Undergraduate Course: Topics in the History of Art (level 10) (HIAR10220)
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 | Available to all students |
| SCQF Credits | 20 |
ECTS Credits | 10 |
| Summary | This course explores special topics in the history of art, contemporary or historical. Topics will vary, but will focus on emergent art historical ideas and work. Students might engage with a current or upcoming exhibition or contribute to new research being undertaken by staff. |
| Course description |
Topics in the History of Art is an opportunity for students to study new and emergent work in art history. The course takes full advantage of the vital and varied research happening here at ECA. Content and approaches will vary from year to year. Students might work with staff to prepare an up-coming exhibition or consider a current one. They might assess and feed into new research or participate in an on-going project. Whatever the topic, students will engage with the process of knowledge-making in the history of art, practical and/or theoretical, today.
The course is taught through 10, weekly 2-hour seminars. Learning is supported through a mixture of short interactive lectures, discussion and activities. Students are expected to prepare for seminars independently and in advance of class, e.g., completing readings or exercises, pre-viewing objects, undertaking self-guided visits. Some classes may meet in University and local collections.
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Entry Requirements (not applicable to Visiting Students)
| Pre-requisites |
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Co-requisites | |
| Prohibited Combinations | |
Other requirements | None |
Information for Visiting Students
| Pre-requisites | Visiting students should have passed at least one class in the humanities or social sciences. Students who do not meet this requirement may be enrolled with written permission of the Course Organiser and Programme Director. |
| High Demand Course? |
Yes |
Course Delivery Information
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| Academic year 2026/27, Available to all students (SV1)
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Quota: 0 |
| Course Start |
Semester 1 |
Timetable |
Timetable |
| Learning and Teaching activities (Further Info) |
Total Hours:
200
(
Lecture Hours 10,
Seminar/Tutorial Hours 10,
External Visit Hours 2,
Feedback/Feedforward Hours 1,
Summative Assessment Hours 3,
Programme Level Learning and Teaching Hours 4,
Directed Learning and Independent Learning Hours
170 )
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| Assessment (Further Info) |
Written Exam
0 %,
Coursework
100 %,
Practical Exam
0 %
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| Additional Information (Assessment) |
This course has 2 components of assessment.
1) Presentation, 10 min., Week 11 or revision week, 50%, related to Learning Outcomes 1 and 2.
2) Written Work, 2000 words, exam period, 50% related to all Learning Outcomes.
Further information:
Presentation: Presentations may be delivered live (to the class or in 1:1 with the CO) or recorded. Timing includes a brief, assessed Q&A. The visual support (e.g., slides, a handout) will be submitted in Week 11 for final marking. Students are welcome to revise and (re-)record Presentations. Revised Presentations must be accompanied by a short (max 200 words) statement summarising changes made.
Written work: Written work will depend on the topic. It might take the form of an essay, exhibition critique or proposal, catalogue entry, podcast script, book review, peer review report, etc.
Resubmission Information
The resubmission arrangements for this course are as follows:
The resubmission task for the Presentation is a Presentation, 10 min., 50%. Students will submit to the original assessment brief.
The resubmission task for the Written Work is Written Work, 2000 words, 50%. Students will submit to the original assessment brief.
Students will receive further resubmission information as per University regulations as necessary. |
| Feedback |
Formative Feedback
Feedback will be given by peers and the CO on the Presentation when given; the CO will also provide a preliminary mark. Students will have the opportunity to revise the Presentation prior to submission in Week 11 for a final mark.
Plans for Written Work will be submitted in Week 5-7. The CO will either provide spoken feedback in 1:1 meetings or written feedback by the end of Week 8.
Summative Feedback
The CO will provide written feedback on the Presentation and Written Work. Students will be offered the opportunity for further, in person feedback on request.
Summative feedback will be provided according to University regulations.
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| No Exam Information |
Learning Outcomes
On completion of this course, the student will be able to:
- Demonstrate in-depth and nuanced understanding of the topic in speaking and in writing.
- Critically analyse a wide range of art historical outputs.
- Identify opportunities for change in the field of art history and/or new art historical work to be undertaken and craft questions and/or plans for realisation
- Articulate original responses to materials under study for different audiences.
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Reading List
NOTE: Readings will change from year to year, depending on topic.
Nelson, Robert S. and Shiff, Richard. Critical Terms for Art History, Second Edition. University of Chicago Press, 2003.
Oxford University Press. 'Oxford Art Online.' https://www-oxfordartonline-com.eux.idm.oclc.org/
Oxford Art Online includes access to the Grove Dictionary of Art, Benezit Dictionary of Artists, Encylopedia of Aesthetics and The Concise Oxford Dictionary of Art Terms.
Reilly, Maura. Curatorial Activism: Towards an Ethic of Curating. Thames & Hudson, 2018.
Shaked, Nizan. Museums and Wealth: The Politics of Contemporary Art Collections. Bloomsbury Academic, 2022. |
Additional Information
| Graduate Attributes and Skills |
Communication and Critical thinking: Seminars are an opportunity for students to practice active listening with a critical and empathetic ear. Assessments exercise the ability to articulate ideas in spoken and written forms. Emphasis is placed on clarity of expression and the development of independent thought.
Curiosity and Problem Solving: The course encourages students to ask searching questions, create new ideas, imagine alternate ways of addressing problems and co-produce solutions by involving them in art historical work and/or asking them to critic what is happening in the field now.
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| Keywords | art history,art historical theory,exhibitions,curation |
Contacts
| Course organiser | Dr Megan McNamee
Tel:
Email: megan.mcnamee@ed.ac.uk |
Course secretary | |
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