ARTH 5217EX - Portraiture and Power

External - Semester 1 - 2016

The course information on this page is being finalised for 2016. Please check again before classes commence.

The early modern period (c. 1400-1830) was a golden age for the production of portraits in Europe, and this course draws on the significant collection of portraits held in the Art Gallery of South Australia as a laboratory for learning. While the primary focus is on the origins and evolution of the enduring genre of portraiture from the Renaissance to Romanticism, comparative references are made to portrait practices and traditions in different historical periods and cross-cultural contexts. It not only examines the complex interface between the artist, patron, sitter and viewer in the making and meaning of individual and collective likenesses, but also addresses challenging interpretative issues and ideas concerning the representation and reception of forms of personal and political power expressed by depictions of the face and body. Topics covered throughout the course include: realism and idealism in portraits; changing beauty canons and notions of the grotesque; images of rule or state portraiture; self-portraiture and the image and identity of the artist; representations of the body and the sexual self; attitudes towards gender, class and race; social functions from commemoration to propaganda; literary portraiture (biography and autobiography); and the formation of national portrait galleries.

  • General Course Information
    Course Details
    Course Code ARTH 5217EX
    Course Portraiture and Power
    Coordinating Unit Art History
    Term Semester 1
    Level Postgraduate Coursework
    Location/s External
    Units 6
    Available for Study Abroad and Exchange Y
    Prerequisites Bachelor's Degree or equivalent, entry to the Graduate Program in Art History
    Incompatible ARTH 2002 Portraiture and Power
    Restrictions Available to ProCertArtHist, GradCertArtHist, GradDipArtHist, MA(StArtHist) & MA(Cur&MuseumSt) students only
    Course Staff

    Course Coordinator: Dr Lisa Mansfield

    Dr Lisa Mansfield
    Office: Napier 511
    Email: lisa.mansfield@adelaide.edu.au
    Telephone: 83135755
    Staff profile: http://www.adelaide.edu.au/directory/lisa.mansfield

    Course Timetable

    The full timetable of all activities for this course can be accessed from Course Planner.

    The online weekly virtual tutorial is held on Tuesdays from 6:00pm to 7:30pm.
  • Learning Outcomes
    Course Learning Outcomes
    On successful completion of this course, students will be able to demonstrate:
    1 Knowledge of the major periods, styles and artists working in the genre of portraiture during the early modern period of European art and visual culture.
    2 A broad understanding of principal methods and theories underpinning the discipline of art history pertinent to the study of early modern European art and visual culture.
    3 Application of competent visual analysis skills for examining and interpreting images and objects.
    4 Understanding of the significance of portraits as social deposits and sources of historical evidence.
    5 An ability to locate, critically evaluate and synthesise a wide range of primary and secondary textual and visual sources using a range of appropriate contemporary learning technologies.
    6 An ability to communicate effectively in both individual and team-based situations.
    7 An ability to work independently and cooperatively in an organised, self-directed and collaborative mannner in small group discussions and professional contexts.
    8 An awareness of ethical, social and cultural implications of early modern European art and visual culture within the global context of museums and galleries.
    9 Commitment to lifelong learning and curiosity about art and visual culture.
    10 Commitment to the highest, internationally recognised standards of academic conduct, intellectual rigour, honesty and respect in the discipline of art history and beyond.
    University Graduate Attributes

    No information currently available.

  • Learning Resources
    Required Resources
    Course Reader
    A Course Reader, containing the texts that need to be read prior to each tutorial discussion, will be available for purchase online. Login to Unified and click on the Online Shop icon in the left hand side of the Home page.

    Prescribed text
    The following book can be purchased at the Art Gallery of South Australia shop:
    http://www.artgallery.sa.gov.au/agsa/home/Shop/Bookshop.html

    West, Shearer. Portraiture. Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2004.

    Recommended Resources
    All recommended resources for the course will be listed on MyUni.

