Art History and Visual Culture BA

This module introduces students to the discipline of history of art as a way of studying history. It explores global histories of modernity from the fifteenth century to the contemporary era through works of art, architecture and visual culture. These may include histories of colonialism, conflict, environmentalism, geopolitics, global trade, industrialisation, labour, migration, persecution, power, protest, religion, science, social justice, technology, and travel.

Spanning a period of over five centuries, these changing histories will in turn illuminate developments in the history of art. Classes will consider how these histories intersect with art, architecture and visual culture by examining the form, content and materials of artworks, buildings and objects, as well as the contexts in which they were produced and displayed.

By examining how artworks, buildings and objects have mediated and shaped global histories, this module asks how studying works of art, architecture and visual culture can deepen our understanding of historical events and help us to navigate our contemporary world. 

Throughout your degree you will undertake a number of studio project modules which will help you recognise your status as a trainee researcher and allow you to develop vital skills in ethical academic study and research. In this first module, you will gain the skills you need for transitioning to university-level study. 
 

You will gain a sense of the importance of your chosen discipline, helping you understand appropriate choices for secondary sources for your essays and other coursework. By the end of this module, you will be better prepared to transition from mere consumers of knowledge to producers as you progress to 1B.

This module builds on the skills introduced in 1A with a greater emphasis on applying and practicing these skills through a small group project on the theme of ‘cultures of everyday life’.

You will be introduced to a range of theories, approaches and techniques for understanding the dense fabric of our own lives and lived experiences, including aspects which often go unquestioned and taken for granted.

You will be able to draw on your own observations and explore your own interests across the discipline, whilst at the same time gaining a solid foundation in research methodology in preparation for the next stage of the Studio Project in year 2.

This module introduces you to methods for and critical debate about the analysis of visual, auditory, audio-visual, and textual representation across media, art and screen cultures.

You will explore misrepresentation, narrative, and persuasive forms of content and storytelling.

You will be introduced to a range of analytical skills and terminology to aid your understanding of the ways in which meaning is produced in different contexts and the instability of a single reading.

This module is worth 20 credits.

How is media produced and distributed? What enables and constrains an individual’s agency during the processes of labour and production?

In this module you will explore the production, distribution, and exhibition of media, art, screen, and creative texts.

You will examine the political economy of the media and cultural and creative industries, in terms of access, ownership and power.

You will explore established hierarchies and practices of institutions, markets, and organisations, as well as the tensions between individual norms, values and experiences, and those structure in which creative labour takes place.

Through this module you will gain an understanding of the role of power and social inequality in media, creative and cultural labour, and will be given an introduction to the practical workings of these sectors.

This module is worth 20 credits.

We live in culture and we communicate with each other every day, online and offline. What is communication? How is it shaped by culture? 
 

In this module you will explore the productive, ownership, circulation and consumption of media, art and screen culture beyond White, Anglophone and Western contexts. 
 

You will look at how cultures intersect and explore the ways in which these intersections can help us understand the nature of national, regional, and global media and industries. 
 

Through this module you will gain an understanding of the mobile and changeable nature of culture in a globalised world and become familiar with the ways in which cultural contexts influence media institutions. 
 

This module is worth 20 credits.

In this module, you'll dive into the history, context, and importance of sustainability. We'll help you understand how the arts and humanities uniquely contribute to the global conversation about sustainability and our response to the climate crisis. Together, we'll study how communities from different times and places have managed to live in harmony with nature. You'll also learn about their challenges and how human activities have shaped the world and brought us to the Anthropocene era.

This module provides a broad perspective on sustainability and offers insight into how people around the world adapt to their environments. Get ready to explore the complex world of sustainability and what it means for our future and the planet.

See article: Shaping a sustainable future in the screen industries.

In this module, you'll discover how the Faculty of Arts conducts research to tackle the climate crisis and promote sustainable living. We'll approach sustainability from a unique angle, considering both human and non-human perspectives and experiences. Through literature, art, music, history, philosophy, and languages, we'll tackle fundamental questions; how can we protect and preserve our world? We'll explore diverse approaches and sources to uncover how the arts and humanities provide answers to the sustainability challenge.

This module covers different perspectives on living sustainably in a time of environmental crisis. It's your opportunity to understand and make a difference in our world.

See article: Shaping a sustainable future in the screen industries.

How can the arts help us think about health and cope with illness?  What can the arts contribute to healthcare practice and policy?

You will explore big questions like these, looking at how the arts can engage with the crucial issues in health today and build a better vision of health for the future.

We will cover major themes including:

• Representing health - look critically at representations of good and poor health, found in politics, religion, art, film, literature, and philosophy.
• Mental health - explore what mental health is, and how it differs from physical health. You’ll look critically at themes such as the marketisation of mental health, the history of mental health institutions, and the ethics of psychiatry.
• Communicating health - how health is communicated in personal, public, and professional settings. We’ll explore questions such as why it is so important that patient voices are heard in communicating about health.
• Health inequalities - look critically at striking inequalities in health, including patterns of gender, race, class, sexuality and economic differences in health and access to healthcare.

From treatment, information, care, and outreach, understanding the health humanities provides career opportunities for the next century.

This module is worth 10 credits.

We live in a data-driven society. Information is used for everything from predicting our shopping habits, to understanding global weather patterns, and has radically changed our world.

From the development of Artificial Intelligence to robotics and the use of ‘big data’, the capture and use of information is essential in modern society. To make sure these developments help solve problems, and are not used for harm, we need the arts and humanities to set boundaries and ask questions.

