Course Title: Cultures and Contexts

Part A: Course Overview

Course Title: Cultures and Contexts

Credit Points: 12.00

Important Information:

This course is delivered in BA (Fine Arts) (Honours) & BA (Photography) (Honours)


Terms

Course Code

Campus

Career

School

Learning Mode

Teaching Period(s)

VART3019

City Campus

Undergraduate

340H Art

Face-to-Face

 Sem 1 2006,
Sem 2 2006,
Sem 1 2007,
Sem 2 2007,
Sem 1 2008,
Sem 2 2008,
Sem 1 2012,
Sem 1 2013,
Sem 1 2014,
Sem 2 2014,
Sem 1 2015,
Sem 2 2015,
Sem 1 2016,
Sem 1 2020,
Sem 1 2021,
Sem 1 2022,
Sem 1 2023,
Sem 1 2024,
Sem 1 2025

Course Coordinator: Kelly Hussey-Smith

Course Coordinator Phone: please email

Course Coordinator Email: kelly.hussey-smith@rmit.edu.au

Course Coordinator Availability: Via email


Pre-requisite Courses and Assumed Knowledge and Capabilities

None


Course Description

This course aims to develop and strengthen your critical and analytical capacities and to extend your knowledge and skills in creative practice. Cultures and Contexts expands on the relationships between practice and theory, also known as praxis, and aims to develop your expressive capacity, aesthetic sensibility and creative knowledge. This course includes critical contextual analyses, the presentation of the cumulative development of your project, and a discussion of appropriate presentation frameworks for contemporary creative practice.

If you are enrolled in this course as a component of your Bachelor Honours Program, your overall mark will contribute to the calculation of the weighted average mark (WAM).   See the WAM information web page for more information.  


Objectives/Learning Outcomes/Capability Development

BH052 Program Learning Outcomes:

  • Apply a body of theoretical and practical knowledge to undertake and initiate independent research as an integral part of your professional and artistic development and communicate research outcomes to a variety of audiences
  • Critically analyse, synthesise and reflect on your arts practice, in order to continually develop, change and plan for a future that is both informed and improved by arts practice
  • Work autonomously and with others with the ability to apply new theories of practice and embrace new developments in cultural/artistic production
  • Build a body of knowledge that articulates the conceptual and artistic character of art practice in written and spoken communication.

BH125 Program Learning Outcomes:

  • Apply independent research and advanced practical knowledge in the innovative production of a folio to communicate research out- comes to a variety of audiences.
  • Critically analyse and reflect on your photography practice to continually develop, change and plan for a future that is both informed and improved by professional photographic practice.
  • Work autonomously, and with others to apply new theories of practice and embrace new developments in photo- graphic technology and image analysis.
  • Develop and implement a vision and philosophy of photographic practice through global, social, cultural, environmental and historical knowledge and contexts to contribute to the positive development of culture.


Upon successful completion of this course, you will be able to:

  1. Identify and develop meaningful conceptual frameworks and cultural references for your creative practice.
  2. Cultivate a critically reflective creative practice informed by local and global contexts.
  3. Effectively communicate your creative practice.
  4. Develop expansive discourses, studio methodologies and presentations.


Overview of Learning Activities

In consultation with your supervising lecturer, you will formulate a research proposal. From this proposal, key technical and conceptual milestones are identified and placed within a timeline for the project’s successful completion and a plan is developed to facilitate these objectives.

You will be encouraged to use personal agency to explore the parameters of your project and will be provided with appropriate resources. You will undertake independent research in the area suggested by the focus of your project. All aspects of the project are reviewed and may be refined over the course of the semester.


Overview of Learning Resources

Requirements will vary depending on the specific nature of the project undertaken and students will be directed to appropriate resources by their supervising lecturer.


Overview of Assessment

You will be assessed on how well you meet the course’s learning outcomes and on your development against the program learning outcomes. 

Assessment Tasks

Task 1: Research Project Summary 35%, CLO1, CLO2, CLO3
 
Task 2: Trial Presentation of Creative Works 50%, CLO1, CLO2, CLO4 
 
Task 3: Documentation and artist statement 15%, CLO2, CLO3, CLO4

Feedback will be given on all assessment tasks. 

If you have a long term medical condition and/or disability it may be possible to negotiate to vary aspects of the learning or assessment methods. You can contact the program coordinator or Equitable Learning Services if you would like to find out more. 

Your course assessment conforms to RMIT assessment principles, regulations, policies, procedures and instructions.