BA (Hons) Culture, Criticism and Curation

Bachelor's degree

In London

£ 9,250 VAT inc.

Description

  • Type

    Bachelor's degree

  • Location

    London

  • Duration

    3 Years

With a focus spanning art, design, architecture, fashion, film, performance, literature and media, BA Culture, Criticism and Curation equips you for work in galleries, museums and collections, TV, radio and new media, theatre and cinema, teaching, and arts and events management.This course is part of the Culture and Enterprise Programme.Great reasons to applyStudents produce academic and journalistic writing, and take part in practical projects to form a unique learning experience that places critical thinking, research, intellectual rigour and creative problem solving at its core.The course is delivered by cultural historians, journalists, film makers, curators, arts market professionals and designers.We maintain active collaborations with key cultural institutions and venues including National Trust, The Foundling Museum and 198 Gallery.University of the Arts London is in the top 30 in UK’s latest higher education research audit. We rank among the top research universities with 83% of our research graded as world leading and internationally excellent, following the Research Excellence Framework 2014 (REF 2014)UAL is in the top 30 UK research institutions for the quality of research submitted. It is a top 5 research university in its broader peer group and first in the Power ranking in the Art and Design: History, Practice and Theory categoryBA Culture, Criticism and Curation alumni have gone on to further studies at Pratt, Columbia, New York University, Sotheby's, Courtauld and University College London, amongst others. Other alumni have gained jobs at British Film Institute, Emin International, Gagosian, BlainSouthern, Frieze Art Fair, V&A, Tate Modern and more . Open daysWednesday 8 November, 1pmWednesday 22 November, 1pmScholarships, awards and fundingMead Scholarships and FellowshipsYat Malmgren BursaryBA Culture, Criticism and Curation students discuss the value of arts educationStudent...

Facilities

Location

Start date

London
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1 Granary Square

Start date

On request

About this course

Entry requirementsSelection to BA Culture, Criticism and Curation is determined by the quality of the application, meeting the minimum entry qualifications and how well the written work meets our criteria . Applicants are normally expected to have achieved, or be expected to achieve, the course entry requirements detailed below: Passes in three GCE A Levels (grade B or above), two of which are in essay-based humanities subjects such as History, History of Art, English Literature, Philosophy, Government and Politics, Classical Studies;Passes at GCSE level in 5 subjects (grade...

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Subjects

  • Problem Solving
  • Approach
  • Teaching
  • Theatre
  • Design
  • Radio
  • Art design
  • Art
  • Web
  • University
  • Project
  • Planning
  • Writing
  • Communication Training
  • Media
  • Critical Thinking

Course programme

Course detail

BA (Honours) Culture, Criticism and Curation is part of the Culture and Enterprise programme. It gives students a multi-disciplinary, humanities-based degree scheme with wide-ranging content that spans the history and theory of art, design, architecture, fashion, film, popular culture, performance, media and literature.

BA (Honours) Culture, Criticism and Curation proposes that ‘culture’ – an intentionally broad and contested term – is a provocative starting point for practices of criticism and curation. Critical thinking, research, intellectual rigour, communication and creative problem-solving are at the core of the course, underpinning all written assignments, presentations and projects.

Criticism relates to critical writing on the history and theory of arts criticism, and the critical thinking that is at the heart of cultural practices. Critical writing and thinking are key skills that will develop students’ futures as organisers of, or commentators on, the arts. This element of the course can develop skills for those wishing to become cultural writers or commentators.

Curation refers to specific skills and knowledge required to ‘curate’ exhibitions, such as historical research or the contextualisation of art practice. It also includes the broader meaning of curating as applied to arts events planning, from organising film festivals to local street events. It links to both critical writing and to communication, encouraging students to consider how to communicate narratives and ideas to their audiences, when curating exhibitions or planning public events.

The course is designed to develop students’ individual pathway out into the world, and it takes advantage of its location in an art school, which puts the development of the student’s personal identity and independence at the centre of teaching and learning.

BA Culture, Criticism and Curation runs for 90 weeks full time over three years, and is divided into three Levels, (or Stages) each lasting 30 weeks. The whole course is credit-rated at 360 credits, with 120 credits at each Level.

Under the Framework for Higher Education Qualifications the Levels for a BA are: level four (which is stage one of the course), level five (stage two) and level six (stage three).

There's a progression point at the end of each Level and, in order to progress, all units of the preceding Level must normally have been passed.

