ARTH 7001 - Introduction to Art History and Visual Culture

North Terrace Campus - Semester 1 - 2020

This core course introduces key concepts and principal methods and theories in the history of art used for the study of Italian Renaissance art and Contemporary art today. Topics to be considered include the changing definition of art, works of art as material objects, works of art in social, cultural, and political contexts, and display practices of museum and galleries. The course will not only enhance your enjoyment and understanding of art and visual culture for pleasure, but also develop foundation skills in writing and researching art history.

  • General Course Information
    Course Details
    Course Code ARTH 7001
    Course Introduction to Art History and Visual Culture
    Coordinating Unit Art History
    Term Semester 1
    Level Postgraduate Coursework
    Location/s North Terrace Campus
    Units 6
    Contact Up to 3 hours per week
    Available for Study Abroad and Exchange N
    Restrictions Available to GCertArtHist, GDipArtHist, MA(StArtHist) & MA(CuratMuseumSt) students only
    Course Description This core course introduces key concepts and principal methods and theories in the history of art used for the study of Italian Renaissance art and Contemporary art today. Topics to be considered include the changing definition of art, works of art as material objects, works of art in social, cultural, and political contexts, and display practices of museum and galleries. The course will not only enhance your enjoyment and understanding of art and visual culture for pleasure, but also develop foundation skills in writing and researching art history.
    Course Staff

    Course Coordinator: Dr Lisa Mansfield

    Course Timetable

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

  • Learning Outcomes
    Course Learning Outcomes
    On completion of this course students will be able to:

    1 Demonstrate knowledge and understanding of major issues and ideas in Italian Renaissance and contemporary art.
    2 Analyse and interpret Italian Renaissance and contemporary images and objects. 
    3 Identify credible academic sources for evaluation and synthesis to form logical arguments.
    4 Communicate clearly and persuasively in writing and speaking.
    5 Use discipline-specific digital technologies and research tools.
    6 Work independently and cooperatively in problem solving tasks and small group discussions.
    University Graduate Attributes

    This course will provide students with an opportunity to develop the Graduate Attribute(s) specified below:

    University Graduate Attribute Course Learning Outcome(s)
    Deep discipline knowledge
    • informed and infused by cutting edge research, scaffolded throughout their program of studies
    • acquired from personal interaction with research active educators, from year 1
    • accredited or validated against national or international standards (for relevant programs)
    1, 2, 5
    Critical thinking and problem solving
    • steeped in research methods and rigor
    • based on empirical evidence and the scientific approach to knowledge development
    • demonstrated through appropriate and relevant assessment
    2, 3, 5
    Teamwork and communication skills
    • developed from, with, and via the SGDE
    • honed through assessment and practice throughout the program of studies
    • encouraged and valued in all aspects of learning
    3, 4, 6
    Career and leadership readiness
    • technology savvy
    • professional and, where relevant, fully accredited
    • forward thinking and well informed
    • tested and validated by work based experiences
    1-6
    Intercultural and ethical competency
    • adept at operating in other cultures
    • comfortable with different nationalities and social contexts
    • able to determine and contribute to desirable social outcomes
    • demonstrated by study abroad or with an understanding of indigenous knowledges
    1, 4, 6
    Self-awareness and emotional intelligence
    • a capacity for self-reflection and a willingness to engage in self-appraisal
    • open to objective and constructive feedback from supervisors and peers
    • able to negotiate difficult social situations, defuse conflict and engage positively in purposeful debate
    4, 6
  • Learning Resources
    Required Resources
    Prescribed tutorial readings (PDFs) will be available as an electronic reading list on MyUni.
    Recommended Resources
    There is no prescribed text for the course. The following books will be useful for background reading:

    Arnold, Dana. Art History: A Very Short Introduction. Oxford; New York: Oxford University Press, 2004. [BSL eBook]

    Johnson, Geraldine A. Renaissance Art: A Very Short Introduction. Oxford; New York: Oxford University Press, 2005. [BSL eBook]

    Stallabrass, Julian. Contemporary Art: A Very Short Introduction. Oxford; New York: Oxford University Press, 2006. [BSL eBook]*

    Stallabrass, Julian. Art Incorporated: The Story of Contemporary Art. Oxford; New York: Oxford University Press, 2004. [BSL eBook]*

    *Same content is covered in both books.
    Online Learning
    MyUni

    Announcements

    Discussion forum

    Lecture recordings

    Lecture and seminar image powerpoints

    Seminar questions and formative learning tasks

    Assessment task instructions

    Turnitin (assessment task submission and plagiarism tool)

    External resources (museum and gallery websites; image databases)

    BSL subject guides
  • Learning & Teaching Activities
    Learning & Teaching Modes
    Weekly lectures (1 hour) and tutorials (2 hours), including a small number of weeks conducted online with replacement structured learning activities on MyUni.
    Workload

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

    Structured Learning  Total Hours
    1 x 1-hour lecture per week 12 hours 
    1 x 2-hour tutorial per week 24 hours 
    36 hours per semester
    Self-Directed Learning Total Hours
    8 hours reading per week 96 hours 
    8 hours research per week 96 hours 
    7 hours assignment preparation per week 84 hours per semester
    276 hours per semester
    TOTAL WORKLOAD 312 HOURS PER SEMESTER
    Learning Activities Summary
    Module 1 (weeks 1-4)
    Introduction to art history and visual culture

    Module 2 (weeks 5-8)
    Introduction to Italian Renaissance art 

    Module 3 (weeks 9-12)
    Introduction to contemporary art 
    Specific Course Requirements
    Students are required to miss no more than three tutorials to pass the course (unless medical documentation or an Access Plan provided is provided to the Course Coordinator or Tutor).
  • 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 Due Weighting Learning Outcome
    Tutorial Participation Formative and Summative

    Weekly

    10%  1, 4, 5, 6
    Visual Analysis Formative and Summative During semester 25% 1, 2, 4, 5, 6
    Short essay Formative and Summative During semester 25% 3, 4, 5, 6
    Research Essay Formative and Summative After semester 40% 1-6

    Due to the current COVID-19 situation, modified arrangements have been made to assessments to facilitate remote learning and teaching. Assessment details provided here reflect recent updates.

    1. Tutorial participation - non-assessed weekly discussion on MyUni.

    Assessment Related Requirements
    Students must submit the Research Essay to pass the course. 
    Assessment Detail
    Assessment Task Description
    Tutorial  Participation Students will be expected to contribute to small group discussion and complete a variety of individual and collaborative formative (non-assessed) learning activities from pop quizzes and peer-review exercises to skills-development workshops to assist completion of the summative (assessed) assignments.
    Visual Analysis Students will be required to write a visual analysis (1,000 words) of one Italian Renaissance or one contemporary work of art from a prescribed list.
    Journal Article Review Students will be required to write a comparative critical review (1,500 words) of two peer-reviewed journal articles.
    Research Essay  Students will be required to write a research essay (3,500 words) on a prescribed question.
    Submission
    Assessment tasks must be submitted using Turnitin on MyUni by midnight of the due date. 
    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

    Students are reminded that in order to maintain the academic integrity of all programs and courses, the university has a zero-tolerance approach to students offering money or significant value goods or services to any staff member who is involved in their teaching or assessment. Students offering lecturers or tutors or professional staff anything more than a small token of appreciation is totally unacceptable, in any circumstances. Staff members are obliged to report all such incidents to their supervisor/manager, who will refer them for action under the university's student’s disciplinary procedures.

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