    Online Learning
    The course is conducted externally in online mode via the course website on MyUni and using Blackboard Collaborate for virtual tutorials and consultation appointments. Participation in the weekly virtual tutorials requires use of a headset.

    It is compulsory for students to regularly consult MyUni for announcements, lecture recordings and images (powerpoint slides), and additional resources. Students must also submit general questions about the course using the Discussion Board on MyUni (the course coordinator will only respond to emails concerning personal queries such as appointments and extensions).

    The University has access to a number of academic journals that have full text articles available online. To locate articles in these journals go to the Databases tab on the Barr Smith Library home page and click on Art History.

    The following image databases should be used to search and study works of art required for assessment tasks: The Google Art Project, Artstor, World Gallery of Art (WGA), museum and gallery websites.

  • Learning & Teaching Activities
    Learning & Teaching Modes
    The course consists of a weekly lecture recording (or pre-recorded lecture as advised in the course handbook) and one synchronous
    virtual tutorial online per week over 12 weeks. Four of the virtual tutorials will be devoted to the portrait collection in the Art Gallery of South Australia.

    Lectures provide a broad chronological and thematic survey of the course as well as context for the case-studies in the virtual tutorials and requirements for the assessment tasks.

    Tutorials concentrate on the examination of a specific topic related to the weekly readings.

    Students must take turns (once during semester) to deliver a short presentation that explores the significance of the tutorial topic.

    The course is supplemented with a range of online enrichment including pre-recorded video clips of gallery sessions, activities using Articulate Storyline, and other resources.

     

    Workload

    The information below is provided as a guide to assist students in engaging appropriately with the course requirements.

    1 x 1.5-hour online lecture (or equivalent) per week 18 hours per semester
    1 x 1.5-hour online tutorial (or equivalent) per week 18 hours per semester
    4 x 2 hour virtual gallery sessions 8 hours per semester
    10 hours reading per week 120 hours  per semester
    7 hours research per week 84 hours per semester
    4 hours assignment preparation per week 48 hours per semester
    4 hours online learning activities 16 hours per semester
    TOTAL WORKLOAD 312 hours per semester
    Learning Activities Summary
    The course follows a chronological and thematic framework to explore the origins, functions and evolution of portraiture from the Renaissance to Romanticism. While the lectures approach the topic from a broad perspective and examine issues and ideas related to the making and meaning of portraits within the complex web between the artist, patron/sitter/ and viewer, the tutorials focus on case studies that are unsolved or invite debate in the art historical discourse on portraiture. The assessment tasks are designed to extend the course beyond the classroom into additional areas of relevant scholarship.

    Specific Course Requirements
    Students must purchase the course reader and prescribed text, and are expected to use or purchase a headset to participate in the weekly online virtual tutorials on Blackboard Collaborate.

    Small Group Discovery Experience
    The course is rich in small group discovery experiences with the online synchronous virtual tutorials enabling students to actively engage in small group discussions and problem-solving activities with each other and the course coordinator.  

  • Assessment

    The University's policy on Assessment for Coursework Programs is based on the following four principles:

    1. Assessment must encourage and reinforce learning.
    2. Assessment must enable robust and fair judgements about student performance.
    3. Assessment practices must be fair and equitable to students and give them the opportunity to demonstrate what they have learned.
    4. Assessment must maintain academic standards.

    Assessment Summary
    Assessment Task Task Type Weighting Learning Outcome
    Tutorial presentation
    (15 mins)
    Formative and Summative 5% 1, 7, 8
    Tutorial poster (700 words) Formative and Summative 5% 1, 6, 8
    Comparative visual analysis Summative 35% 1, 2, 3, 7, 8, 9
    Research essay proposal (800 words) Formative and Summative 10% 4, 6, 7
    Research essay (3,000 words) Summative  45% 1-10
    Online activities Formative 0% 1, 2, 3, 9
    Assessment Related Requirements
    Participation in the online tutorials is a compulsory component of the course. Students must attend at least 80% of classes to pass the course (unless a medical certificate is provided). Please inform the course coordinator if you are unable to attend.

