BA Art History

University of Essex

Bachelor's degree

In Colchester

£ 9,250 + VAT

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Description

  • Type

    Bachelor's degree

  • Location

    Colchester

  • Duration

    3 Years

About the course
Art, architecture and other forms of visual culture all tell stories

But just what kind of stories depends on the approach you take in understanding them


At Essex, you will acquire a broad foundation in the history of visual culture: both by learning about canonical forms of art and architecture and by discovering what has been overlooked or marginalised, such as medical photography, tattoos or objects from political protests

You will also develop the skills you need to make exciting new connections between the forms of visual culture you study, developments in other disciplines, and broader social and political forces


To study on our course, you don’t need an Art History A-Level

In fact, we believe that the best art historians are those who bring fresh eyes and new perspectives to their objects of inquiry


You will develop the skills you need to transform your excitement about art, architecture and visual culture into the ability to uncover new insights about the material you study

You will also develop a solid grounding in the history of art and other forms of visual culture, including the ideas and forces that shaped their production, distribution and reception


For students with a particular interest in pursuing careers in curating and museumship, we also provide modules every year that explore the histories, theories and practices of museums, exhibitions and galleries, as well as more nuts-and-bolts issues, such as installing and marketing artwork

Facilities

Location

Start date

Colchester (Essex)
See map
Wivenhoe Park, CO4 3SQ

Start date

On request

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Subjects

  • Teaching
  • Art History
  • Art

Course programme

Example structure
Studying at Essex is about discovering yourself, so your course combines compulsory and optional modules to make sure you gain key knowledge in the discipline, while having as much freedom as possible to explore your own interests. Our research-led teaching is continually evolving to address the latest challenges and breakthroughs in the field, therefore to ensure your course is as relevant and up-to-date as possible your core module structure may be subject to change.
For many of our courses you’ll have a wide range of optional modules to choose from – those listed in this example structure are just a selection of those available. The opportunity to take optional modules will depend on the number of core modules within any year of the course. In many instances, the flexibility to take optional modules increases as you progress through the course.
Our Programme Specification gives more detail about the structure available to our current first-year students, including details of all optional modules.
Year 1
Art and Ideas: I(A)
Art and Ideas: I(B)
Culture, Work and Society
Art, Sex and Death
Art Revolutions
Space, Place and Locality
The Enlightenment (optional)
Year 2
Art and Ideas II: More Art, More Ideas - Critique and Historiography in the History of Art
The World in Question: the Social, Political and Psychological Legacies of the Enlightenment (optional)
Picturing the City I (optional)
After Impressionism: European Art From Van Gogh to Klimt (optional)
Becoming Modern: European Art From Futurism to Surrealism (optional)
Art and Power (optional)
Study Trip Abroad (Year 2) (optional)
Final year
Art & Ideas III
Dissertation - Final Year Art History and Theory (optional)
Art, the Law and the Market (optional)
Visualising Bodies (optional)
Picturing the City II (optional)
Photography in History (optional)
The Work of Art in the Age of Digital Reproduction: Film, New Media, Software and the Internet (optional)
Year abroad
On your year abroad, you have the opportunity to experience other cultures and languages, to broaden your degree socially and academically, and to demonstrate to employers that you are mature, adaptable, and organised. The rest of your course remains identical to the three-year degree.
Teaching
Close examination of texts written by artists, critics, art historians and philosophers
Subsidised gallery visits to work ‘in situ’ for each course
Gain practical experience in curating, such as handling and installing artworks
Teaching takes the form of lectures and seminar sessions or discussion classes
Assessment
Assessment methods include coursework, for example essays, analysis of source material, exhibition reviews and virtual portfolios, coursework reports, oral presentations
Written examinations are also taken for the majority of modules at the end of each academic year
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Additional information

One of the major reasons for choosing Essex is the quality of the education you will receive Our Art History programme is ranked 6th among art history departments in the UK for research excellence (REF 2014), and you will be taught by our expert staff in your very first year, a rarity in UK art -history courses <p>If you cannot see this video, you can <a href=http://vimeo com/145641133>watch it on our Vimeo channel</a> within your browser </p> Study abroad Our BA Art History programme offers you a variety of study abroad options The four-year version of our degree allows you to spend the third year studying abroad without paying a fee, while otherwise remaining identical to the three-year course Studying abroad allows you to experience other cultures and languages, to broaden your degree socially and academically, and to demonstrate to employers that you are mature, adaptable and organised We have established partnerships across Europe, the United States, Latin America and Asia, including with world-renowned institutions such as: École du Louvre in France University of Freiburg in Germany University of Bologna in Italy Many of our partnerships are subject to language requirements and are recommended for students on joint degrees with languages, but there are also plenty of Anglophone destinations if you don’t want to pursue a second language Our expert staff We are a dynamic group of art historians who investigate the production and reception of images and built environment, across cultures and media, from the early modern period to the present day Our staff’s research interests include activist art, modernist art and totalitarianism, the relationship of art and science, the artistic status of body modification, expressions of societal anxiety in art, as well as architecture and urbanism We also have significant experience in curation and public engagement Recent projects include: Dr Gavin Grindon...

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BA Art History

£ 9,250 + VAT

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