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The Social Roles of Art in the Modern and Contemporary Period

Vak
2024-2025

Admission requirements

Same as admission requirements for the BA Art History/BA Arts, Media and Society.

Description

In this course, we will be looking at the social roles of art in the modern and contemporary period. During the course, we will uncover why Théophile Gautier's declamation of "l'art pour l'art" was such a radical stance in 1835, contrasting and questioning the heightened social significance of art worlds today.

We will study modern and contemporary art’s response to the rapid development of new technologies, scientific insights and (digital) mass media. We will consider art’s agency in the context of emancipatory movements championing civil rights, gender equality and ecological awareness.

We will examine the organization of (inter)national and local art worlds through an analysis of cultural policy, funding and art education. The social and political implications of art institutions invested in material heritage, collective audience experience and identity formation will be discussed in depth. Furthermore, the rise and increasing power of art markets, and their impact on global, national and local curatorial practices pose difficult and important questions about the future of art’s critical practice in society.

But let us take off with a simple question: what does art mean to you? And how does it shape your place in society? Through your visual presentations, we will create an inventory of interests, ideas and artistic references to be discussed and connected throughout the course.

Course objectives

  • Students acquire knowledge of the social implications of a wide range of modern and contemporary art objects.

  • Students acquire a basic understanding of relevant theories in the sociology of art.

  • Students develop skills to analyze modern and contemporary art objects and articulate their relationships with societal concerns.

  • Students develop skills to present individual research outcomes in teams creatively.

Timetable

The timetables are available through My Timetable.

Mode of instruction

Lecture

Assessment method

Assessment

  • Individual presentation (or movie) of two minutes in which one artwork is discussed

  • Final exam: written exam (multiple choice and open questions)

Weighing

  • Individual presentation: 30%

  • Final exam: 70%

The final mark for the course is established by determining the weighted average. To pass the course, the weighted average of the partial grades must be 5.5 or higher. Additionally, the mark for the final exam and individual presentation must both be a passing grade (5.5 or higher).

Resit

A resit examination can be done for examinations which are failed. As far as applicable all resits take place at the same time, after the final (constituent) examination.

Inspection and feedback

How and when an exam review will take place will be disclosed together with the publication of the exam results at the latest. If a student requests a review within 30 days after publication of the exam results, an exam review will have to be organized.

Reading list

To be announced (on Brightspace).

Registration

Enrolment through MyStudyMap is mandatory.
General information about course and exam enrolment is available on the website

Registration À la carte education, Contract teaching and Exchange

Information for those interested in taking this course in context of À la carte education (without taking examinations), eg. about costs, registration and conditions.

Information for those interested in taking this course in context of Contract teaching (with taking examinations), eg. about costs, registration and conditions.
For the registration of exchange students contact Humanities International Office.

Contact

  • For substantive questions, contact the lecturer listed in the right information bar.

  • For questions about enrolment, admission, etc, contact the Student administration Arsenaal

Remarks

Not applicable.