Undergraduate Course: Art, Culture and Inequality (HIAR10164)
Course Outline
| School | Edinburgh College of Art |
College | College of Arts, Humanities and Social Sciences |
| Credit level (Normal year taken) | SCQF Level 10 (Year 4 Undergraduate) |
Availability | Not available to visiting students |
| SCQF Credits | 20 |
ECTS Credits | 10 |
| Summary | Social inequality is a longstanding issue of concern for a range of social science disciplines. However, the relationship between culture and social inequality has only recently emerged as an important area of interdisciplinary interest. Most notably, the relationship between the arts, broadly defined, and the reproduction of social inequality has now become a question for disciplines such as History of Art. This course introduces and interrogates the relationship between art, culture and social inequality. |
| Course description |
Social inequality is a longstanding issue of concern for a range of social science disciplines. However, the relationship between culture and social inequality has only recently emerged as an important area of interdisciplinary interest. Most notably, the relationship between the arts, broadly defined, and the reproduction of social inequality has now become a question for disciplines such as History of Art. In this context, the course asks questions as to the role of the arts and the cultural sector in the maintenance and continuation of social inequality, along with the role of social inequality in shaping arts and cultural practice. The course will connect inequalities of production, for example theories and case studies of cultural work (e.g. who makes artworks? What is the relationship between production, consumption and social inequality? How does art and culture relate to core social inequalities of class, gender and ethnicity?) to questions of representation and questions concerning consumption (e.g. who goes to museums? Who has access to cultural value?). By showing the broad patterns of inequality associated with consumption, representation and production, the course aims to give students a critical take on the importance of culture in modern society.
The course content will be explored through a range of resources, including quantitative and qualitative data analysis, as well as text-based and theoretical arguments. It is structured as a series of weekly two-hour seminars. Seminars will be delivered via a mixture of brief explanatory lectures, connecting History of Art with the broader issues of art, culture, and inequality; presentations and student-led discussion; and weekly reading-related content. Each week, a different element of this area will be focused on, for example, work and labour markets, consumption and audiences, social mobility, social attitudes, and meritocracy.
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Course Delivery Information
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| Academic year 2024/25, Not available to visiting students (SS1)
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Quota: 20 |
| Course Start |
Semester 2 |
Timetable |
Timetable |
| Learning and Teaching activities (Further Info) |
Total Hours:
200
(
Seminar/Tutorial Hours 20,
Formative Assessment Hours 1,
Summative Assessment Hours 2,
Programme Level Learning and Teaching Hours 4,
Directed Learning and Independent Learning Hours
173 )
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| Assessment (Further Info) |
Written Exam
50 %,
Coursework
50 %,
Practical Exam
0 %
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| Additional Information (Assessment) |
This course has 2 assessment components:
1. Institutional Report (2000 words) Weeks 8-10 (40%)
2. Self-Directed Essay (3000 words) Exam diet (60%)
Component 1: Institutional Report
This report asks you to critically evaluate one cultural institution's engagement with issues of access, inclusion, and diversity and reflect on how the organisation's existing practices challenge, sustain or advance inequality in the sector. This report is designed to help you relate empirical studies of inequality to theories of culture.
Component 2: Self-Directed Essay
Building on class discussions, readings, and lectures, you will be asked to develop and answer your own independent research question that seeks to explore the relationship between art, culture and inequality. This essay allows you to engage with independent research and build critical analytical skills. Please note that your question will require approval from your Course Organiser. |
| Feedback |
Formative Feedback:
Formative feedback is regularly communicated throughout the course. It takes several forms, including verbal feedback during group presentations, where your work is discussed with peers and a tutor. Formative verbal feedback for your institutional report will be given in a plenary setting. You will also receive written formative feedback on your self-directed essay plan, including approval of your research question.
Summative feedback:
As per university regulations, students will receive individual written feedback and grades on their summative submissions, which will be provided via LEARN VLE /Turnitin. Feedback given on Component 1 (Institutional Report) will help you develop and strengthen your critical and analytical skills necessary for Component 2 (Self-Directed Essay). |
| No Exam Information |
Learning Outcomes
On completion of this course, the student will be able to:
- Understand key theories of culture and inequality
- Critically analyse key case studies on consumption, representation and production
- Relate empirical studies of inequality to theories of culture
- Present your own ideas clearly and well in writing and in discussion
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Reading List
Brook, O., O'Brien, D. and Taylor, M. (2018) Who is missing from the picture, working papers 1-4 London: Barbican
Conor Bridget, Rosalind Gill and Stephanie Taylor (2015) Gender and Creative Labour. London: Wiley-Blackwell.
Gerber, Alison (2017) The Work of Art Stanford: Stanford University Press
Hesmondhalgh, David and Baker, Sarah (2010) Creative Labour. New York: Routledge.
Saha, Anamik (2017) Race and the Cultural Industries London: Polity Press
Savage M. (2015) Social Class in the 21st Century. Penguin: London. |
Additional Information
| Graduate Attributes and Skills |
Research and Enquiry:
Analytical Skills - The ability to critically assess key issues of inequality in the production and consumption of culture and creative thinking around how we might tackle existing challenges in the sector.
Personal and Intellectual Autonomy:
Evaluate - The ability to apply theoretical knowledge and independent research in evaluations of real-world creative industries institutional and policy practices.
Personal Effectiveness:
Sector Awareness - Graduates will have a strong sense of essential EDI discussions currently at play in the cultural sector, creative industries, and cultural policy.
Communication:
Verbal and written Communication and Presentation - The ability to articulate and explain key themes in the organisation of cultural production and consumption and to produce clear, structured written work. |
| Keywords | Inequality,Cultural Work,Cultural Consumption,Cultural Production,Creative Class. |
Contacts
| Course organiser | Dr Elysia Lechelt
Tel:
Email: elechelt@exseed.ed.ac.uk |
Course secretary | Mx Hannah Pennie Morrison
Tel: (0131 6)51 5763
Email: Hannah.PM@ed.ac.uk |
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