Programme Specification for the 2019/0 academic year
BA (Hons) Art History and Visual Culture with Study Abroad
1. Programme Details
| Programme name | BA (Hons) Art History and Visual Culture with Study Abroad | Programme code | UFA4HPSVCU02 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Study mode(s) | Part Time Full Time |
Academic year | 2019/0 |
| Campus(es) | Streatham (Exeter) |
NQF Level of the Final Award | 6 (Honours) |
2. Description of the Programme
This programme will give you a thorough grounding in the main themes and methods of Art History & Visual Culture. It will be of particular interest if your background or interests are in the history of art, creative practice, cinema, cultural history, philosophy, sociology, literature or modern languages, and it draws upon interdisciplinary research in visuality across these areas. While there is no absolute distinction between the two disciplines informing this programme, both in terms of what is studied and what kinds of analysis are used, there are some differences in methodologies, priorities and protocols. Broadly speaking, Art History is traditionally associated with the study of the fine arts (painting, sculpture, print-making, architecture etc.) and with so-called ‘high’ culture; Visual Culture concerns itself with artefacts and practices not routinely included in art historical research, including photographic and digital works, popular and ephemeral items associated with so-called 'low' culture, the visual 'crystallisation' of discursive knowledge (e.g. the role of the visual in scientific contexts); and other aspects of the visually-dominated world in which we live. Today, however, these established distinctions are breaking down; this programme has been devised to offer students the opportunity to engage with Art History and Visual Culture as a field of study where the disciplines are in dialogue with one another.
Through the programme, you will learn how to interpret works of art (including architecture and design) as well as images, objects and practices associated with Visual Culture. You will explore the media, techniques, and historical contexts relevant to the production of these works, the terminology used to describe and evaluate them and the institutions that present them to the public. You will be able to follow your interests through a wide range of optional modules: you can choose to study art and material culture in ancient societies; look in detail at the way art museums work; or focus on works of art and/or other visual artefacts within a specific society or time period right up to the present day. Modules are designed to provide you with a sense of the range and variety of visual works, and to encourage you to engage critically with these works. The University’s art collections and the Bill Douglas Cinema Museum provide valuable resources on campus. In the city, we work closely with the Royal Albert Memorial Museum, one of the most important regional museums in the UK, and with Spacex, recognised by Arts Council England as one of the UK’s leading international contemporary art spaces. As a whole, Art History and Visual Culture offers you a coherent programme of study, balancing core elements with a choice of specialist topics to suit your individual aspirations and requirements.
This programme is studied over four years. The first two years and the final year are university-based, and the third year is spent at a university abroad on an approved programme of study.
Advice and guidance on your programme can be sought from your personal tutor and programme director. All staff offer regular office hours that you can drop into without a prior appointment for this purpose.
3. Educational Aims of the Programme
This programme aims to:
- Develop your competence in the subject specific and research skills required in both Art History and Visual Culture, through extended engagement with visual objects, primary texts and sources, relevant critical material, and both theoretical and historical contexts.
- Give you a thorough grounding in the core principles of Art History and Visual Culture, through a programme which engages you imaginatively in the process of understanding and analyzing complex visual objects, and which encourages you to acquire the critical tools necessary to reflect upon their production and reception. Art History and Visual Culture will involve you in learning with broad historical coverage, content, and methodology: throughout the programme, you will study a wide range of painting, sculpture, architecture illustration, film, video, performance and digital arts
- Provide you with a basis for career progression in the academic and professional worlds by equipping you with advanced competence in core academic, personal and key skills,. You will be exposed to a variety of teaching and assessment methods within appropriate learning environments, supported by feedback and monitoring. You will also be given an opportunity to develop your independent study skills through a piece of individual research, and to develop your professional skills through engagement with galleries, museums and the University’s own art and heritage collections.
The programme provides an intellectually stimulating, satisfying experience of learning and studying, and forms a sound basis for further study in Art History and Visual Culture or related disciplines. It aims to develop a range of subject specific, academic and transferable skills, including high order conceptual literacy and communication skills of value in graduate employment. Art History and Visual Culture, like other programmes offered within the College of Humanities, encourages you to become a global citizen, a productive, useful and questioning member of society, and provides thorough training for further study or a specialist career. You may utilise the skills you develop in a range of sectors, including Heritage Management, Museums and Galleries, Arts Administration, Consultancy, Market Research, the Civil Service, Education, Teaching, New media industries, Journalism and publishing, Research, Charities, Information Science, Advertising and Public Relations.
