This course introduces key concepts and methods in the history of art, design, and curatorial studies for students of humanities and art and design practice. You will explore how images and objects shape ways of seeing, imagining and knowing the world, and consider how they establish cultural meaning through material, form and ideas. Art and design—primarily from Europe, Asia and Australia—will be considered in terms of cultural beliefs, social meaning, historical experience and systems of knowledge. Focussing on the themes of time and place, the course will examine cultural practices in terms of history (context, continuity, change), knowledge (reason, imagination, belief), meaning (mediums, symbols, aesthetics) and experience (materiality, subjectivity, sociality).
Learning Outcomes
Upon successful completion, students will have the knowledge and skills to:
- identify and apply the principal methodologies of art history and curatorial studies;
- critically analyse the visual, historical and theoretical aspects of a broad range of visual culture;
- identify major cultural themes and historical paths in world art;
- research and access information about art history and theory; and
- present written and oral arguments about the ideas that inform art and design from a wide range of periods and cultures.
Indicative Assessment
- Tutorial presentation (1000 words) (20) [LO 2,4,5]
- Research questionnaire (500 words) (20) [LO 1,4,5]
- Take-home visual analysis exam (1000 words) (25) [LO 1,2,3,5]
- Research essay (2000 words) (35) [LO 1,2,4,5]
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.
Prescribed Texts
None
Preliminary Reading
Barbe-Gall, Françoise, How to Look at a Painting (London: Frances Lincoln, 2010).
Barnet, Sylvan, A Short Guide to Writing About Art (Upper Saddle River, N.J.: Pearson/Prentice Hall, 2010).
Bell, Julian. Mirror of the World: A New History of Art (London: Thames and Hudson, 2007).
Berger, John, Ways of Seeing (London: BBC and Penguin Books, 2008).
Green, Alexandra (ed.). Rethinking Visual Narratives from Asia: Intercultural and Comparative Perspectives (Hong Kong: Hong Kong University Press, 2013).
Harrison, Charles, Paul Wood, and Jason Gaiger (eds.), Art in Theory 1648-1815: An Anthology of Changing Ideas (London: Wiley-Blackwell, 2001).
Hodge, Susie, How to Look at Art (London: Tate Publishing 2014).
Kemp, Martin (ed.), The Oxford History of Western Art (New York: Oxford University Press, 2004).
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 |
Course fees
- Domestic fee paying students
| Year | Fee |
|---|---|
| 2025 | $4320 |
- International fee paying students
| Year | Fee |
|---|---|
| 2025 | $5580 |
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.
Class summaries, if available, can be accessed by clicking on the View link for the relevant class number.
First Semester
| Class number | Class start date | Last day to enrol | Census date | Class end date | Mode Of Delivery | Class Summary |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 3455 | 17 Feb 2025 | 24 Feb 2025 | 31 Mar 2025 | 23 May 2025 | In Person | View |