THE UNIVERSITY of EDINBURGH

DEGREE REGULATIONS & PROGRAMMES OF STUDY 2023/2024

Timetable information in the Course Catalogue may be subject to change.

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DRPS : Course Catalogue : Edinburgh College of Art : History of Art

Undergraduate Course: History of Art Work Placement (HIAR10157)

Course Outline
SchoolEdinburgh College of Art CollegeCollege of Arts, Humanities and Social Sciences
Credit level (Normal year taken)SCQF Level 10 (Year 3 Undergraduate) AvailabilityNot available to visiting students
SCQF Credits20 ECTS Credits10
SummaryThe History of Art Work Placement gives students experience of applying and developing their art-historical knowledge and skills in contexts beyond the University. Students will be placed with host institutions across the visual arts, heritage and cultural sectors in Edinburgh and beyond, and will contribute to the education and community outreach activities of these institutions.

Undergraduate Work Placement is open to all 3rd year Single and Joint Honours History of Art students and 4th Year MAFA students interested in pursuing a career in the creative and cultural industries. Placements are awarded on a competitive basis and are not guaranteed.
Course description Working collaboratively with one of our partner institutions, this course offers you the opportunity to gain skills and experience working in the arts and cultural sector. Each work placement is designed to help you gain direct hands-on experience in the sector and enhance your knowledge and skills in various areas of arts management. Placements will vary yearly but may include curatorial, collections and archival work, involvement with public engagement and educational programmes, or exhibition and marketing strategies.

Semester 1 focuses on preparing you for the application and interview process. A series of seminars support you to write your draft cover letter as part of the training process. At the end of semester 1 applicants will be invited to interview, and successful students will be placed with a host institution.

In semester 2, if successfully placed, you will undergo an initial briefing, relevant training and induction, after which you will work independently with the host institution. You will be assigned a supervisor at the institution who will help guide you in your placement and an academic supervisor within the History of Art department who will support and monitor your associated research projects.

Students who do not proceed with work placements after the interview stage will automatically be enrolled on Analysing Art History: Texts, Objects, Institutions, Part Two.
Entry Requirements (not applicable to Visiting Students)
Pre-requisites Students MUST have passed: History of Art 2A Reason, Romance, Revolution: Art from 1700 to 1900 (HIAR08027) AND History of Art 2B From Modernism and the Avant-Gardes to Postmodernism and Globalisation (HIAR08028)
Co-requisites
Prohibited Combinations Other requirements None
Course Delivery Information
Academic year 2023/24, Not available to visiting students (SS1) Quota:  30
Course Start Semester 2
Timetable Timetable
Learning and Teaching activities (Further Info) Total Hours: 200 ( Seminar/Tutorial Hours 4, Dissertation/Project Supervision Hours 1, Feedback/Feedforward Hours 1, Programme Level Learning and Teaching Hours 4, Placement Study Abroad Hours 70, Directed Learning and Independent Learning Hours 120 )
Assessment (Further Info) Written Exam 0 %, Coursework 100 %, Practical Exam 0 %
Additional Information (Assessment) This course has 2 assessment components:

Component 1: Reflective Portfolio
(1,500 words) 30% of course mark. Week 10-12

Component 2: Evaluation Report (2,500 words) 70% of course mark. Week 11.

Both of these components will be submitted via an individual blog.


The Reflective Portfolio will comprise of a set of blog posts that will be submitted for assessment at the end of semester 2. Each blog post will address a particular theme related to your skills development and experience within the placement, the project or institution you are working with, or creative labour more broadly.

Component 2: For the Evaluation Report you will draw on broader research and your own work placement experiences, to deliver a report evaluating your placement project or host institution. This may include assessing existing practices, exploring issues of social value and engagement, considering areas for potential improvement (e.g., re-thinking engagement and/or inclusion tactics, reassessing impact strategies, etc.). The topic of your report will be agreed in consultation with your academic supervisor.
Feedback Semester 1:
Formative Feedback

Verbal formative feedback will be given in a plenary setting on a draft of the cover letter you prepare as part of the placement application process in Weeks 4-5 of Semester 1 and following the interview in Weeks 8-10.

Semester 2:
Formative Feedback

Ongoing verbal feedback will be provided on working drafts of the blog over three individual meetings with the academic supervisor.

You will also submit a 500-word plan for the Evaluation Report by week 5 and receive written feedback.


Summative Feedback:

Written feedback will be provided on both components of the two pieces of summative assessment in the form of written comments on Learn as per University regulations.
No Exam Information
Learning Outcomes
On completion of this course, the student will be able to:
  1. Demonstrate an understanding and critical awareness of the institutional landscape of the cultural sector.
  2. Apply knowledge and skills of the relevant academic discipline to projects in a professional cultural sector work environment.
  3. Exercise initiative and work effectively, under guidance, in a professional cultural sector organisation.
  4. Effectively communicate specialist information about the creative and cultural sector to diverse audiences, both in writing and verbally.
  5. Critically review your own professional skills and aptitudes, and identify how best to further develop these.
Reading List
Banks, M. 2017. Creative Justice: Cultural Industries, Work and Inequality. London Rowman & Littlefield International, Ltd.

Belfiore, E. and Gibson, L. 2019. Histories of Cultural Participation, Values and Governance. London: Palgrave Macmillan.

Jancovich, L. and Stevenson, D. 2022. Failures in Cultural Participation. Switzerland: Palgrave Macmillan.

Oakley, K. and O'Brien, D. 2015. Cultural Value and Inequality: A Critical Literature Review. UK: Arts and Humanities Research Council.
Additional Information
Graduate Attributes and Skills The course offers an opportunity for students to gain valuable real-world experience in the creative and cultural industries. Each work placement is unique, allowing students to work independently and in group environments, become skilled communicators, develop professional connections and gain a greater understanding of arts management and the varied opportunities available in the sector. By combining work placement with independent research, students will better understand how to apply their transferable knowledge and skills to real-world situations, such as grant writing, programme reports, and curatorial, education and engagement strategies. Graduates will have a strong sense of what work in the sector involves and, as a result, will be better prepared to establish or focus their careers in the creative and cultural industries. Additionally, the evaluation report encourages students to be critical and reflective thinkers as well as problem solvers.
KeywordsMuseum,gallery,curating,education,placement,internship
Contacts
Course organiserDr Alina Sinelnyk
Tel:
Email: asineln2@ed.ac.uk
Course secretaryMiss Chloe Hancock
Tel: (0131 6)50 4124
Email: chancock@ed.ac.uk
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