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AH1502: ENCOUNTERING ART: MUSEUMS THROUGH HISTORY (2023-2024)

Last modified: 01 Aug 2023 11:46


Course Overview

Collecting, like art-making, is a universal human activity. This introductory course takes you on a journey through the history of collecting, from early modern cabinets of curiosities, over the origins of the modern art museum, to questions of curation in the digital age. We will explore how changing modes of display affect our perception and understanding of artworks. The course also addresses key debates on the practice and ethics of museums, on restitution and decolonisation.

  

 

Course Details

Study Type Undergraduate Level 1
Term Second Term Credit Points 15 credits (7.5 ECTS credits)
Campus Aberdeen Sustained Study No
Co-ordinators
  • Dr Catriona McAra

What courses & programmes must have been taken before this course?

  • Any Undergraduate Programme (Studied)
  • Either Programme Level 1 or Programme Level 2

What other courses must be taken with this course?

None.

What courses cannot be taken with this course?

None.

Are there a limited number of places available?

No

Course Description

Collecting, like art-making, is a universal human activity. This introductory course takes you on a journey through the history of collecting, from early modern cabinets of curiosities, over the origins of the modern art museum, to questions of curation in the digital age. We will explore how changing modes of display affect our perception and understanding of artworks. The course also addresses key debates on the practice and ethics of museums, on restitution and decolonisation.

The course is taught in the classroom with some tutorials taught ‘in the field’, including the University Museums and Special Collections and the Aberdeen Art Gallery. We also offer two subsidised fieldtrips to Edinburgh and Dundee during the course (students will need to cover subsistence on these day trips). In combination with the lecture content, these visits will give you the opportunity to encounter art as a collectable thing, developing your awareness of the impact of display and context on its reception. These encounters will be linked to key questions and debates to help you gain an understanding of the importance of the history of collecting and its relevance to how we see the world today.


Contact Teaching Time

Information on contact teaching time is available from the course guide.

Teaching Breakdown

More Information about Week Numbers


Details, including assessments, may be subject to change until 30 August 2024 for 1st term courses and 20 December 2024 for 2nd term courses.

Summative Assessments

Essay

Assessment Type Summative Weighting 50
Assessment Weeks Feedback Weeks

Look up Week Numbers

Feedback

Analysis of display space in Aberdeen Art Gallery. Written feedback; In-person feedback on request.

Indicative assessment week: week 7 of the course; feedback in week 9

Word Count 1500
Learning Outcomes
Knowledge LevelThinking SkillOutcome
ConceptualUnderstandDemonstrate an awareness of the impact of display and context for the reception of artworks
ConceptualUnderstandDevelop ability to recognise and understand key debates surrounding the practice and ethics of museums.
FactualUnderstandDemonstrate an understanding of the history of collecting from the 16th to the 21st centuries

Essay

Assessment Type Summative Weighting 50
Assessment Weeks Feedback Weeks

Look up Week Numbers

Feedback

Essay from pre-defined list.

Written feedback; In-person feedback on request.

Indicative assessment week: week 11 of the course; feedback in week 14

Word Count 1500
Learning Outcomes
Knowledge LevelThinking SkillOutcome
ConceptualUnderstandDemonstrate an awareness of the impact of display and context for the reception of artworks
FactualUnderstandDemonstrate an understanding of the history of collecting from the 16th to the 21st centuries

Formative Assessment

There are no assessments for this course.

Resit Assessments

Essay

Assessment Type Summative Weighting 100
Assessment Weeks Feedback Weeks

Look up Week Numbers

Feedback

Written feedback; In-person feedback on request.

Word Count 2000
Learning Outcomes
Knowledge LevelThinking SkillOutcome
Sorry, we don't have this information available just now. Please check the course guide on MyAberdeen or with the Course Coordinator

Course Learning Outcomes

Knowledge LevelThinking SkillOutcome
ConceptualUnderstandDemonstrate an awareness of the impact of display and context for the reception of artworks
FactualUnderstandDemonstrate an understanding of the history of collecting from the 16th to the 21st centuries
ConceptualUnderstandDevelop ability to recognise and understand key debates surrounding the practice and ethics of museums.

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