    All assessment tasks must be submitted within two weeks of the due date. Assignments submitted after this are subject to be marked either at a pass or fail grade, unless students have been granted a formal extension.

    Assessment Detail
    Tutorial presentation
    All students are required to deliver a15-minute individual presentation (using powerpoint slides or other supporting technology as
    appropriate) once during semester based on one of the weekly tutorial case studies with the object of stimulating small-group discussion.

    Tutorial poster
    A 1-page A-4 poster with text and image/s summarising the tutorial topic is to be submitted one week after the presentation.

    Comparative visual analysis
    Students are required to select two early modern European portraits dated between 1400-1830. At least one of the portraits must either be on display or visible using the Google Art Project from within the Melrose Wing of the Art Gallery of South Australia. The objective is to write a clear and concise visual analysis that compares and contrasts the composition, style and iconography (formal visual and material qualities) of the portraits within a cohesive and engaging discussion.

    Research essay proposal
    Students are required to complete basic research tasks for a negotiated research essay question on a topic relevant to the course (subject to approval from the course coordinator). The proposal should include a basic rationale for the essay question, sample portraits as visual evidence, and a starter bibliography listing 5-8 academic sources (books and journal articles).

    Research essay
    Students are required to write a research essay based on a clearly defined question relevant to a topic covered in the course demonstrating skills in evaluating and synthesising scholarly perspectives in order to formulate an informed and independent discussion that conveys a persuasive argument and conclusions. It is expected that the research essay will also actively
    integrate analysis of visual evidence.
    Submission
    Written assignments must be submitted electronically via Turnitin on MyUni by midnight of the due date - this is a one-step process. Please keep note of submission receipts for both as proof of submission.

    Students must also keep an electronic copy of all work submitted.

    Extensions
    Extensions will be granted on the grounds of hardship or illness. Students must apply through the official procedure
    (http://www.adelaide.edu.au/student/exams/mod_arrange.html) unless:

    1. the extension required is two days or less;
    2. the assessment is worth 20% or less;
    3. the student is registered with the Disability Office and has a Disability Access Plan.

    Students who submit an essay late, without having gained an extension, will be liable to a penalty of 2 marks per day that the essay is overdue, including weekends, for a maximum of two weeks. Unless special arrangements have been made, essays more than two weeks late, may not be accepted, and will automatically be eligible for a pass or fail grade only.

     

    Course Grading

    Grades for your performance in this course will be awarded in accordance with the following scheme:

    M10 (Coursework Mark Scheme)
    Grade Mark Description
    FNS   Fail No Submission
    F 1-49 Fail
    P 50-64 Pass
    C 65-74 Credit
    D 75-84 Distinction
    HD 85-100 High Distinction
    CN   Continuing
    NFE   No Formal Examination
    RP   Result Pending

    Further details of the grades/results can be obtained from Examinations.

    Grade Descriptors are available which provide a general guide to the standard of work that is expected at each grade level. More information at Assessment for Coursework Programs.

    Final results for this course will be made available through Access Adelaide.

  • Student Feedback

    The University places a high priority on approaches to learning and teaching that enhance the student experience. Feedback is sought from students in a variety of ways including on-going engagement with staff, the use of online discussion boards and the use of Student Experience of Learning and Teaching (SELT) surveys as well as GOS surveys and Program reviews.

    SELTs are an important source of information to inform individual teaching practice, decisions about teaching duties, and course and program curriculum design. They enable the University to assess how effectively its learning environments and teaching practices facilitate student engagement and learning outcomes. Under the current SELT Policy (http://www.adelaide.edu.au/policies/101/) course SELTs are mandated and must be conducted at the conclusion of each term/semester/trimester for every course offering. Feedback on issues raised through course SELT surveys is made available to enrolled students through various resources (e.g. MyUni). In addition aggregated course SELT data is available.

  • Student Support
  • Policies & Guidelines
  • Fraud Awareness

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