worked in tutorial groups to present to your lecturers your own 'questions,' some of which will have been taken up and pursued 'live' in the module.
- written two essays to put to the test your personal understanding of the concepts behind the module keywords and their importance.
- built up your foundation and confidence for developing viable essay and dissertation projects at Levels Two and Three.

Syllabus

The module is organised around five 'keyword' themed lectures for all students, to be delivered bi-weekly, and five related lectures to take place in the following weeks. The follow-up lectures are broken down by programme of study (A: Cultural and Media Studies/Fine Art with Contemporary Cultural Theory/History of Art with Cultural Studies; B: History of Art/Fine Art with History of Art/History of Art with Cultural Studies) and are led by members of academic staff from the respective subject areas. Five small-group tutorials are additionally offered to facilitate the preparation of questions which the module leader will respond to in his themed lectures.
Week 1: Introduction to Module and 'Representation' (lecture)
Week 2: 'Representation' (two parallel lectures)
Week 2: Student-led and Seminar Assistant-led tutorials in preparation of Week 3
Week 3: Response Representation/Form (lecture)
Week 4: 'Form' (two parallel lectures)
Week 4: Tutorials in preparation of Week 5
Week 5: 'Response,' 'Form'/'Interpretation' (lecture)
Week 6: Personal & Professional Development Week/Writing Essay 1
Week 7: 'Interpretation' (two parallel lectures)
Week 7: Tutorials in preparation of Week 8
Week 8: Response 'Context'/'Interpretation' (lecture)
Week 9: 'Interpretation' (two parallel lectures)
Week 9: Tutorials in preparation of Week 10
Week 10: Response 'Interpretation'/'Power' (lecture)
Week 11: Response 'Power'/'Power' and Conclusion (two parallel lectures)
Submission of Essay 2

Teaching methods

Delivery type	Number	Length hours	Student hours
Consultation	1	0.25	0.25
Group learning	5	1.00	5.00
Lecture	10	2.00	20.00
Tutorial	5	1.00	5.00
Private study hours			169.75
Total Contact hours			30.25
Total hours (100hr per 10 credits)			200.00

Private study

Students will be expected to prepare for each lecture or tutorial. They must read, take notes, prepare questions/topics for discussion, and prepare to share with classmates their insights, their questions, and the results of their research.
Private study time will also be dedicated to writing a shorter essay during Week 6 and a longer essay after Week 11.
Timetabling will facilitate a one-hour slot before the five tutorials led by seminar assistants so that students can meet beforehand and discuss their individual ideas before meeting with the assistant to consolidate their ‘question’ posed to the module leader.

Opportunities for Formative Feedback

Attendance will be recorded in tutorials and follow-up lectures. Each student is expected to upload five ‘questions’ on the VLE in the weeks leading up to the tutorials; this upload will be monitored by the seminar assistants. A selection of questions will be addressed by the module leader in the core lectures.
A mid-term essay is due in Week 7. Written commentary will be provided before submission of the longer end-of-term essay so that students can take on board feedback on how to improve.
Seminar assistants also offer 1:1 consultations in the periods leading up to the two essay submission dates to address any individual concerns and to make the most of the feedback received.

Methods of assessment

Coursework

Assessment type	Notes	% of formal assessment
Essay	Mid-Term Essay (1500 words)	30.00
Essay	End-of-Term Essay (2000 words)	50.00
Group Discussion	Discussion Question x 5	20.00
Total percentage (Assessment Coursework)		100.00

All coursework must be attempted in order to pass the module. For the Discussion Question element: All students have to bring a prepared question to their five tutorial sessions. In the tutorials (one hour student-led, one hour led by the seminar assistant), the group discusses the suggestions and generates an agreed question to be presented by a designated speaker to the module leader/tutor in the following week. Seminar assistants liaise with the module leader/tutor about their group’s preparedness, initiative and effort in discussion. The module leader/tutor assesses the depth and quality of the question and the way in which it is presented. Discussion question resit- If a student has to re-sit, they will set the question themselves in agreement with the tutor.

Reading list

The reading list is available from the Library website

Last updated: 27/04/2017

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