FINEARTS 305 : Critical Practices

Creative Arts and Industries

2020 Semester One (1203) (15 POINTS)

Course Prescription

Presents selected forms of contemporary art practices and their related concepts. Considers these practices to enable a critical understanding of a broad range of contemporary art production and its relevance to students' own emerging practice. Provides a critical introduction to a range of artists' writing. Complements FINEARTS 308 and 309 by critically exploring the value of certain frameworks, including: philosophy, theory, art history, writing, tikanga Māori and the socio-cultural for a self-directed practice.

Course Overview

What should an artist read? If anything, why and how? By examining these questions, the ultimate goal of this course is to lead you to clarify and extend the role of reading (and writing) in your own art practice.

Building on Critical Studies 104 and 204, this course will allow you to review and add to the range of theoretical ideas and examples of artworks and practices familiar from previous study and your wider experience. Through the discussion of a broad range of contemporary art production and ideas relevant to it, it will offer tools to develop your understanding of theory’s relationship to practice. You will be invited to reflect on the relation between reading and your own work. You will be assisted in identifying the theoretical interests that are part of your practice, and in honing your skills to work confidently and critically with them privately, in your own working process, and more publicly, in in studio discussion and writing as an artist.

This core course in the BFA will help prepare you for independent reading in Studio 4 or the written component of the BFA(Hons) year. At a point in the degree where your study involves learning to work effectively with greater self-direction, the aim is to contribute to this independence, equipping you for continuing personal development as an active and reflective researcher and thinker, able to inform and position your artwork through a critical approach to working with words.

Delivery is via two weekly one hour lectures and a one hour tutorial. The course is fully assessed by coursework. There are two assignments, as below, and no exam.

Course Requirements

Prerequisite: FINEARTS 204 Corequisite: FINEARTS 302 or 303 or 308 or 309 or 310 or 311

Semester Availability

Semester One only

Course Co-ordinator

Jon Bywater <j.bywater@auckland.ac.nz>

Capabilities Developed in this Course

Capability 1: Disciplinary Knowledge and Practice
Capability 2: Critical Thinking
Capability 3: Solution Seeking
Capability 4: Communication and Engagement
Capability 5: Independence and Integrity
Capability 6: Social and Environmental Responsibilities
Graduate Profile: Bachelor of Fine Arts

Learning Outcomes

By the end of this course, students will be able to:
  1. Identify the individual theoretical research interests that help define your developing sense of your own practice (Capability 1.1, 1.2, 1.3, 2.1, 2.2, 3.1, 3.2, 4.1, 4.2, 4.3, 5.2 and 6.1)
  2. Describe and assess the potentials in the relationship of theoretical material to the student’s own practice (Capability 1.3, 2.1, 2.2, 3.2 and 5.2)
  3. Develop interpretive skills in relation to the way meaning effects are created by things made or done within a creative practice (Capability 1.1, 1.2, 1.3, 2.1, 2.2, 2.3, 3.2, 4.1, 4.2, 4.3, 5.2 and 6.1)

Assessments

Assessment Type Percentage Classification
Assignments 100% Individual Coursework

Teaching & Learning Methods

Classes will be based in illustrated lectures that will include regular opportunities for questions and discussion that will in turn be extended in tutorials and in Canvas threads. Informal quizzes will be used to assist with revision and continuity between classes. A field trip to an art gallery and a guest presenter will connect the class to the professional art world. Tutorials will involve a blend of small group exercises, including in depth discussion of students' responses to art works and to readings as well as direct assistance with the two assignment tasks.

Workload Expectations

This course is a standard 15 point course and students are expected to spend 10 hours per week involved in each 15 point course that they are enrolled in.

For this course, you can expect 2 hours of lectures, a 1 hour tutorial, 4 hours of reading and thinking about the content and 3 hours of work on assignments.

Digital Resources

Course materials are made available in a learning and collaboration tool called Canvas which also includes reading lists and lecture recordings (where available).

Please remember that the recording of any class on a personal device requires the permission of the instructor.

Academic Integrity

The University of Auckland will not tolerate cheating, or assisting others to cheat, and views cheating in coursework as a serious academic offence. The work that a student submits for grading must be the student's own work, reflecting their learning. Where work from other sources is used, it must be properly acknowledged and referenced. This requirement also applies to sources on the internet. A student's assessed work may be reviewed against online source material using computerised detection mechanisms.

Inclusive Learning

All students are asked to discuss any impairment related requirements privately, face to face and/or in written form with the course coordinator, lecturer or tutor.

Student Disability Services also provides support for students with a wide range of impairments, both visible and invisible, to succeed and excel at the University. For more information and contact details, please visit the Student Disability Services’ website at http://disability.auckland.ac.nz

Special Circumstances

If your ability to complete assessed coursework is affected by illness or other personal circumstances outside of your control, contact a member of teaching staff as soon as possible before the assessment is due.

If your personal circumstances significantly affect your performance, or preparation, for an exam or eligible written test, refer to the University’s aegrotat or compassionate consideration page: https://www.auckland.ac.nz/en/students/academic-information/exams-and-final-results/during-exams/aegrotat-and-compassionate-consideration.html.

This should be done as soon as possible and no later than seven days after the affected test or exam date.

Student Feedback

At the end of every semester students will be invited to give feedback on the course and teaching through a tool called SET or Qualtrics. The lecturers and course co-ordinators will consider all feedback and respond with summaries and actions.

Your feedback helps teachers to improve the course and its delivery for future students.

Class Representatives in each class can take feedback to the department and faculty staff-student consultative committees.

Student Charter and Responsibilities

The Student Charter assumes and acknowledges that students are active participants in the learning process and that they have responsibilities to the institution and the international community of scholars. The University expects that students will act at all times in a way that demonstrates respect for the rights of other students and staff so that the learning environment is both safe and productive. For further information visit Student Charter (https://www.auckland.ac.nz/en/students/forms-policies-and-guidelines/student-policies-and-guidelines/student-charter.html).

In the event of unexpected disruption

We undertake to maintain the continuity and standard of teaching and learning in all your courses throughout the year. If there are unexpected disruptions, the University has contingency plans to ensure that access to your course continues and your assessment is fair, and not compromised. Some adjustments may need to be made in emergencies. In the event of a disruption, the University and your course coordinators will make every effort to provide you with up to date information via Canvas and the University website.

Copyright Warning Notice

This material is protected by copyright and has been copied by and solely for the educational purposes of the University under license. You may not sell, alter or further reproduce or distribute any part of this course pack/material to any other person. Where provided to you in electronic format, you may only print from it for your own private study and research. Failure to comply with the terms of this warning may expose you to legal action for copyright infringement and/or disciplinary action by the University.

Disclaimer

Elements of this outline may be subject to change. The latest information about the course will be available for enrolled students in Canvas.

In this course you may be asked to submit your coursework assessments digitally. The University reserves the right to conduct scheduled tests and examinations for this course online or through the use of computers or other electronic devices. Where tests or examinations are conducted online remote invigilation arrangements may be used. The final decision on the completion mode for a test or examination, and remote invigilation arrangements where applicable, will be advised to students at least 10 days prior to the scheduled date of the assessment, or in the case of an examination when the examination timetable is published.

Published on 09/12/2019 09:41 a.m.