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VIS2012 Visual Cultures

Subject Cat-nbr Class Term Mode Description Units Campus
VIS 2012 78521 2, 2008 ONC Visual Cultures 1.00 Toowoomba
Academic group: FOART
Academic org: FOA005
Student contribution band: 1
ASCED code: 100300

Contents


STAFFING

Examiner: Kyle Jenkins


REQUISITES

Pre-requisite: VIS1011


RATIONALE

Understanding and explaining contemporary culture requires an awareness of the historical legacy of the past, and a vision of the future positioned from the perspective of the present. Visual culture is basically concerned with material artifacts such as buildings, objects, and images that have been generated by human effort, imagination, and initiative created in a variety of media. In the last few decades the developments in technology have had a profound impact on artistic communication, the nature of this change has been reflected globally in visual culture. This course addresses issues of social and cultural practice that have historically challenged and shaped the arts to provide a receptive ground for the exploration and incorporation of new technologies. The roles of artist and audience are also undergoing change and development, thus offering new measures of analysis through the visual language of cultural codes and conventions.



SYNOPSIS

The history of representation has cultural implications that are framed by considerations of belief, class, ethnicity, gender, nationality, and philosophy. This course addresses aspects of these issues of social and cultural discourse as they challenge and shape current arts practice. Visual communication through the visual language of imagery will be explored to analyze and define the position and relationship between artist, audience, and artwork within a cultural and historical context.



OBJECTIVES

On successful completion of this course students will be able to:

1.
develop an awareness of the formation of culture and the processes of responding to change;
2.
understand the basic cultural formations and practices which shape visual arts communication;
3.
acquire a knowledge of the development of contemporary artistic forms through European and non-European traditions;
4.
recognise the underlying aesthetic conventions within works of art in their socio-cultural contexts;
5.
clearly and logically express personal ideas pertaining to cultural awareness as they relate to the visual arts.


TOPICS


Description Weighting (%)
1. The framing of culture.
 14.00
2. The purposes of artworks: vehicles for visual communication.
 14.00
3. Aesthetics and everyday life: changing cultural contexts for the visual arts.
 14.00
4. Interpreting artworks.
 14.00
5. Art and its audience.
 14.00
6. The roles of popular culture and the challenge to tradition.
 14.00
7. Relating cultural and aesthetic theories to artistic practices.
 16.00

TEXT and MATERIALS required to be PURCHASED or accessed

ALL textbooks and materials are available for purchase from USQ BOOKSHOP (unless otherwise stated). Orders may be placed via secure internet, free fax 1800642453, phone 07 46312742 (within Australia), or mail. Overseas students should fax +61 7 46311743, or phone +61 7 46312742. For costs, further details, and internet ordering, use the 'Textbook Search' facility at http://bookshop.usq.edu.au click 'Semester', then enter your 'Course Code' (no spaces).

There is no set text



REFERENCE MATERIALS

Reference materials are materials that, if accessed by students, may improve their knowledge and understanding of the material in the course and enrich their learning experience.

Art US,
((Previously Art and Text))

Art and Australia,

Art and Asia Pacific,

Australia art monthly,

Artforum,

Parkett,

Leonardo,

Art in America,

Appignanesi, R & Garratt, C 1995, Postmodernism for beginners, Icon Books, Cambridge.

Araeen, R, Cubitt, S & Sardar, Z 2002, The third text reader on art, culture and theory, Continuum, London.

Benjamin, A & Osborne, P (eds) 1991, Thinking art: beyond traditional aesthetics, Institute of Contemporary Art, London.

Broinowski, A 1996, The yellow lady: Australian impressions of Asia, 2nd edn, Oxford University Press, Oxford.

Carter, M 1990, Framing art: introducing theory and the visual image, Hale & Iremonger, Sydney.

Charleston, R (ed.) 1990, World ceramics: an illustrated history, Hamlyn, London.

Colchester, C 1993, The new textiles: trends and traditions, Thames & Hudson, London.

Cunningham, S 1992, Framing culture: criticism and policy in Australia, Allen & Unwin, Sydney.

Eagleton, T 1996, The illusions of postmodernism, Blackwell, Cambridge, Mass.

Ede, S (ed) 2000, Strange and charmed: science and the contemporary visual arts, Calouste Gulbenkian Foundation, London.

Frascina, F & Harris, J (eds) 1995, Art in modern culture: an anthology of critical texts, Harper Collins, New York.

Freadman, A & MacDonald, A 1992, What is this thing called genre?: four essays in the semiotics of genre, Boombana Publications, Mount Nebo, Qld.

Frow, J & Morris, M (eds) 1993, Australian cultural studies: a reader, Allen and Unwin, St Leonards.

Gandhi, L 1998, Postcolonial theory: a critical introduction, Allen & Unwin, Sydney.

Gibson, R 1992, South of the west: postcolonialism and narrative construction of Australia, Indiana University Press, Bloomington.

Grossberg, L, Nelson, C & Treichler, P (eds) 1991, Cultural studies, Routledge, New York.

Harris, J (ed.) 1993, 5000 years of textiles, British Museum Press, London.

Hesford, W 1999, Framing identities: autobiography and the politics of pedagogy, University of Minnesota Press, Minneapolis.

Langer, C & Frueh, J (eds) 1991, Feminist art criticism: an anthology, Harper Collins, New York.

Lawrence-Lightfoot, S & Hoffmann-Davis, J 1997, The art and science of portraiture, Jossey-Bass Publishers, San Francisco.

Lemert, C 1997, Postmodernism is not what you think, Blackwell, Oxford.

Lewis, R 1995, Gendering orientalism: race, femininity and representation, Routledge, New York.