If you're unable to continue on the course, a Certificate of Higher Education (Cert HE) will normally be offered following the successful completion of level four, or a Diploma in Higher Education following the successful completion of level five.

To gain a BA (Honours), students must successfully complete 360 credits. The final award consists of marks from Level 6 units only, weighted according to their credits.

Course dates

Autumn term
Monday 24 September 2018 – Friday 7 December 2018
Spring term
Monday 7 January 2019 – Friday 15 March 2019
Summer term
Monday 15 April 2019 – Friday 21 June 2019

Related content
  • Rehearsal Dinner: Degree Show website 2017
  • Archive of BA Culture, Criticism and Curation events
  • MA Culture, Criticism and Curation course page

Course outline

BA Culture, Criticism and Curation has three distinct stages (years). Each stage consists of three 10-week terms. Knowledge and skills, history and theory are the threads running through the course.

Stage One provides a foundation in the histories and theories of culture from the late 18th century to the present day. It also offers an introduction to skills appropriate for the course including journalistic and academic writing, library research skills, group presentations in collaborative curatorial work, and appropriate digital technologies.

An important function of this stage is to encourage students to begin to research, explore and develop their individual strengths and approaches to their subject interest. Students study together as a whole class and in smaller seminar groups. Working collaboratively is a feature of all three stages of the course, to enhance bonding, trust and teamwork, and to adequately prepare students for the workplace.

Stage Two continues to explore the practices of BA (Honours) Culture, Criticism and Curation; students will also begin to develop a variety of approaches, demanding individual and experimental responses as they work on extended pieces of academic research and writing. Through a combination of seminars, lectures, personal research, independent study and team projects, students will explore the breadth of the subject and develop their individual talents in relation to it. Students have an opportunity to study a chosen subject in depth with students from the final year, and begin work on their dissertation.

Stage 3 is mostly organised in workshop and tutorial formats to support predominantly self-directed student learning. The focus is on the further development of independent working as students undertake their dissertation and final year project. They will also engage in further formal study of a chosen topic and work collaboratively with the whole year group towards the degree show, which is a major opportunity to curate an exhibition. The final year project and the degree show provide opportunities to respond to real project briefs, with the potential of connecting up with cultural and arts organisations.

Personal and professional development activities take place in all three stages of the course and aim to improve your capacity to understand what and how you are learning, and to help you to review, plan and take responsibility for your own learning. A considerable number of the skills learned in the academic context offer students transferable skills that are highly valued by employers.

For more information on the unit structure please consult the programme specifications by following the link below:

BA Culture Criticism and Curation Programme Specification 2018/19 (PDF, 521KB)

External Partnerships

Working with cultural organisations on live briefs will give you valuable curatorial and project planning experience. In recent years, students have worked on creative briefs provided by a wide range of organisations, including National Trust, Soane Museum, Zabludowicz Collection and 198 Gallery. Recent projects have been with Paintings in Hospitals (‘Art in Large Doses’) and the Foundling Museum.

By responding to live briefs, students gain experience of carrying out curatorial research, developing ways to fund, promote and publicise their project, and planning technical requirements. Project briefs can sometimes result in students’ work being taken forward for production, which can be a valuable first step in working professionally in a chosen discipline.

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Staff

Course Leader: Dr Michaela Giebelhausen
Stage (1) Leader: TBC
Stage (2) Leader: Dr Diane Silverthorne
Stage (3) Tutor: Andrew Marsh
Senior Lecturer: Dr Alison Green
Professor of Popular Culture: Prof. Roger Sabin
Programme Director: Dr Dominic Stone
Professor of Cultural History:Caroline Dakers
Associate Lecturer: Ben Bethell
Associate Lecturer: Mary Cork
Associate Lecturer: Louise Garrett
Associate Lecturer: Simon Hollington
Associate Lecturer: Nathalie Khan
Associate Lecturer: Nick Kimberley
Associate Lecturer: John Miers
Associate Lecturer: Harry Meadows
Associate Lecturer: Colin Perry
Associate Lecturer: Bill Risebero
Associate Lecturer: Natasha Adamou
Associate Lecturer: Lindsey Moore
Associate Lecturer: Alice Holmberg
Associate Lecturer: Jona Piehl
Associate Lecturer: Stephanie Dieckvoss



BA (Hons) Culture, Criticism and Curation

£ 9,250 VAT inc.