Postgraduate Course: Themes in Contemporary Art (ARTX11044)
Course Outline
| School | Edinburgh College of Art |
College | College of Arts, Humanities and Social Sciences |
| Credit level (Normal year taken) | SCQF Level 11 (Postgraduate) |
Availability | Available to all students |
| SCQF Credits | 40 |
ECTS Credits | 20 |
| Summary | Themes in Contemporary Art introduces you to a series of current themes or concerns in the field of contemporary art and encourages you to consider and make your own contribution to this field, developing your own thematic lens through which to approach artistic theory and practice today.
Each academic year, new themes in contemporary theory and practice are identified to focus your engagement with contemporary art¿s increasingly diverse subject-matter and methods. |
| Course description |
Themes in Contemporary Art is structured around a set of ¿learning sprints¿ ¿ short blocks of learning with a specific focus. Each sprint introduces you to a theme in the field of contemporary art and explores this through theory and practice. Each thematic learning sprint is developed by the teaching team and draws on their own research and practice.
Through these learning sprints, you will develop your understanding of a range of current concerns in contemporary art. The themes also offer an insight into how thematic research is conducted; as such, the learning sprints are useful models for how you can develop and apply your own thematic lens to engage with contemporary art.
Each week, you will attend one Themes seminar. What you do in each seminar will vary from week to week but will include a mixture of lecture style presentations, creative activities, groupwork, and discussion. In advance of each seminar, you will engage with a range of resources introducing you to key ideas and practices to support your learning in the seminar. Following each Sprint, you will complete a short assignment to consolidate and extend your learning.
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Entry Requirements (not applicable to Visiting Students)
| Pre-requisites |
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Co-requisites | |
| Prohibited Combinations | |
Other requirements | This course is only available for students on the Contemporary Art Theory programme. |
Information for Visiting Students
| Pre-requisites | None |
| 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:
400
(
Lecture Hours 12,
Seminar/Tutorial Hours 31.5,
Online Activities 12,
Feedback/Feedforward Hours 2,
Summative Assessment Hours 2,
Programme Level Learning and Teaching Hours 8,
Directed Learning and Independent Learning Hours
332 )
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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 1 assessment component.
Themes in Contemporary Art Project Book, 100%, end of Semester 1, assessed against Learning Outcomes 1, 2, and 3. All three LOs are equally weighted.
The Themes in Contemporary Art project book consists of two components:
3 x Theme assignments, 1,350 words each for written submissions, non-textual or experimental submissions must be accompanied by a contextualising written statement of no more than 500 words.
A magazine feature article relating to a theme of your own choosing, 3,000 words.
The resubmission arrangements for this course are as follows:
The resubmission for the Themes project book is the Themes project book, 100%.
Students will submit to the original assessment brief.
Students will receive further resubmission information as per University regulations as necessary. |
| Feedback |
Formative Feedback
In Themes, you will receive formative feedback in the following ways:
Written feedback at the end of each learning sprint on your Theme Assignments. You can use this feedback to update and improve your Theme Assignments ahead of your Summative Submission;
Verbal feedback on your course work in tutorials with your tutor
Verbal feedback on your plan for Summative Assignment ¿ this feedback supports the development of this part of your Summative Submission
Informal verbal feedback from course staff and peers during seminars and other learning activities throughout the course.
Summative Feedback
For Themes, you will receive summative feedback on the Project Book you submit for as your Summative Assignment. You will receive written feedback for each Learning Outcome and a corresponding grade. Your work will be assessed by two members of staff and the feedback will collate feedback from both markers.
You will get this feedback after the course has finished. As such, the summative feedback you receive for your work on Themes can be used formatively too to guide your work in Semester 2 (and beyond).
Summative feedback will be provided according to University regulations. |
| No Exam Information |
Learning Outcomes
On completion of this course, the student will be able to:
- Carry out independent research into contemporary art theories and practices, evidencing a high level of scholarly enquiry.
- Analyse and critically reflect upon a range of contemporary art theories and practices.
- Organise, visualise and realise your own responses to contemporary art theory and practice.
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Reading List
Allen, Gwen, ed.. The Magazine. The MIT Press and Whitechapel Gallery. 2016.
De Souza, Allan. How Art Can be Thought. Duke University Press, 2018.
Van der Tuin, Iris, and Nanna Verhoeff. Critical Concepts for the Creative Humanities. Rowan & Littlefield, 2022.
Williams, Gilda. How to Write About Contemporary Art. Thames & Hudson, 2014. |
Additional Information
| Graduate Attributes and Skills |
Critical thinking: Creating their your thematic lens for an article supports you to develop independent thought around contemporary art theory and practice.
Communication: Completing Theme Assignments develops your ability to convey your ideas about key themes in contemporary art.
Inclusivity: Engaging with a diverse range of contemporary artistic practices opens you to different views and enables you to learn from different perspectives. |
| Keywords | Contemporary art |
Contacts
| Course organiser | Ms Frances Davis
Tel:
Email: fdavis@exseed.ed.ac.uk |
Course secretary | Nanami Chen
Tel:
Email: ychen7@ed.ac.uk |
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