History of Art Analytical Report (A) (U00914)

? Credit Points : 20 ? SCQF Level : 10 ? Acronym : ACE-3-HAnRepA

This comprises independent, supervised project work within a variety of single and combined degree programmes involving the study of History of Art. It is normally taken in third year, in either one of the two semesters depending upon the individual student's overall balance of commitments. Students choose the subject of their report (4,000 words, to be submitted by a set date towards the end of the semester in question) from a range of options. Each type of report gives a very concrete focus to the project; students are provided with detailed guidelines concerning appropriate methods of historical, contextual and comparative analysis, and theoretical issues for consideration. The options include:

- A single work of visual art in any medium, or a monument, or a building, on display in, or in the care of, one of the following national bodies: the National Galleries of Scotland, the National Museums of Scotland, Historic Scotland, the City of Edinburgh collections, or the National Trust for Scotland.

- A major theoretical or art-historical text with broad methodological interest and implications. Students will be invited to choose from a list of texts supplied.

- The overall display of a major Edinburgh collection (e.g. the National Gallery of Scotland, the Royal Museum of Scotland). The exercise involves analysing the decisions informing the distribution and ordering of the objects, the use of the architectural container and other visual resources, and the approach towards articulating and communicating the underlying argument.

Entry Requirements

none

Subject Areas

Home subject area

History of Art, (School of Arts, Culture and Environment, Schedule A)

Delivery Information

? Normal year taken : 3rd year

? Delivery Period : Semester 1 (Blocks 1-2)

Summary of Intended Learning Outcomes

Compiling the Analytical Report will equip students with the scholarly and practical skills associated with more independent forms of study than is characteristic of the first two years of their degrees. They will learn about time management, compiling bibliography, the effective use of library and visual resources, and the process of selecting and evaluating sources in order to construct a coherent, rigorous, and clearly presented analysis. The exercise provides a valuable foundation for dissertation work which is normally undertaken in the following year.

The contrasting types of project also enhance distinct and varied skills. For instance, the detailed study of a single work challenges students to confront divergent traditions of art-historical interpretation, and the controversies that arise concerning issues such as dating, attribution, identification, iconographic interpretation, and conservation. It strongly reinforces skills of visual analysis. The textual exercise allows students to develop a more sophisticated understanding of methodological and theoretical issues, as they inform art-historical writing, issues to which they will have been introduced at a more basic level in first and second year. Likewise, the close study of a particular display encourages an informed and multi-faceted awareness of the element of institutional interpretation that necessarily informs viewers' encounters with works of art.