FA2ISAP: Situated Art Practice

Module code: FA2ISAP

Module provider: Art; School of Arts and Communication Design

Credits: 20

Level: Level 2 (Intermediate)

When you'll be taught: Semester 2

Module convenor: Dr Florian Roithmayr, email: f.roithmayr@reading.ac.uk

Pre-requisite module(s):

Co-requisite module(s):

Pre-requisite or Co-requisite module(s):

Module(s) excluded:

Placement information: NA

Academic year: 2024/5

Available to visiting students: Yes

Talis reading list: Yes

Last updated: 20 May 2024

Overview

Module aims and purpose

This module enables you to develop your critical understanding of different forms of artistic and creative practice, their frameworks and their methodologies of framing. It supports you to realise your active and responsible agency in identifying and sustaining your position as artist in shaping and being shaped by the world. 

Through an introduction to the historical and global diversity of models and approaches of art practices you will be supported to seek out the tools you need to investigate and situate your own artistic position within modern and contemporary culture from aesthetic, critical, literary, and auto-experiential perspectives. 

You will be provided with opportunities to critically reflect and analyse your own contextual or subject specific references and to consider how they bear upon the direction, production and presentation of your artwork. 

This module supports you in developing your proficiency in identifying different research methods and tools, enables your ability to make informed choices between them, and helps you to develop the skills you need to apply them appropriately and effectively. 

This will allow you to master your competence to research, situate and articulate your own interests and curiosity within a network of relevant contexts. 

The module provides you with a solid grounding to imagine your future workplace and allows you to further investigate the diversity of careers in the arts, the creative sectors as well as academia. 

Module learning outcomes

By the end of the module, it is expected that students will be able to: 

1. Share understanding of the global and historical diversity of models of artistic practice. 
2. Situate and reflect their own art practice in their various aspects in relation to other existing models of practice. 
3. Apply research methods effectively. 
4. Organise and present your material in a format appropriate to its content, observing academic convention. 

Module content

Students will typically be introduced to a wide range of historical and contemporary debates that inform the theories and practices of visual culture, and which will support them in developing a conceptual framework within which to evaluate their own role and position within the visual arts, and other forms of visual production, in contemporary society and culture.  

The module further develops competence in devising, managing, organising and completing larger-scale research projects, both practical or contextual, including developing research skills, knowledge of research methodologies, selecting appropriate methods and sources, as well as organising and presenting material and the various conventions of academic writing. It is excellent training for management and organisation, allows bridging different subjects for students on joint-programmes, and prepares the development of self-initiated, large-scale independent research projects in the subsequent year, either studio-based or dissertation projects. 

These concerns will also entail additional issues such as mapping to the workplace and acknowledging real-world experience. 

This module will situate students’ understanding of their art-practice in a global and historical context and develop an understanding of the diverse ways they contribute to an increasingly globalized world. It will greatly enhance the understanding and tools students have for developing intercultural competencies in a global context. 

Structure

Teaching and learning methods

Teaching through lectures will be further contextualized and opened up for discussions in seminars. 

Blended learning through a mix of pre-recorded content and in-person interactive seminars 

Student will be engaged in their learning through student-led presentations of short research assignments, independent-study and guided preparation for each session, including viewing pre-recorded materials and viewing and analysing artworks. Students will master visual analysis of their own work and that of others.  

Collaborative working is encouraged through the shared group feedback sessions and the student-led presentations. Alongside collaborative working individual students can with support from staff opt out of group working sessions and instead follow a path tailored to their particular learning needs. 

Assessment points, briefs and deadlines are introduced at the start of the module. 

Learning will be captured and assessed through research-journals.  

Study hours

At least 33 hours of scheduled teaching and learning activities will be delivered in person, with the remaining hours for scheduled and self-scheduled teaching and learning activities delivered either in person or online. You will receive further details about how these hours will be delivered before the start of the module.

Please note the independent study hours above are notional numbers of hours; each student will approach studying in different ways. We would advise you to reflect on your learning and the number of hours you are allocating to these tasks.

Semester 1 The hours in this column may include hours during the Christmas holiday period.

Semester 2 The hours in this column may include hours during the Easter holiday period.

Summer The hours in this column will take place during the summer holidays and may be at the start and/or end of the module.

Assessment

Requirements for a pass

Students need to achieve an overall module mark of 40% to pass this module.

Summative assessment

Penalties for late submission of summative assessment

The Support Centres will apply the following penalties for work submitted late:

Assessments with numerical marks

• where the piece of work is submitted after the original deadline (or any formally agreed extension to the deadline): 10% of the total marks available for that piece of work will be deducted from the mark for each working day (or part thereof) following the deadline up to a total of three working days;
• the mark awarded due to the imposition of the penalty shall not fall below the threshold pass mark, namely 40% in the case of modules at Levels 4-6 (i.e. undergraduate modules for Parts 1-3) and 50% in the case of Level 7 modules offered as part of an Integrated Masters or taught postgraduate degree programme;
• where the piece of work is awarded a mark below the threshold pass mark prior to any penalty being imposed, and is submitted up to three working days after the original deadline (or any formally agreed extension to the deadline), no penalty shall be imposed;
• where the piece of work is submitted more than three working days after the original deadline (or any formally agreed extension to the deadline): a mark of zero will be recorded.

Assessments marked Pass/Fail

• where the piece of work is submitted within three working days of the deadline (or any formally agreed extension of the deadline): no penalty will be applied;
• where the piece of work is submitted more than three working days after the original deadline (or any formally agreed extension of the deadline): a grade of Fail will be awarded.

The University policy statement on penalties for late submission can be found at: https://www.reading.ac.uk/cqsd/-/media/project/functions/cqsd/documents/qap/penaltiesforlatesubmission.pdf

You are strongly advised to ensure that coursework is submitted by the relevant deadline. You should note that it is advisable to submit work in an unfinished state rather than to fail to submit any work.

Formative assessment

Formative assessment is any task or activity which creates feedback (or feedforward) for you about your learning, but which does not contribute towards your overall module mark.

Peer-review, continuous verbal feedback 

Reassessment

Additional costs