FIN8021 - Contemporary Art Practice 2: Dissertation

• Offered for Year: 2025/26

• Module Leader(s): TBC

• Owning School: School of Arts and Cultures
• Teaching Location: Newcastle City Campus

• Capacity limit: 25 student places

Semesters

Your programme is made up of credits, the total differs on programme to programme.

1. Semester 1 Credit Value:	60
   Total Credits:	60.0

Aims

Contemporary Practice with Dissertation advances and focuses practical explorations and developments in studio work. The module supports sustained investigation and the establishment of a coherent and critically engaged body of practical work. It enables students to examine their studio activity and evaluate its relationship with research methods and theoretical and contextual understanding in preparation for professional practice and/or more advanced levels of study.

Through a written dissertation, students engage in a sustained investigation into a subject relevant to studio practice. This encourages focused and constructive research, close reading, and detailed discussion with development and clarity of written argument. They explore a variety of approaches to the dissertation and the development of a format appropriate to its content and aims. In short, the module aims to support sustained and focused practice alongside investigation, testing and evaluation of it so students can develop their own professional identity and their written communication around it.

Outline Of Syllabus

The syllabus provides a responsive learning environment where students are exposed to a wide range of critical and practical knowledge and are enabled to independently test and advance their own studio work and theoretical and critical enquiries.

Individual tutorials with a designated supervisor will take place approximately every 3 weeks. Students also have opportunity for tutorials with fine art staff and visiting speakers. A programme of lectures, workshops, seminars, and group critique will run through the semester. Students can also attend visiting lectures, PGR seminars and discipline specific forums.
Topics may include:

• Discipline specific practical skills.
• Art History
• Contemporary Practices.
• Cultural Theory
• Visual analysis
• Curatorial methods

Teaching Methods

Teaching Activities

Teaching Rationale And Relationship

The module is structured around independent studio production, research, and writing. The programme of scheduled teaching supports the development of a sustained investigation. The interdisciplinary studio environment encourages practical productions, the development of critical thinking around a range of fine art practice, as well enabling students to identify and communicate their own position in relation to others and the context in which they are working (K1-4; S1-4).

The Module Talk introduces the aims and structure of the module. Individual Tutorials offer responsive supervision focused on the development of a coherent body of research and distinctive practical work. Tutorials can monitor the development and structuring of dissertation. They encourage students to regularly assess their practical productions. They facilitate the recognition and application of relevant skills, questions, and critical positions in relation to historical and current debates and wider fine art ecosystems. They also refine the student’s ability to develop and clearly articulate a consistent position. (K1-4; S1; S2; S3).

Group Critiques enable interdisciplinary interaction and dialogue and are an opportunity to test innovative work and its ongoing questions with a diverse audience. In a peer supported environment students are encouraged to refine and develop their communication and critical analysis skills around their own work and the work of others, and to offer and receive informed and constructive feedback (K1; K2; S1; S2; S3).

Practice based and professional development seminars are based on the cohort’s interests and encourage student led discussion and debate. In an interdisciplinary and peer supported environment students are encouraged to advance and communicate their own critical positions in relation to the subject, and to articulate links between practice and theory and Fine Art professional contexts. (K2; K3; K4; S2; S3; S4)
The programme of lectures, given by staff, visiting artists, critics and curators provide examples of advanced professional and fine art practices. (K1-4)

Assessment Methods

The format of resits will be determined by the Board of Examiners

Other Assessments:

Studio Presentation (60%):

Students present a range of practical explorations and advanced development as well as relevant contextual research and critical or reflective material. The tutorial form allows full engagement with all aspects of the module to be assessed. It will focus on the physical or documentary evidence of the student’s selection, evaluation and advancement of practical skills and their ability to recognise, communicate and interpret the key critical questions which are directing the practical exploration. It will also address the practical and critical methods by which the student proposes to direct these towards an advanced exhibition practice. Students are assessed against the following criteria:

1. Practical skills and communication, as evidenced by technical and imaginative use of materials and processes within the practice and presentation, and discussion of their development, consolidation, implications, and realisation (K1; K2; K3; K4; S1; S2; S3; S4);
2. Research and organisation as evidenced by knowledge of relevant subjects, materials, skills, and processes, and through structuring information and discussion of their contextual and critical implications, (K1; K2; K4; S1; S2);
3. Critical reflection and contextualisation, as evidenced by analysis, consolidation and communication of aims within the practical presentation, and through informed discussion of the works’ specific questions and ambitions (K1; K2; K3; S1; S3; S4).

Dissertation (40%):

The subject of the dissertation will have been identified as an outcome of FIN – Contemporary Practice 1. A question relevant to studio practice and developed within the contextual review will be examined here in greater depth. The task specific assessment criteria are as follows:

1. Critical reflection, contextualisation and communication, via evidence of originality, identification, interpretation, analysis, and critical/theoretical assessment of sources and materials, and the identification and coherent development of an argument (K1; K3; S1; S2; S4);
2. Research skills, as evidenced by knowledge of subject, and use and evaluation of appropriate resources and methods to conduct a substantial search for relevant material (K2; K4);
3. Practical skills and organisation, as evidenced by presentation, structuring, and interpretation of the material (S3)
4. The coherent use of appropriate tone and language, the use of illustrative, supportive material (visual or textual) and a format which includes, an introduction, chapters, conclusion, bibliography and which is appropriate to the essays’ subject and aims (K4; S2; S3; S4).

Timetable

• Timetable Website: www.ncl.ac.uk/timetable/