History of Art and Visual Culture
Master
In Oxford
Description
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Type
Master
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Location
Oxford
About the course
This nine-month programme offers a unique combination of methodological depth and access to excellent primary sources for students who wish to develop and extend their understanding of how visual styles at different times and in different places can be understood in relation to the aesthetic, intellectual and social facets of various cultures.
Facilities
Location
Start date
Start date
Reviews
Subjects
- Social History
- Supervisor
- IT
- Art
Course programme
This course draws on the established strengths of the discipline of art history in formal, iconographic and contextual analysis in the Faculty of History's History of Art Department and links them to a rigorous approach to questions of theory and method.
The course will expose you to the ways in which the subjects of visual history are being redefined on a broad base to include a much wider range of artefacts and visual media, including images and objects produced in contexts ranging from the scientific to the popular.
Teaching and examination comprise:
- a compulsory methodology paper, Theories and Methods in the History of Art, which is taught in class and lecture series during Michaelmas and Hilary terms. There is also an associated lecture series and object-handling sessions in Oxford collections. It is assessed through three short essays in an examination at the end of Trinity term;
- one option paper, normally taught in small classes during Michaelmas and Hilary terms. Assessment is through two extended essays of between 4,000 and 5,000 words each. Students receive one-on-one supervision when preparing their essays. Some of the option papers will not be available every year, and new ones may be added. Prospective students should check on the availability of specific courses during the application process; and
- a dissertation of up to 15,000 words completed independently, under the guidance of an expert supervisor, on an topic of your choice and approved by the supervisor and the chair of examiners for the programme. The dissertation is submitted in Trinity term.
Please note that not every optional subject listed may be on offer every year, depending in part on levels of student demand. Full details of core and optional papers are available on the course webpage.
If you wish to apply for a doctoral programme, at Oxford or elsewhere, you will be encouraged to develop your doctoral proposal during the first few months of the course so that you will be well placed to make doctoral applications during or soon after completing the course.
SupervisionThe allocation of graduate supervision for this course is the responsibility of the Faculty of History's Department of History of Art and it is not always possible to accommodate the preferences of incoming graduate students to work with a particular member of staff. Under some circumstances a supervisor outside the Faculty of History's Department of History of Art may be nominated.
An Oxford academic’s pre-application indication of willingness to supervise an enquiring applicant is not a guarantee that the applicant will be offered a place, or that the supervisor in question has capacity in that particular year.
Graduate destinationsAbout a quarter of master’s students proceed directly to doctoral work at Oxford or at other institutions, with additional students applying to doctoral programmes within a year or two of completing the degree. Other career destinations include museums and galleries, the heritage sector, media/publishing (including online), fine arts and teaching, as well as fields such as banking, law and the civil service.
Changes to this course and your supervision The University will seek to deliver this course in accordance with the description set out in this course page. However, there may be situations in which it is desirable or necessary for the University to make changes in course provision, either before or after registration. In certain circumstances, for example due to visa difficulties or because the health needs of students cannot be met, it may be necessary to make adjustments to course requirements for international study. Where possible your academic supervisor will not change for the duration of your course. However, it may be necessary to assign a new academic supervisor during the course of study or before registration for reasons which might include sabbatical leave, parental leave or change in employment. For further information, please see our page on changes to courses.
Other courses you may wish to consider If you're thinking about applying for this course, you may also wish to consider the courses listed below. These courses may have been suggested due to their similarity with this course, or because they are offered by the same department or faculty.
Courses suggested by the faculty
History of Art DPhil
All graduate courses offered by the History of Art Department
History of Art DPhil
History of Art and Visual Culture MSt
All graduate courses offered by the Faculty of History
Economic and Social History MPhil
Economic and Social History MSc
Global and Imperial History MSt
History DPhil
History MSt
History MPhil
History (History of Science and Medicine & Economic and Social History) DPhil
History of Art DPhil
History of Art and Visual Culture MSt
History of Science, Medicine and Technology MPhil
History of Science, Medicine and Technology MSc
Late Antique and Byzantine Studies MSt
Late Antique and Byzantine Studies MPhil
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Entry requirements
History of Art and Visual Culture