| Unit name | Art in Britain |
|---|---|
| Unit code | HART20042 |
| Credit points | 20 |
| Level of study | I/5 |
| Teaching block(s) |
Teaching Block 1 (weeks 1 - 12) |
| Unit director | Dr. William Hamilton |
| 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?
In recent decades there has been a renaissance in British art studies, turning an art-historical backwater into a hot-spot of academic debate. The unit draws on this wave of scholarship to examine the development of art in Britain and its struggle to assert itself in the wider international art world. The unit matters because it makes visible Britain’s rich visual culture and equips you to recognise and appreciate collections of national art across the country. It also equips you to think critically about these collections, to contextualise them, and to notice long patterns of historical development across them.
How does this unit fit into your programme of study?
This unit introduces students to a broad range of British artworks taken from a variety of contexts and produced over a period of several centuries. As such, it builds on the approaches adopted by units taken in year 1. The unit will also help to develop students’ understanding of vital theoretical, historiographical, and methodological frameworks for art historical study, including ideas such as medium, period, and representation. In so doing, it extends, develops, and applies concepts and approaches introduced in year 1 and complements critical models encountered on other second-year units, such as Theorising the Object.
An overview of content
We take as our starting point the careers of four artists who are central to the canon of British art. These case-studies will vary from year to year, but have included Hogarth, Blake, Turner, Sickert, Bell, Riley, McQueen and Himid. With each, we go on to examine their reception and how they have shaped developments across the history of British art. Which other artists did they influence? Possible examples are Lucian Freud, Tracey Emin, Grayson Perry, Pauline Boty and Olafur Eliasson. How have later generations adapted or subverted their work and reinterpreted the themes and genres that they explored? e.g. Hogarth’s satirical theatre; Turner’s sublime landscapes; Bell’s experiments in figuration and abstraction; and Himid’s spotlighting of race, racism and British colonialism. Questions of narrative, coherence and canonicity are a theme of the unit. They build towards a larger discussion about the idea of a tradition of British art, and the value and stability of an artistic canon.
How will students, personally, be different as a result of the unit?
As a result of this unit, you will have a better understanding of art made in Britain: the art and artists involved and the theoretical issues raised by the study of art in any one country, and in Britain in particular. You will become familiar with the work of a number of artists, some famous, some less well known, and with their reception over an extended period of time. You will develop a stronger understanding of a range of issues at the very heart of art history as a discipline, as part of which you will develop critical skills and new competencies in engaging with new historiographical and theoretical approaches.
Learning Outcomes
On successful completion of this unit students will be able to:
Classes will involve a combination of long- and short-form lectures, 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):
Essay 2000-word (50%) (ILOs 1-4)
Timed Assessment (50%) (ILOs 1-4)
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/Centre shortly after the notification of your results at the end of the academic 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. HART20042).
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 University Workload statement relating to this unit for more information.
Assessment
The assessment methods listed in this unit specification are designed to enable students to demonstrate the named learning outcomes (LOs). Where a disability prevents a student from undertaking a specific method of assessment, schools will make reasonable adjustments to support a student to demonstrate the LO by an alternative method or with additional resources.
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. For appropriate assessments, if you have self-certificated your absence, you will normally be required to complete it the next time it runs (for assessments at the end of TB1 and TB2 this is usually in the next re-assessment period).
The Board of Examiners will take into account any exceptional circumstances and operates
within the Regulations and Code of Practice for Taught Programmes.
