History of Art Work Placement (U01143)

? Credit Points : 40 ? SCQF Level : 10 ? Acronym : ACE-3-HWPlace

Students who take a work placement as their project work in their third year spend two days a week in Semester 1 (normally Wednesday and Thursday) working for a host institution concerned with the visual arts in or near Edinburgh. The work placement project is assessed on the basis of a report written during Semester 2. Those interested in taking a work placement apply for a placement by a set date in Semester 2 of their second year. At an initial meeting at the start of Semester 1 of the student's third year the student, the host and the course organiser draw up a 'learning agreement'. This outlines the main types of activity expected of the student by the host and includes an appropriate academically-related project that will form the core of the report. During Semester 1 the course organiser holds two meetings for all students taking a work placement. The first meeting is at the beginning of Semester 1 and deals with practical arrangements and guidelines for the placement, the academically-related project and the report. A second meeting, to discuss any problems that may arise and to exchange experiences and ideas is held in the middle of Semester 1. Students must hand in an outline of their report to the History of Art office by a set date early in Semester 2. The course organiser will then hold a general meeting to give comments on the outlines and guidance on the writing of work placement reports. The work placement report consists of three elements: a discussion of the context of the work placement; a self-appraisal assessing what the student has learned on the placement; and a report on the academically-related project. Two copies of the report, which is to be of between 6,000 and 8,000 words, must be hand in to the History of Art office by a set date in Semester 2.

Entry Requirements

? This course is not available to visting students.

? Pre-requisites : History of Art 2

? Prohibited combinations : This course is not available to students on the BA Humanities and Social Science degree.

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 : Full Year (Blocks 1-4)

? Contact Teaching Time : 3 hour(s) per week for 11 weeks

Summary of Intended Learning Outcomes

The third-year work placement is designed to introduce students to a working environment related to the academic study of the history of art and visual culture. The experience varies from placement to placement since the host institutions can range from national museums, galleries and heritage institutions to small private galleries. Furthermore, each placement is individually negotiated at the initial meeting of the student, the host and the course organiser (at which the 'learning agreement' is drawn up). Each placement is therefore unique in what it offers the student. Students are encouraged to keep a careful and regular record of what they learn and experience during the placement. This record is likely to include: practical skills (which will vary according to the placement); more generic intellectual skills such as analysing and interpreting evidence; confirming or modifying personal attitudes to particular types of work; and knowledge and understanding of the institution with which they are working. Students are encouraged to adhere to their side of the agreement with the host and to behave and dress appropriately and to be punctilious about time-keeping etc. The academically-related project, which forms the core of the assessed report, allows the student an opportunity to make connections between their work in the host institution and their academic work in the university. It also provides experience in preparing and writing on a more extended project than normal course essays. The other two elements of the report (the discussion of the context of the work placement and the self-appraisal assessing what the student has learned on the placement) encourage the student to think analytically about what they have gained from the work placement and about any difficulties that they may have experienced. They also provide the student with an opportunity to develop their writing skills in areas outside the normal scope of their academic essays.