4. Programme Structure
The BA Art History & Visual Culture with Study Abroad is a four-year full-time programme of study at National Qualification Framework (NQF) level 6 (as confirmed against the FHEQ). The programme can also be studied part time in up to seven years. This programme is divided into four stages. Each stage is normally equivalent to an academic year.
5. Programme Modules
The following tables describe the programme and constituent modules. Constituent modules may be updated, deleted or replaced as a consequence of the annual programme review of this programme.
http://intranet.exeter.ac.uk/humanities/studying/undergraduates/
You may take optional modules as long as any necessary prerequisites have been satisfied, where the timetable allows and if you have not already taken the module in question or an equivalent module.
You may take elective modules up to 30 credits outside of the programme in any stage of the programme as long as any necessary prerequisites have been satisfied, where the timetable allows and if you have not already taken the module in question or an equivalent module.
Stage 1
90 credits of compulsory modules, 30 credits of optional modules
Compulsory Modules
| Code | Module | Credits | Non-condonable? |
|---|---|---|---|
| AHV1001 | Introducing Visual Culture | 30 | No |
| AHV1002 | Introduction to the History of Art | 30 | No |
| AHV1005 | Inside the Museum | 15 | No |
| AHV1006 | Visual Media | 15 | No |
Optional Modules
| Code | Module | Credits | Non-condonable? |
|---|---|---|---|
| AHV S1 BA SH opt 2019-0 | |||
| AHV1008 | Topics in Art History and Visual Culture I | 15 | No |
| AHV1009 | Topics in Art History and Visual Culture II | 15 | No |
| MLF1121 | French Visual History | 15 | No |
Stage 2
60 credits of compulsory modules, 60 credits of optional modules
Compulsory Modules
| Code | Module | Credits | Non-condonable? |
|---|---|---|---|
| AHV2002 | Debates and Contestations in Art History | 15 | No |
| AHV2005 | Art History and Visual Culture Field Study | 30 | No |
| AHV2007 | Contemporary Visual Practices | 15 | No |
Optional Modules
| Code | Module | Credits | Non-condonable? |
|---|---|---|---|
| AHV S2 BA SH opt 2019-0 | |||
| AHV2009 | The New York Avant-Garde 1955-1980 | 30 | No |
| AHV2011 | Global Art and Empire, 1850-1950 | 15 | No |
| AHV2012 | Revolutions: Art and Society in France, 1770-1848 | 30 | No |
| AHV2013 | Photography and Evidence | 15 | No |
| AHV2208 | Ideal Cities? Urban Cultures of Renaissance Italy | 15 | No |
| CLA2351 | Ancient Sources (Material Evidence): Greek Temples | 15 | No |
| MLF2066 | Intimate Spaces of the French Enlightenment | 15 | No |
| MLM2011 | Encounters and Entanglements: Chinese Art in Global Perspective | 15 | No |
| THE2025 | Art in Syria and the Holy Land at the Time of the Crusades | 30 | No |
| HUM HUM2000-HUM2001 | |||
| HUM2000 | Humanities in the Workplace | 30 | No |
| HUM2001 | Humanities in the Workplace | 15 | No |
Stage 3
Compulsory Modules
120 credits of compulsory modules
For your year abroad you will agree a suite of modules in your host institution with the College Study Abroad Coordinator. Details of individual modules that may be taken whilst abroad can be found by accessing the partner institution’s factfile at http://www.exeter.ac.uk/international/abroad/where/ and navigating to the “Course Requirements” section of that factfile where a link to the modules on offer in the partner institution is displayed.
