2024/25 Undergraduate Module Catalogue

ARTF3056 Unmaking Things: Materials and Ideas in the European Renaissance

20 creditsClass Size: 25

Module manager: Dr Richard Checketts
Email: r.s.checketts@leeds.ac.uk

Taught: Semester 1 (Sep to Jan) View Timetable

Year running 2024/25

Pre-requisite qualifications

At least 20 credits from any ARTF-coded module or appropriate equivalent in a relevant discipline. In the latter case, students are advised to get in touch with the module leader to discuss eligibility prior to enrolment.

This module is approved as a discovery module

Module summary

On this module we attend to a series of questions generated by historical consideration of the materials from which Renaissance artworks and objects were made. With a focus on Europe (though in a number of ways thinking about European encounters with other cultures), our seminars will develop approaches that cross between close object-analysis and critical reflection on broader social, political, religious and philosophical frameworks in which ideas of materiality took shape in this period.

Objectives

The objective of this module is to engage historically with the materiality of Renaissance art. Working with a variety of media (across the conventional categories of the ‘fine’ and ‘decorative’ arts), and using a range of primary written sources, its aim is to position the artwork within the wider cultural contexts in which materials were encountered and understood in the early modern period. The module aims also, in a number of ways, to situate the ‘European’ Renaissance in its relations with non-European cultures.

Learning outcomes
On successful completion of the module, you will be able to:
1. Describe and analyse the material properties of a broad range of objects, whether produced in Europe or globally, during the Renaissance.
2. Articulate the importance of attention to materials for the historical and cultural interpretation of Renaissance art.
3. Make informed use of a range of early written sources as part of art-historical and cultural interpretation.
4. Evaluate the relative merits of different methodologies, and deploy these accordingly in the development of interpretative frameworks and arguments.

Skills learning outcomes
Through successful completion of the module, you will develop the following skills:
5. Problem solving & analytical skills: the ability to take a logical approach to solving problems; resolving issues by tackling from different angles, using both analytical and creative skills.
6. Academic writing: the ability to write in a clear, concise, focused and structured manner that is supported by relevant evidence.

Syllabus

Details of the syllabus will be provided on the Minerva organisation (or equivalent) for the module

Teaching methods

Delivery type	Number	Length hours	Student hours
Seminars	10	2.00	20.00
Private study hours			180.00
Total Contact hours			20.00
Total hours (100hr per 10 credits)			200.00

Opportunities for Formative Feedback

Student progress will be monitored through their contributions to the weekly seminars. This will be subject to feedback – both from the tutor and their peers – through class discussion. The 40% mid-term essay is given written feedback.

Methods of assessment

Coursework

Assessment type	Notes	% of formal assessment
Coursework	Written	60.00
Coursework	Written	40.00
Total percentage (Assessment Coursework)		100.00

Normally resits will be assessed by the same methodology as the first attempt, unless otherwise stated

Reading list

The reading list is available from the Library website

Last updated: 29/08/2024 11:06:49

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