Overview
In this unit, you will be introduced to common themes in international visual art practices since the 1980s. You will examine prominent critical and cultural theory and reflect on the ongoing influence of these discourses on visual arts production and criticism. In this unit, you will also explore issues of identity and cultural imperialism in recent and contemporary artworks of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples and the works of artists from the Asia-Pacific region.
Details
Pre-requisites or Co-requisites
There are no requisites for this unit.
Important note: Students enrolled in a subsequent unit who failed their pre-requisite unit, should drop the subsequent unit before the census date or within 10 working days of Fail grade notification. Students who do not drop the unit in this timeframe cannot later drop the unit without academic and financial liability. See details in the Assessment Policy and Procedure (Higher Education Coursework).
Offerings For Term 1 - 2020
Attendance Requirements
All on-campus students are expected to attend scheduled classes – in some units, these classes are identified as a mandatory (pass/fail) component and attendance is compulsory. International students, on a student visa, must maintain a full time study load and meet both attendance and academic progress requirements in each study period (satisfactory attendance for International students is defined as maintaining at least an 80% attendance record).
Recommended Student Time Commitment
Each 6-credit Undergraduate unit at CQUniversity requires an overall time commitment of an average of 12.5 hours of study per week, making a total of 150 hours for the unit.
Class Timetable
Assessment Overview
Assessment Grading
This is a graded unit: your overall grade will be calculated from the marks or grades for each assessment task, based on the relative weightings shown in the table above. You must obtain an overall mark for the unit of at least 50%, or an overall grade of ‘pass’ in order to pass the unit. If any ‘pass/fail’ tasks are shown in the table above they must also be completed successfully (‘pass’ grade). You must also meet any minimum mark requirements specified for a particular assessment task, as detailed in the ‘assessment task’ section (note that in some instances, the minimum mark for a task may be greater than 50%). Consult the University’s Grades and Results Policy for more details of interim results and final grades.
All University policies are available on the CQUniversity Policy site.
You may wish to view these policies:
- Grades and Results Policy
- Assessment Policy and Procedure (Higher Education Coursework)
- Review of Grade Procedure
- Student Academic Integrity Policy and Procedure
- Monitoring Academic Progress (MAP) Policy and Procedure – Domestic Students
- Monitoring Academic Progress (MAP) Policy and Procedure – International Students
- Student Refund and Credit Balance Policy and Procedure
- Student Feedback – Compliments and Complaints Policy and Procedure
- Information and Communications Technology Acceptable Use Policy and Procedure
This list is not an exhaustive list of all University policies. The full list of University policies are available on the CQUniversity Policy site.
Feedback, Recommendations and Responses
Every unit is reviewed for enhancement each year. At the most recent review, the following staff and student feedback items were identified and recommendations were made.
Feedback from Student unit evaluation.
Tutorial format.
Encourage and provide further time in tutorials for student discussion of artists, themes and their relationship to theoretical perspectives introduced in this unit.
- Conduct focused research and develop context specific knowledge to inform and share opinions in appropriate written styles
- Identify and apply a range of concepts from critical theory and cultural studies to a discreet selection of late twentieth century and contemporary Australian, Asian and Pacific visual art practices.
Not applicable.
Alignment of Assessment Tasks to Learning Outcomes
| Assessment Tasks | Learning Outcomes | |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | 2 | |
| 1 - Annotated bibliography - 25% | ||
| 2 - Research Assignment - 40% | ||
| 3 - In-class Test(s) - 35% | ||
Alignment of Graduate Attributes to Learning Outcomes
| Graduate Attributes | Learning Outcomes | |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | 2 | |
| 1 - Communication | ||
| 2 - Problem Solving | ||
| 3 - Critical Thinking | ||
| 4 - Information Literacy | ||
| 5 - Team Work | ||
| 6 - Information Technology Competence | ||
| 7 - Cross Cultural Competence | ||
| 8 - Ethical practice | ||
| 9 - Social Innovation | ||
| 10 - Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Cultures | ||
Alignment of Assessment Tasks to Graduate Attributes
| Assessment Tasks | Graduate Attributes | |||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | |
| 1 - Annotated bibliography - 25% | ||||||||||
| 2 - Research Assignment - 40% | ||||||||||
| 3 - In-class Test(s) - 35% | ||||||||||
Textbooks
Themes of Contemporary Art: Visual Art After 1980.
