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

Postgraduate Course: History of Art Work Placement (Level 11) (HIAR11126)

Course Outline
SchoolEdinburgh College of Art CollegeCollege of Arts, Humanities and Social Sciences
Credit level (Normal year taken)SCQF Level 11 (Postgraduate)
Course typePlacement AvailabilityNot available to visiting students
SCQF Credits20 ECTS Credits10
SummaryThe Work Placement gives you the opportunity to work in an arts, heritage or cultural institution as part of your academic curriculum at The University of Edinburgh. The work will vary considerably from place to place, depending on the type of institution hosting the placement, as well as your own skills and interests.

The History of Art Work Placement course is open to all postgraduate History of Art students interested in pursuing a career in the creative and cultural industries. Placements are awarded on a competitive basis and are not guaranteed. The placement is unremunerated, because it is undertaken for academic credit, for which you are assessed as part of your degree programme.
Course description This course offers you the opportunity to work collaboratively with one of our partner institutions to enhance your knowledge and skills in various areas of arts management.

Placements vary each year but may include curatorial, collections and archival work, involvement with public engagement and educational programmes, or exhibition and marketing strategies.

Work Placements will operate mainly in Semester 2, although some may start in Semester 1 (the exact start date will depend on the particular placement).

Semester 1 focuses on preparing you for the application and interview process. A series of seminars alongside formative feedback on your draft cover letter will support this 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 contact at the institution who will help guide you in your placement and an academic tutor within the School of History of Art who will support and monitor your associated research projects.

Students who do not secure a placement through the interview process will be enrolled on a Semester 2 option course of their choice, subject to availability.
Entry Requirements (not applicable to Visiting Students)
Pre-requisites Co-requisites
Prohibited Combinations Other requirements None
Course Delivery Information
Academic year 2023/24, Not available to visiting students (SS1) Quota:  60
Course Start Full Year
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 two assessment components:

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

Component 2: Evaluation Report (2,500 words) 70% of course mark. Weeks 10-12


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

The Reflective Portfolio will comprise a set of three blog posts, each addressing a particular theme agreed in consultation with your academic tutor. Each theme will offer a different lens though which you can reflect upon your experiences on the placement.

Drawing on broader research and your own work placement experiences, you will deliver a report evaluating your placement project or host institution. The topic of your report will be agreed in consultation with your academic tutor. For example, it may focus on an assessment of existing practices within the organisation or critically engage a specific aspect such as the relationship between institutional practices and wider social issues around engagement, participation and value.
Feedback Formative Feedback:

Oral 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.

Individual oral formative feedback will be given on your Evaluation Report plan in Weeks 4-6 of Semester 2 during a 30- minute supervision session. In addition, informal feedback on placement experiences and plans for assessment will be offered during the two individual supervision meetings.

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. Identify and critically reflect upon complex and nuanced issues within the cultural sector and apply your experiences and ideas to problem solving opportunities.
  2. Apply independent knowledge of relevant academic disciplines in original and creative ways to projects in a professional cultural sector work environment.
  3. Take initiative and work autonomously or under direction as required in a professional cultural sector organisation.
  4. Critically analyse and effectively communicate information about the creative and cultural sector to diverse audiences both in writing and verbally.
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 Students on the postgraduate work placement course will deepen their academic knowledge and understanding of art history through their practical work experience in a cultural institution. This experience will allow them to develop critical awareness of current issues in the cultural sector.

Through a mix of practical, reflective, and evaluative tasks the students will be supported to both develop and demonstrate their applied knowledge, creative problem-solving skills, and understanding of the cultural sector. Through their work placement they will demonstrate autonomy and use a significant range of the principal professional skills and practices expected in the cultural and creative industries. The seminars and assessments for this course support students to develop their critical analysis and self-evaluation capacities while encouraging them to become skilled communicators.
KeywordsMuseum,Gallery,curating,education placement,internship
Contacts
Course organiserDr Keava McMillan
Tel:
Email: kmcmill2@ed.ac.uk
Course secretaryMiss Chloe Hancock
Tel: (0131 6)50 4124
Email: chancock@ed.ac.uk
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