You will:

• Explore topics such as privacy, surveillance, power and representation
• Learn how modern technology can replicate historical biases and ignore contemporary struggles
• Gain the background and context to contemporary issues on data and society
• Question the limits we place on technology in our world
• Explore how the arts and humanities shape, direct and protect against the way data is used

This module is worth 10 credits.

The digitisation of records and texts has revolutionised academic study. The ability to efficiently and confidently use data is a valuable skill for both your course and future career.

On this module, you will:

• Learn the basics of data and ‘text mining’ (using search terms to explore large amounts of information)
• Develop your skills and apply them to case studies
• See how your work can highlight issues and solve problems
• Understand how data analysis allows us to create narratives that inspire and drive change

We will use examples and case studies from across the faculty, where data and text analysis have been used by arts and humanities researchers within their work.

This module is worth 10 credits.

Learn the basics of creating and editing audio and visual material.

From podcasting, photo editing, photography, video editing and sound editing, you can work on how your digital skills can be used to communicate and inspire.

You will be guided through a series of tutorials and examples where you can develop your skills and produce your own content.

This work will be developed through examples and case studies from across the faculty, where audio and visual materials have been used by researchers within their work.

Examples include:

• Virtual reality renditions of historical photographs
•  Immersive museum experiences
• Audio installations to share stories about migration and sustainability
• Interactive events to inspire young people about languages and cultures past and present

This module is worth 10 credits.

Epidemics and infectious illnesses have shaped our world. Most recently, the Coronavirus pandemic dramatically changed the way we work and socialise, with lasting effect.

We will explore the past and present of infectious disease, including how cultures, religions, literature and art have been shaped by the interaction between humans and disease.

You will learn about:

• The variety of human responses to sickness
• How ideas about illness are expressed across the world
• Drug resistant bacteria and mutations of viruses
• How the arts help societies to process the impact of disease - it is often through music, literature, philosophy and media that suffering is expressed and issues raised

This module is worth 10 credits.

Our digital revolution has been led by the arts and humanities.

From mobile apps to learn languages, to video tutorials on how to play an instrument, the use of digital platforms has transformed our disciplines.

In an age defined by ecological issues, technological change and political upheaval across the world, it is the arts and humanities which provide vital links between the past, present and future. It is now more important than ever that we connect communities, challenge structures of power and address inequality.

You will examine how the digital arts changed the world, using examples from a range of mediums from across the globe. This could be a community walking app, that has brought hidden histories to light, a crowd-sourced projects that have given a platform to new voices, or social media forums that link music, philosophy and literature to contemporary debates.

This module is worth 10 credits.

We are in a state of climate emergency. Sustainability and climate change is on both political and personal agendas like never before.

On this module, you will:

• Examine the idea of ‘sustainability’ - looking at the social, cultural, political, economic and environmental challenges that sustainability aims to address
• Link issues of climate change, and our responses to them, to shifting ideas about nature and its distinctness from culture, the scientific and industrial revolutions, and the emergence of the Western world
• Examine Western culture’s way of defining the ‘environment’ and our relationship with nature
• Look at the diverse ways in which different cultures imagine nature

The arts and humanities do not offer quick fixes to our problems, but ways of thinking that can change the world. We do this through understanding context, process and change.

We show how the arts and humanities sheds light on the history of the present and directs us towards the future.

This module is worth 10 credits.

Explore how the arts and humanities contribute to sustainability.

From stories, to images and representation, the ways we understand the world also shape how we understand sustainability.

With a focus on globalisation, and the accelerating pace of climate change in the 20^th and 21^st centuries, we will think about the problems raised by the climate crisis. 

You will:

• Learn about debates around the Anthropocene, the era of humanity’s marked impact on the environment
• Examine the controversies and disputes that have emerged about our relationship with nature
• Explore how we can tell stories about climate change – for example through the literature and music of marginalised groups across the world, who feel the impact of climate change first

By considering how everyday life choices are linked to the environment, the module offers an imaginative way to explore the challenges of sustainable living.  You will gain the tools to challenge opinion and identify how local ideas can offer a solution to global problems.

This module is worth 10 credits.

From filters to fake news, we are exposed to a huge amount of information in our day-to-day lives.

Whether through advertising, promotion, policies or the media, the (mis)information we are exposed to is intended to influence us, change our minds, or maybe even censor and withhold information about important issues.

To challenge this, we need to think critically about data. This module will give you the skills to do just that.

You’ll gain the critical skills to observe, question, and act when the facts do not support what’s being represented. We will also introduce approaches you can use to question visual, textual, quantitative and qualitative information. This could include:

• Causality
• Statistics
• Bias
• Content analysis
• Language

Critical analysis is an important skill, not only so we can preserve our freedoms and protect from harm caused by misinformation, but in the workplace too. The ability to make judgements that are based on logic is a key transferable skill.

This module is worth 10 credits.

Writing inspires change. From the academic textbook that demonstrates a new concept, to a blog post that influences habits, writing can change the world.

On this module, you will learn to think critically about yourself and society, through reflecting on how you write.

Writing lets us occupy different spaces and identities. You can write to develop your sense of self, to enlighten others, or to build connections. Writing skills are more than just how to write an academic essay. Writing can give you an insight into who you are, your values and future direction.

During your studies, you will use writing to develop analytical approaches which can enhance your work and prepare you for your future career. Focusing on the diversity of experiences and backgrounds, interests and motivations, we show how meaningful writing can lead, inspire and transform. 

This module is worth 10 credits.