Edition: Fourth (2017)
Authors: Robertson, Jean, McDaniel, Craig.
Oxford University Press
New York. New York. , New York. , Unites States of America.
ISBN: 9780190276652. B
Binding: Paperback
Additional Textbook Information
Copies can be purchased at the CQUni Bookshop here: http://bookshop.cqu.edu.au (search on the Unit code)
IT Resources
- CQUniversity Student Email
- Internet
- Unit Website (Moodle)
All submissions for this unit must use the referencing style: American Psychological Association 6th Edition (APA 6th edition)
For further information, see the Assessment Tasks.
p.connor@cqu.edu.au
Module/Topic
The End of Art History.
Chapter
Read week 1 Study Guide: The End of Art History.
Events and Submissions/Topic
Topic:
The 'end of art history', the 'end of modern art'.
Module/Topic
Globalism and Cultural Studies.
Chapter
- Read week 2 Study Guide: Globalism and Cultural Studies.
- Read pages 13 -23 of primary text: Robertson. J, Mc Daniel. C. (2017) Themes of Contemporary Art: Visual Art after 1980 (fourth edition), New York: Oxford University Press. (A spectrum of voices emerges - Theory flexes its muscles).
- Explore related week 2 Moodle resources.
Events and Submissions/Topic
Topics:
Globalisation and the impact of critical theory and cultural studies in contemporary visual arts practices.
Module/Topic
Ideology. What might a contemporary, critical view of ideology look like?
Chapter
- Read week 3 Study Guide: Ideology.
- Read page 204 of primary text: Robertson. J, Mc Daniel. C. (2017) Themes of Contemporary Art: Visual Art after 1980 (fourth edition), New York: Oxford University Press. (official and excluded histories - Foucault)
- Explore related week 3 Moodle resources.
Events and Submissions/Topic
Topics:
Ideology, Power, Hegemony, Foucault and the Frankfurt School, Colonialism and Post-colonialism, capitalism and globalism, Derrida and 'deconstruction'.
Artists investigated:
• Michael Cook
• Daniel Boyd
• Fiona Foley
• Greg Semu
Module/Topic
Identity. What is identity and how is it constructed?
Chapter
- Read week 4 Study Guide: Identity.
- Read pages 55 - 82 of primary text: Robertson. J, Mc Daniel. C. (2017) Themes of Contemporary Art: Visual Art after 1980 (fourth edition), New York: Oxford University Press.
- Explore related week 4 Moodle resources.
Events and Submissions/Topic
Topics:
- The relationship between themes such as identity, the body, time and memory etc.
- Identity politics and 'otherness'.
Artists investigated:
⚬ Cindy Sherman
⚬ Will Wilson
⚬ Judy Watson
⚬ Gordon Bennett
Module/Topic
The Body. Why has the body become a site for investigation by cultural theorists and artists?
Chapter
- Read week 5 Study Guide: The Body.
- Read pages 99 - 130 of primary text: Robertson. J, Mc Daniel. C. (2017) Themes of Contemporary Art: Visual Art after 1980 (fourth edition), New York: Oxford University Press.
- Explore related week 5 Moodle resources.
Events and Submissions/Topic
Topics:
Mass media representations and the body as a sign, 'the gaze' and the sexualised body, fluid identities, the beautiful and the grotesque.
Artists investigated:
⚬ Jenny Saville
⚬ Ah Xian
⚬ Mike Parr
⚬ Julie Brown Rrap.
