• Offered by School of Art and Design
  • ANU College ANU College of Arts and Social Sciences
  • Course subject Art History
  • Areas of interest Art History, Cultural Studies, History, Design Arts, Arts
  • Academic career UGRD
  • Course convener
    • AsPr Robert Wellington
  • Mode of delivery In Person
  • Offered in Second Semester 2024
    See Future Offerings

This course will examine how social and historical change shaped art, design, and curating in the modern and contemporary periods. It will explore the impacts of technology and globalisation, ideologies and institutions on the production, dissemination and understanding of art and design. The formation of modern cultural institutions and markets will be examined, tracing the global development of museums, art galleries and biennales. Postmodern challenges to the histories and institutions of modern art will be studied, including practices based in regional and non-Western cultural traditions, diverse and resistance identities, and disruptive forms of media and engagement.

Learning Outcomes

Upon successful completion, students will have the knowledge and skills to:

  1. identify and apply the principal methodologies of art history and curatorial studies;
  2. analyse the visual, historical and theoretical aspects of a broad range of visual culture in the modern period;
  3. identify major cultural themes and historical paths in modern and contemporary art and design;
  4. research and access information about art history and theory; and
  5. present written and oral arguments about the ideas that inform art and design from a wide range of periods and cultures.

Indicative Assessment

  1. Exhibition Review or Artwork/Collection Analysis (1000 words) (25) [LO 1,2,4,5]
  2. Research essay (2000 words) (40) [LO 1,2,3,4,5]
  3. Take-home test (1000 words) (25) [LO 1,2,3,5]
  4. Participation (10) [LO 1,2,3,5]

The ANU uses Turnitin to enhance student citation and referencing techniques, and to assess assignment submissions as a component of the University's approach to managing Academic Integrity. While the use of Turnitin is not mandatory, the ANU highly recommends Turnitin is used by both teaching staff and students. For additional information regarding Turnitin please visit the ANU Online website.

Workload

130 hours of total student learning time made up from: a) 36 hours of contact over 12 weeks: 24 hours of lectures (lectures, panels, group activities), and 12 hours of tutorials; and b) 94 hours of independent student research, reading and writing. Contact hours may include visits to art galleries, museums and collection on ANU campus and in Canberra.

Inherent Requirements

Not applicable

Requisite and Incompatibility

You are not able to enrol in this course if you are enrolled in, or have previously completed ANUC1120.

Prescribed Texts

None

Preliminary Reading

Archer, Michael, Art since 1960 (London; New York: Thames & Hudson, London, 1997).

Broude, Norma (ed.), World Impressionism (New York: Harry N. Abrams Inc. Publishers, 1990).

Clark, John, Modern Asian Art (Sydney; Honolulu: Fine Art Press; University of Hawaii Press, 1998).

Foster, Hal et al Art After 1900: Modernism, Antimodernism, Postmodernism (London: Thames and Hudson, 2004).

Harrison, Charles & Paul Wood (eds), Art in theory: 1900-2000: An Anthology of Changing Ideas, 2nd ed. (Oxford: Blackwell Publishing, 2009).

Highmore, Ben, The Design Culture Reader (London: Routledge, 2009).

Smith, Terry, What is Contemporary Art? (Chicago: University of Chicago Press, 2011).

Stephen, Ann, Andrew McNamara, and Philip Goad (eds.) Modernism & Australia: Documents on Art, Design and Architecture 1917-1967 (Carlton: The Miegunyah Press, 2007).

McLean, Ian Rattling Spears: A History of Indigenous Australian Art (London: Reaktion, 2106) .

Wood, Paul (ed.), The Challenge of the Avant-Garde (New Haven & London: Yale University Press, 1999)

Fees

Tuition fees are for the academic year indicated at the top of the page.  

Commonwealth Support (CSP) Students
If you have been offered a Commonwealth supported place, your fees are set by the Australian Government for each course. At ANU 1 EFTSL is 48 units (normally 8 x 6-unit courses). More information about your student contribution amount for each course at Fees

Student Contribution Band:
14
Unit value:
6 units

If you are a domestic graduate coursework student with a Domestic Tuition Fee (DTF) place or international student you will be required to pay course tuition fees (see below). Course tuition fees are indexed annually. Further information for domestic and international students about tuition and other fees can be found at Fees.

Where there is a unit range displayed for this course, not all unit options below may be available.

Units EFTSL
6.00 0.12500
Domestic fee paying students
Year Fee
2024 $4080
International fee paying students
Year Fee
2024 $5280
Note: Please note that fee information is for current year only.

Offerings, Dates and Class Summary Links

ANU utilises MyTimetable to enable students to view the timetable for their enrolled courses, browse, then self-allocate to small teaching activities / tutorials so they can better plan their time. Find out more on the Timetable webpage.

The list of offerings for future years is indicative only.
Class summaries, if available, can be accessed by clicking on the View link for the relevant class number.

Second Semester

Class number Class start date Last day to enrol Census date Class end date Mode Of Delivery Class Summary
7404 22 Jul 2024 29 Jul 2024 31 Aug 2024 25 Oct 2024 In Person N/A

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