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Unit of Study ART00600 - Introduction to Visual Culture (2014)

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Unit Snapshot

Unit description

Introduces students to the critical, art-historical and aesthetic theories that are central to visual culture. Visual languages associated with modernism and postmodernism will be examined from a contemporary perspective, with emphasis on the ideological structures behind historical narratives, and on key socio-political issues that have shaped an understanding of visual practice.

Unit content

1. Art history vs visual culture 

2. Intro to semiotics

3. What is Contemporary Art?

4. Art and Popular Culture

5. Overview of modernism and postmodernism

6. Thinking images

7. Essay writing skills and critical thinking

Availabilities

Location Domestic International
Lismore Session 1 Session 1

Learning outcomes and graduate attributes

Unit Learning Outcomes express learning achievement in terms of what a student should know, understand and be able to do on completion of a unit. These outcomes are aligned with the graduate attributes. The unit learning outcomes and graduate attributes are also the basis of evaluating prior learning.

On completion of this unit, students should be able to:

GA1: , GA2: , GA3: , GA4: , GA5: , GA6: , GA7:
GA1 GA2 GA3 GA4 GA5 GA6 GA7
1 demonstrate a willingness to apply analytical knowledge of visual culture issues to focused writing, and verbal discussion.
2 recognise the contexts and dynamic processes in the production and analysis of visual culture.
3 demonstrate basic visual literacy by using analytical conventions when interpreting visual phenomena.
4 demonstrate a sound understanding of core themes in modern, postmodern and contemporary art.
5 demonstrate basic information literacy skills including summarising information, comprehension of relevant terminology and basic research and citation skills.
6 locate their own practices within historical contexts.
7 identify key contemporary debates in visual art and culture.

On completion of this unit, students should be able to:

  1. demonstrate a willingness to apply analytical knowledge of visual culture issues to focused writing, and verbal discussion.
    • GA6:
    • GA7:
  2. recognise the contexts and dynamic processes in the production and analysis of visual culture.
    • GA1:
  3. demonstrate basic visual literacy by using analytical conventions when interpreting visual phenomena.
    • GA1:
  4. demonstrate a sound understanding of core themes in modern, postmodern and contemporary art.
    • GA1:
    • GA7:
  5. demonstrate basic information literacy skills including summarising information, comprehension of relevant terminology and basic research and citation skills.
    • GA6:
  6. locate their own practices within historical contexts.
    • GA7:
  7. identify key contemporary debates in visual art and culture.
    • GA1:

Prescribed learning resources

Prescribed Texts
  • No prescribed texts.

Prescribed Learning Resources may change in future Teaching Periods.