Module/Topic
NA
Chapter
NA
Events and Submissions/Topic
NA
Module/Topic
Time. How does the abstract concept of time effect our notions of self?
Chapter
- Read week 6 Study Guide: Time.
- Read pages 144 - 169 of primary text: Robertson. J, Mc Daniel. C. (2017) Themes of Contemporary Art: Visual Art after 1980 (fourth edition), New York: Oxford University Press.
- Explore related week 6 Moodle resources.
Events and Submissions/Topic
Topics:
Time, history and memory.
Artists investigated:
⚬ Joseph Beuys
⚬ Christian Marclay
⚬ William Kentridge
⚬ Shaun Gladwell
Module/Topic
Memory. How are time, memory and history interrelated?
Chapter
- Read week 7 Study Guide: Memory.
- Read pages 181 - 213 of primary text: Robertson. J, Mc Daniel. C. (2017) Themes of Contemporary Art: Visual Art after 1980 (fourth edition), New York: Oxford University Press.
- Explore related week 6 Moodle resources.
Events and Submissions/Topic
Topics:
The unreliability of memory in identity construction, cultural memory, collective memory, story telling and oral histories and their relationship with visual cultural traditions.
Artists investigated:
⚬ Louise Bourgeois
⚬ Bill Namiayangwa
⚬ Ramingining Artists (Memorial)
⚬ Atul Dodiya
⚬ Ai Weiwei
Annotated Bibliography. Due: Week 7 Friday (1 May 2020) 11:45 pm AEST
Module/Topic
Place. How do places effect our sense of self?
Chapter
- Read week 8 Study Guide: Place.
- Read pages 277 - 261 of primary text: Robertson. J, Mc Daniel. C. (2017) Themes of Contemporary Art: Visual Art after 1980 (fourth edition), New York: Oxford University Press.
- Explore related week 8 Moodle resources.
Events and Submissions/Topic
Topics:
Place and its relationship to identity construction, place as physical space and cultural space, natural space or person made space, architecture and the role of different kinds of spaces, public, private, real and virtual.
Artists investigated:
⚬ Ian Smith
⚬ Emily Kame Kngwarreye
⚬ Ron McBurnie
⚬ Jan Senbergs
⚬ Brook Andrew
⚬ Khvay Samnang
Module/Topic
Language. Why is the written word a common feature of contemporary visual art practice?
Chapter
- Read week 9 Study Guide: Language.
- Read pages 277 - 309 of primary text: Robertson. J, Mc Daniel. C. (2017) Themes of Contemporary Art: Visual Art after 1980 (fourth edition), New York: Oxford University Press.
- Explore related week 9 Moodle resources.
Events and Submissions/Topic
Topics:
Post-structuralism and the linguistic turn, the ubiquity of art and text.
Artists investigated:
⚬ Joseph Kosuth
⚬ Jenny Holzer
⚬ Bea Maddock
⚬ Christian Thompson
⚬ STAB
⚬ Parastou Forouhar
Module/Topic
Science and Technology. How does science and technology continue to shape who we are? How might contemporary artists explore these changes?
Chapter
- Read week 10 Study Guide: Science and Technology.
- Read pages 323 - 354 of primary text: Robertson. J, Mc Daniel. C. (2017) Themes of Contemporary Art: Visual Art after 1980 (fourth edition), New York: Oxford University Press.
- Explore related week 10 Moodle resources.
Events and Submissions/Topic
Topics:
Technology and civilisation, and use and fear of technology (truth, hope, or doom?), critiques of contemporary processes of modernisation in the Asia/Pacific, Art/Science hybrid artforms.
Artists investigated:
⚬ Stelarc
⚬ Patricia Picinini
⚬ Orlan
⚬ Jeffrey Shaw
⚬ John Young
Module/Topic
Spirituality. The arts and spirituality have always been aligned.How might
contemporary visual arts serve the need to confirm or challenge worldviews
and seek transcendence.