| Code | Module | Credits | Non-condonable? |
|---|---|---|---|
| HUM3999 | Year Abroad | 120 | Yes |
Stage 4
30 credits of compulsory Dissertation, 90 credits of optional modules
Compulsory Modules
| Code | Module | Credits | Non-condonable? |
|---|---|---|---|
| AHV3000 | Art History and Visual Culture Dissertation | 30 | Yes |
Optional Modules
| Code | Module | Credits | Non-condonable? |
|---|---|---|---|
| AHV SF BA SH opt 2019-0 | |||
| AHV3002 | Understanding Space in Renaissance Italy | 15 | No |
| AHV3003 | The Face | 15 | No |
| AHV3007 | Global Modernisms | 15 | No |
| AHV3008 | Performance Art | 15 | No |
| AHV3009 | Paris to the World: Modelling the Modern City | 15 | No |
| AHV3010 | Art, Industry and the Modern, 1840-1900 | 30 | No |
| AHV3012 | Installation Art | 15 | No |
| EAF3106 | Female Screens: Representation, Agency and Authorship | 30 | No |
| EAF3233 | Surrealism and Its Legacies | 30 | No |
| EAF3515 | Something to See: War and Visual Media | 30 | No |
| MLG3036 | Dictatorships on Display: History Exhibitions in Germany and Austria | 15 | No |
| MLM3010 | Ritual and Power: Text and Image of Chinese Landscapes | 15 | No |
| THE3025 | Art in Syria and the Holy Land at the Time of the Crusades | 30 | No |
6. Programme Outcomes Linked to Teaching, Learning and Assessment Methods
Intended Learning Outcomes
A: Specialised Subject Skills and Knowledge
| Intended Learning Outcomes (ILOs) On successfully completing this programme you will be able to: | Intended Learning Outcomes (ILOs) will be... | |
|---|---|---|
| ...accommodated and facilitated by the following learning and teaching activities (in/out of class): | ...and evidenced by the following assessment methods: | |
1. Identify Art History and Visual Culture as broad subject disciplines | ILO’s 1-7 are acquired through lectures, seminars, workshops, study groups, tutorials and other learning activities throughout the programme. The degree of specialisation of subject knowledge increases during the programme, culminating in the dissertation modules. Option modules at stage 3 are most closely related to the research specialism of the staff teaching the module. The precise method of teaching varies according to each module. On team-taught modules you will normally engage in both lectures and seminar groups. In smaller options you will normally spend most of your contact time in seminar groups and workshops. Your learning is further developed through engagement with assessments, following guidance from tutors and lecturers and through feedback on work submitted. ILO’s 2, 3, 5 and 7 are specifically introduced in the Stage 1 modules ‘Introduction to the History of Art’ and ‘Introducing Visual Culture’ and reinforced in the range of option modules available at Stages 2, and 3. A4 and A6 are specifically introduced in the Stage 1 modules ‘Visual Media’, and ‘Inside the Art Museum’ and similarly reinforced through option modules available at Stages 2 and 3. | The assessment of these skills is through a combination of presentations and participation in seminars, log-books, web-based assessments, essays, other written reports/projects, and a dissertation. Essays and presentations are especially significant within the programme because they assess each of the skills, ILO’s1-7. The assessment criteria explicitly recognise the skills outlined. |
Intended Learning Outcomes
B: Academic Discipline Core Skills and Knowledge
| Intended Learning Outcomes (ILOs) On successfully completing this programme you will be able to: | Intended Learning Outcomes (ILOs) will be... | |
|---|---|---|
| ...accommodated and facilitated by the following learning and teaching activities (in/out of class): | ...and evidenced by the following assessment methods: | |
8. Apply critical skills in the close description and analysis of visual artefacts | These skills are developed throughout the programme in all modules. They are developed through lectures and seminars, written work, and oral work (both in presentation and seminar discussion), and reinforced through the range of option modules across all three stages. They will culminate in the substantial and independent research skills demonstrated within the dissertation. Outcomes 8 and 11, will be specifically introduced in the core module ‘Debates and Contestations in Art History’ and ‘Contemporary Visual Practices.’ 9-10, 12-14 are specifically introduced in the core modules, ‘Introduction to the History of Art’ and ‘Introducing Visual Culture’. These modules ensure that you have a firm grasp of the range of academic skills that are required of you during the programme. | The assessment of these skills is through a combination of presentations and participation in seminars, log-books, web-based assessments, essays, other written reports/projects, and a dissertation. |
Intended Learning Outcomes
C: Personal/Transferable/Employment Skills and Knowledge
| Intended Learning Outcomes (ILOs) On successfully completing this programme you will be able to: | Intended Learning Outcomes (ILOs) will be... | |
|---|---|---|
| ...accommodated and facilitated by the following learning and teaching activities (in/out of class): | ...and evidenced by the following assessment methods: | |
11. Adapt and transfer the critical methods of the discipline into unfamiliar contexts, including a variety of working environments. | Personal and key skills are delivered through all modules, and developed in lectures, workshops, study groups, tutorials, work experience and other learning activities throughout the programme. | The assessment of these skills is through a combination of presentations and participation in seminars, log-books, web-based assessments, essays, other written reports/projects, and a dissertation. Outcomes 15-20 are also strongly developed in the course of the portfolio of assessed essays and other written work produced through Stages 1, 2, and 3. These assessments work on the principle of offering formative feedback to support the development of your written work within as well as between modules. Feedback on one assignment is intended to inform the next piece of work you undertake on the module; the next piece of work on the programme, or the future learning of graduates. Outcome 21 is associated especially with the range of group presentations taking place in modules during all three levels. Group presentation assessment brings into focus an important range of skills for students, including sharing workloads, responsibility for tasks, team-working, collaborative and communicative skills. Individual contributions to group work are also assessed individually, most often in the form of a reflective presentation report. 22-24 are also accomplished in the course of ‘real-time’ formal assessments such as presentations, which occur through the programme. |
7. Programme Regulations
Programme-specific Progression Rules
To progress to Stage 2 you must also achieve an average mark of at least 60% in Stage 1, otherwise you will be required to transfer to the relevant three-year programme. This is to ensure that only those students who are likely to succeed in their Year Abroad are selected.
