University of St Andrews

Key information

SCOTCAT credits : 30

ECTS credits : 15

Level : SCQF level 10

Semester: 1

Availability restrictions: Not automatically available to General degree students

Planned timetable: 4.00 pm - 6.00 pm Thurs (lecture) and either 11.00am or 12 noon Fri (seminar)

This module uses the human body as a prism through which to view some of the key developments in visual art and society since the 1960s. We begin with the breakdown of the modernist paradigm and the diversification of art practice into many forms that engage the body of the artist and viewer, seen alongside the rise of the women¿s liberation movement. We then move on to look at artists who have used the body to explore issues of identity politics around race and sexuality, including the rise of queer theory in the 1990s, and how issues of illness and disability challenge the conception of a normative body. To conclude we look at the impact of technology on the body in art and critiques of anthropocentric thinking. The aim throughout will be to foster awareness of how both art and the discourse of art history reflect on and engage with socio-historical change.

Relationship to other modules

Pre-requisite(s): Before taking this module you must pass AH2001 and pass AH2002 and ( pass AH1001 or pass AH1003 )

Learning and teaching methods and delivery

Weekly contact: One 2-hour lecture (x 10 weeks), One 1-hour seminar (x 10 weeks)

Scheduled learning hours: 30

Guided independent study hours: 280

Assessment pattern

As used by St Andrews: Coursework = 70%, 48-hour Take-home Written Examination = 30%

As defined by QAA
Written examinations : 30%
Practical examinations : 0%
Coursework: 70%

Re-assessment: Coursework = 100%

Personnel

Module coordinator: Dr N Macdonald
Module teaching staff: Dr N Macdonald