Chapter
- Read week 11 Study Guide: Spirituality.
- Read pages 365 - 399 of primary text: Robertson. J, Mc Daniel. C. (2017)Themes of Contemporary Art: Visual Art after 1980 (fourth edition), New York: Oxford University Press.
- Explore related week 11 Moodle resources.
Events and Submissions/Topic
Topics:
Spirituality, faith, death and transcendence.
Artists investigated:
⚬ Bill Viola
⚬ Tim Johnson
⚬ Andres Serrano
⚬ Rosella Namok
⚬ Alick Tipoti
⚬ Clifford Possum Tjapaltjarri
Submission:
Submit Assessment 2 - Research assignment.
Research Assignment Due: Week 11 Friday (29 May 2020) 11:45 pm AEST
Module/Topic
Chapter
Study Guides and learning resources, weeks 1-12
Events and Submissions/Topic
Module/Topic
Review study guides and weekly readings in preparation for Assessment 3 - In class test.
Chapter
Study Guides and learning resources, weeks 1-12
Events and Submissions/Topic
Review of weekly study guides in preparation for Assessment 3 - In class test.
Module/Topic
Sit final exam.
Chapter
Weeks 1-12.
Events and Submissions/Topic
1 Annotated bibliography
Length: 1000-1500 words.
Due Date/Time:Week 7; 11:45 pm Friday, 1/5/19 (AEST)
Task Description: For this assessment you will develop and submit an annotated bibliography. This bibliography will list 10 quality sources which you have identified as having direct relevance to supporting the development of your research assignment (Assessment 2).
Your annotated bibliography will include:
· 5 books (hard copy, online or e-books)
· 5 academic or industry journal articles (ArtAsiaPacific, Art and Australia, Art Monthly and Imprint can be accessed through the CQUniversity library).
· Each listed book or article will be accompanied with a 100 - 150 word statement, summarising the relevance of this resource to the research topic.
The annotated bibliography will not include websites or articles where no author is noted.
The research topic for Assignment 2 is:
For this research assignment you will select one significant international visual artist and one significant Australian or Asia/Pacific artist, both of whom may be identified as working within one of the contemporary themes identified in this unit. Using critical and/or cultural theory, and the informed opinion of authoritative writers and reviewers, compare and contrast a major work by each selected artist.
Week 7 Friday (1 May 2020) 11:45 pm AEST
Please submit your assessment via your Moodle site, being sure to attach a copy of the Assessment 1 criteria marking sheet, with both your name and student number included.
Week 9 Friday (15 May 2020)
Assessment results and feedback provided via Moodle.
1. Quantity of sources. (10%)
2. Quality/reliability of sources. (20%)
3. Writing fluency of annotations. (25%)
4. Variety of sources. (20%)
5. Adherence to APA style guidelines. (25%)
- Conduct focused research and develop context specific knowledge to inform and share opinions in appropriate written styles
- Communication
- Problem Solving
- Critical Thinking
- Information Literacy
- Information Technology Competence
- Ethical practice
2 Research Assignment
Weighting: 40% weighting
Length: 2500 -3000 words
Due Date/Time: Week 12, Friday, 5th June by 11:45 pm (AEST).
Task: For this research assignment you will select one significant international visual artist and one significant Australian or Asia/Pacific artist, both of whom may be identified as working within one of the contemporary themes identified in this unit. Using critical and/or cultural theory, and the informed opinion of authoritative writers and reviewers, compare and contrast a major work by each selected artist.
As always, please use APA referencing. For best results, ask your teacher to provide feedback regarding your polished draft at least one week prior to the submission date. It is also recommended that you familiarise yourself with the marking criteria on the next page.
Assignment format:
- Use 12 point Times New Roman font for the body of the essay.
- 1.5 spacing throughout
- You may use sub-headings if you wish to organise your assignment. These may be in a different colour or different size font.
- Include in-text references (citations) throughout the assignment.
- Include your name and student number in the header of the document.
