The aim of this course is to argue the potential meanings of works of art and design which, for the purposes of the course, are regarded as the outcomes of any artistic production.  Through discursive processes, the course rehearses and refines a student's capacity for research, analysis and interpretation of works of art at a postgraduate level in ways that enhance both theoretical and practical research projects. The course additionally provides a focus on modes of analysis which prioritise the practical knowledge of the maker, and thus both the context of production and the context(s) of the work's reception in the world at large are investigated.

From case studies of works of art, texts, and contexts, students will develop methods and modes of analysis appropriate to the priorities and practical and material emphasis of practice-led research and to theoretical enquiry.

 The course is structured around seminar presentations and responses by staff, students and academic visitors. The course is image/object oriented, and foregrounds modes of visual analysis with an orientation towards the understanding of visual arts practice. The course will apply examples of research methodologies, historical and contextual analysis, collection research, and will test analytical and interpretative tools in the study of art objects.

On completion of the course, students should be able to:

1. analyse works of art, design and other forms of visual communication

2. evaluate selected historical, cultural and theoretical contexts of works of art in relation to their study object

3. identify and apply appropriate modes of analysis, evaluation and comparative critical frameworks

4. present reasoned, referenced, and structured arguments in both written and audio-visual forms

1. Participation: 10% [1-4]

2. Seminar presentation and submission of powerpoint: 20% [1-4]

3. Essay/research paper: 70% [1-4]

One 3 hour seminar per week conducted either at the School of Art or at local Museums and Galleries.  Students are expected to undertake at least 6 hours per week of independent study.

nil

no requirements

students need internet access.

From case studies of both works of art, texts, and contexts these courses will seek to develop methods and modes of analysis appropriate to the priorities of the practice-led research - which forms the majority emphasis of a postgraduate student's work at the ANU School of Art. In conjunction with the practical and material emphasis of these priorities, Arguing Objects also enables students from outside the School of Art to focus on modes of analysis which prioritise the practical knowledge of the maker, and thus to investigate both the context of production and the context(s) of the work's reception in the world at large.

In keeping with the objectives of the course, students are required to choose as their subject an art object housed in one of the institutions located in Canberra (eg, National Museum of Australia, National Library of Australia, National Gallery of Australia, Australian War Memorial, the ANU, or Canberra Museum and Gallery) as the focus of their study. For the purposes of this study, an "art object" may comprise a work of art or design in any medium.