Macey, D 2001, Penguin dictionary of critical theory, Penguin, London.

Mirzoeff, N 1999, An introduction to visual culture, Routledge, London.

Nelson, R & Shiff, R (eds) 2003, Critical terms for art history, 2nd edn, University of Chicago Press, Chicago.

Prinz, J 1991, Art discourse/discourse in art, Rutgers University Press, New Brunswick.

Rowley, S (ed) 1997, Craft and contemporary theory, Allen & Unwin, Sydney.

Said, E 1993, Culture and imperialism, Knopf, New York.

Said, E 1995, Orientalism, Penguin, London.
(Reprint)

Schwichtenberg, C (ed) 1992, The Madonna connection: representational politics, sub cultural identities and cultural theory, Allen & Unwin, Sydney.

Smith, B 1998, Modernism's history, University of New South Wales Press, Sydney.

Spivak, GC 1999, A critique of postcolonial reason: toward a history of the vanishing present, Harvard University Press, Cambridge, Mass.

Walker, J 1983, Art in the age of mass media, Pluto Press, London.

Walker, J & Chaplin, S 1997, Visual culture: an introduction, Manchester University Press, Manchester.

Wallis, B, Weenm, M & Yenawine, P 1999, Art matters: how the culture wars changed America, New York University Press, New York.

Watkins, SA, Rueda, M & Rodriguez, M 1992, Feminism for beginners, Icon Books, Cambridge.



STUDENT WORKLOAD REQUIREMENTS

ACTIVITY HOURS
Lectures 26.00
Private Study 126.00
Tutorials 13.00


ASSESSMENT DETAILS

Description Marks out of Wtg(%) Due date Notes
CULTURAL ETHNOGRAPHY 100.00 30.00 11 Aug 2008 (see note 1)
WRITTEN ASSIGNMENT 100.00 30.00 08 Sep 2008 (see note 2)
JRNL OF RES & TUT PREP & PA 100.00 40.00 03 Nov 2008 (see note 3)
NOTES
1.
This assessment item is alligned with Objectives 1 and 5.
2.
This assessment item is aligned with Objectives 2, 3 and 4.
3.
The journal is to include relevant articles, reviews, tutorial research preparation and material for oral presentations during tutorials as well as notes from lectures. This assessment item is aligned with Objectives 2, 3 and 4.

IMPORTANT ASSESSMENT INFORMATION

  1. Attendance requirements:
    It is the student's responsibility to attend and participate appropriately in all activities (such as lectures, tutorials, laboratories and practical work) scheduled for them, and to study all material provided to them or required to be accessed by them to maximise their chance of meeting the objectives of the course and to be informed of course-related activities and administration. For this course, normal class attendance consists of one 2 hour lecture and one 1 hour tutorial per week.
  2. Requirements for students to complete each assessment item satisfactorily:
    To successfully complete an individual assessment item, a student must achieve at least 50% of the marks or a grade of at least C-. This statement must be read in conjunction with Statement 4 below.
  3. Penalties for late submission of required work:
    If students submit assignments after the due date without extenuating circumstances and without prior approval, then a penalty of a maximum of 5% of the assigned mark may apply for each working day late, up to a maximum of 10 working days, at which time a mark of zero can be recorded for that assignment.
  4. Requirements for student to be awarded a passing grade in the course:
    To be assured of receiving a passing grade, a student must achieve at least 50% of the total weighted marks available for the course.
  5. Method used to combine assessment results to attain final grade:
    The final grades for students will be assigned on the basis of the aggregate of the weighted marks obtained for each of the summative assessment items in the course.
  6. Examination information:
    There is no exam for this course.
  7. Examination period when Deferred/Supplementary examinations will be held:
    Given the details under (6) above, there are no deferred exams for this course. However, if any deferred/makeup work is granted, it would have to be submitted by a date set by the examiner.
  8. University Regulations:
    Students should read USQ Regulations 5.1 Definitions, 5.6 Assessment, and 5.10 Academic Misconduct for further information and to avoid actions which might contravene University Regulations. These regulations can be found at the URL http://www.usq.edu.au/corporateservices/calendar/part5.htm

ASSESSMENT NOTES

9. (a) The due date for an assignment is the date by which a student must lodge the assignment at the USQ. (b) All Faculty of Arts assignments must be lodged in the Faculty Assessment Centre on the Ground Floor of Q Block no later than 12 noon on the due date. (c) In the event that a due date for an assignment falls on a local public holiday in their area, such as a Show holiday, the due date for the assignment will be the next day. Students are to note on the assignment cover the date of the public holiday for the examiner's convenience. (d). Students must retain a copy of each item submitted for assessment. This must be despatched to USQ within 24 hours if requested by the Examiner. (e) In accordance with University's Assignment Extension Policy (Regulation 5.6.1), the examiner of a course may grant an extension of the due date of an assignment in extenuating circumstances such as documented ill-health. (f) Students who have undertaken all of the required assessments in the course but who have failed to meet some of the specified objectives of the course within the normally prescribed time may be awarded the temporary grade: IM (Incomplete-Makeup). An IM grade will only be awarded when, in the opinion of the examiner, a student will be able to achieve the remaining objectives of the course after a period of non-directed personal study. (g) Students who, for medical, family/personal, or employment-related reasons, are unable to complete an assignment or sit for an examination at the scheduled time, may apply to defer an assessment in the course. Such a request must be accompanied by appropriate supporting documentation. One of the following temporary grades may be awarded: IDS (Incomplete - Deferred Examination; IDM (Incomplete Deferred Make-up); IDB (Incomplete - Both Deferred Examination and Deferred Make-up).
10. Students are strongly advised to maintain regular contact with their supervisor.

This version produced 28 Aug 2009.
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