Awards
Target Award
Programme Offerings
Full-Time
Educational Aims of the Course
To provide for all students a distinctive, relevant, coherent and intellectually stimulating taught programme offering an interdisciplinary, thematic and issue-based approach to the critical study of the history of art and the museum;
To develop a range of analytical and theoretical skills and approaches pertinent to the study of historical and visual material which are adaptable, flexible and transferable;
To provide students with a variety of historical and critical perspectives on the production and consumption of visual culture and facilitate maximum exchange with a range of methodologies relevant to the History of Art and to Museum Studies (which is also a considerable element of the programme e.g. 'Introduction to Museums and Galleries' module);
To foster links with local, national and international institutions of art and visual culture and to take advantage of the wealth of cultural institutions on Merseyside in order to emphasise their importance and to frame the study of the history of art;
To prepare students for possible employment in a variety of cultural industries by emphasising the importance of 'professional development' in the students' direct experience of local, national and international arts organisations (such as Guggenheim and Tate);
To give students from varied backgrounds, including traditionally under-represented groups, access to a programme that will enrich their intellectual and personal development and enhance skills that further their employment prospects and help them to contribute to society and culture;
To support students' learning through diverse teaching and assessment practices underpinned by staff development and research;
To encourage students to engage with the development of employability skills by completing Future Focus documents.
Learning Outcomes
Teaching, Learning and Assessment
Teaching is through lectures, seminars, tutorials, workshops, practical demonstrations and field visits. Learning is consolidated in the student-centred context of seminars and tutorials through close reading of text, discussion, presentation and exchange of ideas. Experiential learning is consolidated through work-related and work-based tasks and professional development. The assessment of knowledge and understanding is through formative and summative assessment. Summative assessment is through coursework (essays of various lengths, seminar presentations, project work, case studies, reflective essays and portfolios, blogs, textual analysis and dissertation). Formative assessment includes peer and self evaluated tasks. Assessment methods are specified in each module handbook and on Canvas. All learning outcomes in a module are assessed. Cognitive skills are developed through a combination of teaching methods and assessment tasks. Lectures aim to transmit ideas and information. Seminars and field visits aim to promote discussion, debate and analysis. Workshops offer practical demonstrations and foster the development of presentation skills, and tutorials and group work foster independent practice. The assessment of cognitive skills is through a combination of coursework assignments. Written coursework (on-line and hard-copy) and verbal presentations measure the students' work in terms of research, critical analysis and communication/ presentation skills.
The forms of assessment are arranged over the three years of the programme to allow students to develop independent thinking, research formulation and enhanced communication techniques. Students will learn, often through work-related and work-based learning, the professional practical skills needed to work in the museums and gallery industry and in other Art History fields. These skills include: curatorial skills; research; public presentation; archival and writing. Other, non-assessed practical skills can be acquired via uptaking of the Liverpool School of Art & Design opportunities to acquire studio skills. These skills include: photography, drawing, computer aided design, printmaking etc. Assessment of professional skills occurs usually in reflective reports following project work. Also, the outcomes of projects (as in the 'Major Project Practice') can be assessed as a physical outcome. Some formative assessment by industry professionals also occurs (as in the 'Internship & Professional Development Practice' mock interview and in 'Curating: Histories and Practices'). Subject practical skills are promoted via the co-ordination of assessment tasks across the three levels of the programme. At Level 4 teaching methods focus on the acquisition of appropriate research methodologies and analytical skills. This includes the acquisition of linguistic competence in the history of art and museology. At Level 5 the application of specialist critical and theoretical knowledge is emphasised in learning tasks. Some of these tasks are in real contexts ('Internship & Professional Development Practice'). Greater reflection is expected. At Level 6 the demonstration of those skills in a variety of real or applied contexts is facilitated via self-managed projects. The promotion of key skills is via all core modules which teach the key skills of organising research, group discussion, independent study, effective use of resources and communicating ideas in different formats. Students receive induction to the LJMU Careers Centre. IT skills and Canvas are used to support students' learning on all modules. PDP is taught in all modules and is embedded rather than attached, as for example in the 'Frameworks in Art History' 1 & 2 modules. A variety of assessment methods test students' practical skills. These include illustrated seminar presentations, preparation for coursework (including observance of submission deadlines), and individual research projects.
Programme Structure
Programme Structure Description
Structure
Approved variance from Academic Framework Regulations
Entry Requirements
Extra Entry Requirements
Is a DBS check required?
No