THE UNIVERSITY of EDINBURGH

DEGREE REGULATIONS & PROGRAMMES OF STUDY 2022/2023

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DRPS : Course Catalogue : Edinburgh College of Art : Design

Undergraduate Course: Illustration 4B: Research (DESI10125)

Course Outline
SchoolEdinburgh College of Art CollegeCollege of Arts, Humanities and Social Sciences
Credit level (Normal year taken)SCQF Level 10 (Year 4 Undergraduate) AvailabilityNot available to visiting students
SCQF Credits40 ECTS Credits20
SummaryThis is a core course for final year study in Illustration. Research for Illustration in this course takes various forms. It includes observation, investigative and reflective drawing, rigorous interrogation of materials and process and a critical examination of relevant contextual examples. With support, students will construct a personal research methodology relevant to their chosen area of study.
Illustration 4B: Research encapsulates Drawing Journal and Archive, as ways of collecting and presenting research material specifically relating to self-initiated projects. Illustration 4B: Research enables students to explore self-initiated subject matter and themes, giving background information and substance to their illustrations. It also encapsulates a highly focused development of drawing skills in the fourth year of study at an advanced level of knowledge and practical application.
Course description Research underpins studio practice as an illustrator. This course is split into two parts, the first focuses on the project 'Drawing Journal' and the second 'Archive'. Students will use these two projects to explore a personal research methodology and also consider the ethics related to this practice. Stage 4 Research practice involves detailed visual enquiry into themes and narratives particular to individual subjects of study. There is an element of textual exploration, in the analysis and notation of information pertinent to individual subjects of study. This reflects Illustration's particular relationship to the written word. Such visual and textual research is manifested within the two parts described here.

Drawing Journal
Drawing is at the heart of Illustration, and students will explore the most appropriate ways to use this discipline in order to support their studio practice. Students are required to build a thorough Drawing Journal during Semester 1 - this should demonstrate an exploration of subject matter, technique and method within drawing, pinpointing specific areas for research, testing ideas and taking risks. It should include a high proportion of observational drawing. This focuses upon recording things seen, in terms of form, structure, shape and composition. Drawing Journal is allied to individual themes as well as reflecting group activities, such as Life Drawing and location-based drawing.

Archive
Reflecting on the work from Semester 1 students are then required to collate and organize a body of work that clearly identifies research interests and intentions and how these feed into studio work with some brief written explanation and annotations included. This will include sketchbooks, notebooks, Drawing Journal and related imagery and texts. The Archive will contain the collated research material, coherently presented at the end of semester 2 to give a clear statement of working process. Archive encapsulates the methodology of individual students, showing the background development of their ideas, themes and experimentation. It forms a direct complement to work presented in Illustration 4a: Studio Practice, and Illustration 4c: Exposition.

Self directed activities are supported by a programme of Life Drawing classes, book-binding and book-arts workshops. Teaching takes the form of workshops, seminars, student presentations and individual tutorials.

There will be a formative assessment at the end of Semester 1 that will assess the Drawing Journal to date and a proposal for the Archive.

Entry Requirements (not applicable to Visiting Students)
Pre-requisites Co-requisites
Prohibited Combinations Other requirements This course is only available to students on a Degree Programme in the School of Design.
Course Delivery Information
Academic year 2022/23, Not available to visiting students (SS1) Quota:  33
Course Start Full Year
Timetable Timetable
Learning and Teaching activities (Further Info) Total Hours: 400 ( Lecture Hours 8, Seminar/Tutorial Hours 12, Supervised Practical/Workshop/Studio Hours 24, External Visit Hours 6, Feedback/Feedforward Hours 6, Formative Assessment Hours 4, Summative Assessment Hours 4, Programme Level Learning and Teaching Hours 8, Directed Learning and Independent Learning Hours 328 )
Assessment (Further Info) Written Exam 0 %, Coursework 100 %, Practical Exam 0 %
Additional Information (Assessment) At the end of Semester 2, students will submit a completed Archive of research material for summative assessment (a collated body of research material including sketchbooks, notebooks and Drawing Journal which provides a clear statement of working progress and includes a 500-word research statement) (100%)


Relationship between Assessment and Learning Outcomes:

Three Learning Outcomes will be addressed with equal weighting across all formatively and summatively assessed submissions associated with this course.
Feedback At the end of Semester 1, students will submit the following for formative assessment:
A completed Drawing Journal and illustrated proposal for the archive of collated research (approx. 500 words). Formative feedback will be given in the form of grades and written feedback.

Summative grades will be given for a completed Archive of research material and 500-word research statement.
No Exam Information
Learning Outcomes
On completion of this course, the student will be able to:
  1. APPLY: develop and apply an advanced and comprehensive range of research materials to support an Illustration project
  2. NOTATE: describe a clear and focused connection between research and how it will inform the Illustration project
  3. PRESENT: edit a collated and curated archive of research material, clearly demonstrating its content and purpose
Reading List
Gannon, R. & Fauchon, M. (2021) Illustration research methods / Rachel Gannon and Mireille Fauchon. London: Bloomsbury Visual Arts.

Judkins, R. (2015) The art of creative thinking / Rod Judkins. London: Sceptre.

Heller, S. & Anderson, G. (2018) The illustration idea book : inspiration from 50 masters / Steven Heller and Gail Anderson. London: Laurence King Publishing.

Additional Information
Graduate Attributes and Skills -The ability to deal with complex issues, with sound judgement.
-The ability to gain conceptual understanding and critical evaluation of subjects and issues.
-The ability to use techniques of analysis and enquiry.
-The ability to use writing and drawing methods in pursuing lines of research.
-The ability to be creative and original in evaluation of research themes.
Keywordsvisual enquiry,observational drawing,archive
Contacts
Course organiserMs Lucy Roscoe
Tel: (0131 6)51 5732
Email: L.Roscoe@ed.ac.uk
Course secretaryMr Hugh Black
Tel: (0131 6)51 5926
Email: hugh.black@ed.ac.uk
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