The Year Abroad counts as a single 120-credit module and is not condonable; you must pass this module to graduate with the degree title of BA Art History & Visual Culture with Study Abroad. If you fail the Year Abroad module your degree title will be commuted to BA Art History & Visual Culture. You will be assessed by your host university during your academic year abroad with their grades converted back to Exeter grades to contribute towards your degree classification. The rules governing failure and referral will be determined by the host institution.
Classification
Full details of assessment regulations for all taught programmes can be found in the TQA Manual, specifically in the Credit and Qualifications Framework, and the Assessment, Progression and Awarding: Taught Programmes Handbook. Additional information, including Generic Marking Criteria, can be found in the Learning and Teaching Support Handbook.
8. College Support for Students and Students' Learning
All students within Art History & Visual Culture have a personal tutor for their entire programme of study and who are available at advertised ‘office hours’. There are induction sessions to orientate you at the start of your programme. A personal tutoring system will operate with regular communication throughout the programme. Academic support will be also be provided by module leaders. You can also make an appointment to see individual teaching staff.
9. University Support for Students and Students' Learning
Please refer to the University Academic Policy and Standards guidelines regarding support for students and students' learning.
10. Admissions Criteria
Undergraduate applicants must satisfy the Undergraduate Admissions Policy of the University of Exeter.
Postgraduate applicants must satisfy the Postgraduate Admissions Policy of the University of Exeter.
Specific requirements required to enrol on this programme are available at the respective Undergraduate or Postgraduate Study Site webpages.
11. Regulation of Assessment and Academic Standards
Each academic programme in the University is subject to an agreed College assessment and marking strategy, underpinned by institution-wide assessment procedures.
The security of assessment and academic standards is further supported through the appointment of External Examiners for each programme. External Examiners have access to draft papers, course work and examination scripts. They are required to attend the Board of Examiners and to provide an annual report. Annual External Examiner reports are monitored at both College and University level. Their responsibilities are described in the University's code of practice. See the University's TQA Manual for details.
(http://as.exeter.ac.uk/support/admin/staff/qualityassuranceandmonitoring/tqamanual/fullcontents/)
12. Indicators of Quality and Standards
The programme is not subject to accreditation and/ or review by professional and statutory regulatory bodies (PSRBs).
13. Methods for Evaluating and Improving Quality and Standards
The University and its constituent Colleges review the quality and standard of teaching and learning in all taught programmes against a range of criteria through the procedures outlined in the Teaching Quality Assurance (TQA) Manual Quality Review Framework.
14. Awarding Institution
University of Exeter
15. Lead College / Teaching Institution
Faculty of Humanities, Arts and Social Sciences (HASS)
16. Partner College / Institution
Partner College(s)
Not applicable to this programme
Partner Institution
Not applicable to this programme.
17. Programme Accredited / Validated by
0
18. Final Award
BA (Hons) Art History and Visual Culture with Study Abroad
19. UCAS Code
VW32
20. NQF Level of Final Award
6 (Honours)
21. Credit
| CATS credits | ECTS credits |
|---|
22. QAA Subject Benchmarking Group
[Honours] History of art, architecture and design
23. Dates
| Origin Date | 06/11/2012 |
Date of last revision | 01/04/2019 |
|---|


