| Unit name | Making and Materiality: Photography |
|---|---|
| Unit code | HART10018 |
| Credit points | 20 |
| Level of study | C/4 |
| Teaching block(s) |
Teaching Block 2 (weeks 13 - 24) |
| Unit director | Dr. Ann Matchette |
| Open unit status | Not open |
| Units you must take before you take this one (pre-requisite units) |
None |
| Units you must take alongside this one (co-requisite units) |
None |
| Units you may not take alongside this one |
None |
| School/department | Department of History of Art (Historical Studies) |
| Faculty | Faculty of Arts |
Why is this unit important?
The making and materiality units will give you the opportunity to engage with the creative possibilities and challenges of particular materials and media. You will be encouraged to reflect on your own experience of making and apply this to art historical contexts. These units will approach visual and material culture from a decolonised perspective without privileging western traditions. We will also explore the ethical dimensions of materials and processes of making.
Photography has had an interesting relationship with art history. From the earliest experiments with the medium in the nineteenth century to the present day, the photographic image has offered endless creative opportunities for artists. Yet photographs are also the most widely encountered images, particularly in the digital age, with the ability to capture moments that are spectacular and mundane across the globe. We will explore the photograph as fine art as well as documentary image, questioning how its varied forms of representation have contributed to constructions of identity and has also offered a powerful means to challenge those constructions.
How does this unit fits into your programme of study?
Making is at the heart of art and visual culture. Focusing on materials and making processes complements other first year units. It provides a key foundation for thematic units later in the degree programme. It also prepares the way for addressing theories and issues of materiality in theoretical and curatorial units.
An overview of content
You will explore the practice of photography, from the first heliograph in the nineteenth century to its many forms in the present. You will be introduced to current critical debates in the study of photography as a form of visual culture, through a wide geographic and temporal lens. You will consider the status of the photograph as fine art and documentary image, interrogate the relationship between reproduction and original, and explore the myriad ways that photographs were encountered and viewed in the past through to their evolution in the digital age.
How will students, personally, be different as a result of the unit
Through taking this unit you will discover the crucial role photography has played in global visual cultures since the nineteenth century. You will have learnt to identify and question conventional art historical narratives and divisions between fine and applied art..
Learning Outcomes
On successful completion of this unit, you will be able to:
Classes will involve a combination of class discussion, investigative activities, and practical activities. Students will be expected to engage with readings and participate on a weekly basis. This will be further supported with drop-in sessions and self-directed exercises with tutor and peer feedback.
Tasks which count towards your unit mark (summative):
One 2000-word essay (75%) [ILOs 1-5]
One Timed Assessment (25%) [ILOs 1-5]
When assessment does not go to plan:
When required by the Board of Examiners, you will normally complete reassessments in the same formats as those outlined above. However, the Board reserves the right to modify the format or number of reassessments required. Details of reassessments are confirmed by the School shortly after the notification of your results at the end of the year.
If this unit has a Resource List, you will normally find a link to it in the Blackboard area for the unit. Sometimes there will be a separate link for each weekly topic.
If you are unable to access a list through Blackboard, you can also find it via the Resource Lists homepage. Search for the list by the unit name or code (e.g. HART10018).
How much time the unit requires
Each credit equates to 10 hours of total student input. For example a 20 credit unit will take you 200 hours
of study to complete. Your total learning time is made up of contact time, directed learning tasks,
independent learning and assessment activity.
See the Faculty workload statement relating to this unit for more information.
Assessment
The Board of Examiners will consider all cases where students have failed or not completed the assessments required for credit.
The Board considers each student's outcomes across all the units which contribute to each year's programme of study. If you have self-certificated your absence from an
assessment, you will normally be required to complete it the next time it runs (this is usually in the next assessment period).
The Board of Examiners will take into account any extenuating circumstances and operates
within the Regulations and Code of Practice for Taught Programmes.
