History of Art with Cultural Studies

Year 1 will equip you with skills and theoretical and historical knowledge for analysing art and culture. Compulsory and optional modules will introduce key themes and interpretative methods for analysing and interpreting cultural practices. You’ll examine different cultures and materials and consider the intentions and identities of artists. A choice of optional modules will allow you to broaden your studies by studying topics like cultural or media history, creative practice and consumer culture or museum studies.

You’ll build on this knowledge in year 2, when further compulsory modules will deepen your understanding of the complex relationship between art, ideas and society. In addition, you’ll shape your studies to suit your interests when you choose from a wider range of optional modules, choosing from a group of cultural studies subject that extend your initial studies of gender, the moving image, the postcolonial perspective, and cultural theory. You’ll also select modules that focus on specific issues in art history.

By your final year, you’ll be able to apply your research and critical skills to an independently researched dissertation on a topic of your choice. To complement and support your research, you’ll select additional modules from the diverse options on offer, many of which combine studies of the visual arts with other cultural forms. If you choose, you can take one fewer optional module and go into greater depth on an extended dissertation.

Course structure

These are typical modules/components studied and may change from time to time. Read more in our Terms and conditions.

Modules Year 1

Compulsory modules

• Introduction to Cultural Analysis 1 20 credits
• Introduction to Cultural Analysis II 20 credits
• A Story of Art? 1 20 credits
• A Story of Art? 2 20 credits

Optional modules

• Elements of Visual Culture I 20 credits
• Elements of Visual Culture II 20 credits
• Cultural History 20 credits
• The English Country House: Making and Meaning 20 credits
• Introduction to Museum and Art Gallery Studies 20 credits

Year 2

Compulsory modules

• Art History and Art Historiography 20 credits
• Keywords 20 credits

Optional modules

• The New York School 20 credits
• Cinema and Culture 20 credits
• Showing Asia 20 credits
• The Art Market: Moments, Methodologies, Meanings 20 credits

Year 3

Compulsory modules

Either a 40-credit or 60-credit dissertation module

• Dissertation

Optional modules

• From Trauma to Cultural Memory: The Unfinished Business of Representation and the Holocaust 20 credits
• Cultural Diversity in Museum and Material Culture - Case Study 20 credits
• Sins, Sinisters and Sciapods: The Margins of Medieval Art 20 credits

For more information on typical modules, read History of Art with Cultural Studies BA in the course catalogue

Broadening your academic horizons

At Leeds we want you to benefit from the depth and breadth of the University's expertise, to prepare you for success in an ever-changing and challenging world. This course gives you the opportunity to broaden your learning by studying discovery modules. Find out more on the Broadening webpages.

Learning and teaching.

We use a range of teaching and learning methods to help you benefit from the expertise of your tutors. These will include lectures, seminars, screenings, tutorials, workshops and field trips. You’ll also be able to attend talks by visiting artists and speakers, as well as workshops, conferences, exhibitions and other events. You’ll be supported by your supervisor during your dissertation and be able to attend skills workshops