- Include page numbers in the footer of the document.
- Include a Reference List at the end of the assignment in APA style, 6th edition.
- You should have a minimum of 15 references for this assignment
- Do NOT cite from Wikipedia or other websites that do not have an acknowledged author.
- Include in your reference list, all images of artworks included in your paper, Youtube sources, as well as books and academic journal articles.
NB: WORD COUNT for written assignments:
The word count is considered from the first word of the introduction to the last word of the conclusion. It excludes the cover page, abstract, contents page, reference page and appendices. It includes in-text references and direct quotations.
Week 11 Friday (29 May 2020) 11:45 pm AEST
Assessment 2 - Research Assignment should be submitted via Moodle, along with the Marking Criteria Sheet for this assessment.
Exam Week Monday (15 June 2020)
Feedback provided via Moodle.
1. Evidence of research and integration of theoretical perspectives. (25%0
2. Structure. (10%)
3. Writing standard. (25%)
4. Attention to requirements of task. (25%)
5. Referencing. (15%)
- Conduct focused research and develop context specific knowledge to inform and share opinions in appropriate written styles
- Identify and apply a range of concepts from critical theory and cultural studies to a discreet selection of late twentieth century and contemporary Australian, Asian and Pacific visual art practices.
- Communication
- Problem Solving
- Critical Thinking
- Information Literacy
- Information Technology Competence
- Cross Cultural Competence
- Ethical practice
3 In-class Test(s)
Task: Assessment 3 – In-class test is your final assessment for this unit. The test will comprise short answer questions. This is not an open-book test.
When: The test will begin at 2:00 PM, 17/06/2020.
Duration: 2 Hours.
Exam Week Wednesday (17 June 2020) 2:00 pm AEST
The in-class test is not an open-book exam. Please arrive ten minutes early with a pencil, eraser and a ball-point pen.
Exam Week Friday (19 June 2020)
Results available via Moodle.
1. Accuracy of responses. (60%)
2. Depth of treatment of responses. (40%)
- Identify and apply a range of concepts from critical theory and cultural studies to a discreet selection of late twentieth century and contemporary Australian, Asian and Pacific visual art practices.
- Communication
- Critical Thinking
- Information Literacy
- Cross Cultural Competence
As a CQUniversity student you are expected to act honestly in all aspects of your academic work.
Any assessable work undertaken or submitted for review or assessment must be your own work. Assessable work is any type of work you do to meet the assessment requirements in the unit, including draft work submitted for review and feedback and final work to be assessed.
When you use the ideas, words or data of others in your assessment, you must thoroughly and clearly acknowledge the source of this information by using the correct referencing style for your unit. Using others’ work without proper acknowledgement may be considered a form of intellectual dishonesty.
Participating honestly, respectfully, responsibly, and fairly in your university study ensures the CQUniversity qualification you earn will be valued as a true indication of your individual academic achievement and will continue to receive the respect and recognition it deserves.
As a student, you are responsible for reading and following CQUniversity’s policies, including the Student Academic Integrity Policy and Procedure. This policy sets out CQUniversity’s expectations of you to act with integrity, examples of academic integrity breaches to avoid, the processes used to address alleged breaches of academic integrity, and potential penalties.
What is a breach of academic integrity?
A breach of academic integrity includes but is not limited to plagiarism, self-plagiarism, collusion, cheating, contract cheating, and academic misconduct. The Student Academic Integrity Policy and Procedure defines what these terms mean and gives examples.
Why is academic integrity important?
A breach of academic integrity may result in one or more penalties, including suspension or even expulsion from the University. It can also have negative implications for student visas and future enrolment at CQUniversity or elsewhere. Students who engage in contract cheating also risk being blackmailed by contract cheating services.
Where can I get assistance?
For academic advice and guidance, the Academic Learning Centre (ALC) can support you in becoming confident in completing assessments with integrity and of high standard.
What can you do to act with integrity?
