MA History of Art and Archaeology

Program Overview

This MA History of Art and Archaeology program offers a comprehensive understanding of art and archaeology in Asia, Africa, and the Middle East, incorporating both historical and contemporary perspectives. Students can tailor the degree to their interests by focusing on a specific region or exploring a broader range of themes. The program includes field trips, museum visits, and talks by experts, and prepares graduates for careers in the cultural and creative industries.

Program Outline

Degree Overview:

Objective:

This MA History of Art and Archaeology program offers a unique opportunity to study the history of art and archaeology of Asia, Africa, and the Middle East, allowing students to tailor the degree to their interests by focusing on a specific region or exploring a broader range of themes.

Description:

Students have an extensive selection of modules, including African diasporic art, contemporary Korean ceramics, and Buddhist monuments in Southeast Asia. They will also explore the specific features and interconnections of various artistic traditions, spanning from antiquity to contemporary art. The program includes field trips, museum visits, and talks by curators, artists, and other practitioners. Students are encouraged to question the relevance of the disciplinary distinction between history of art and archaeology to the study of the non-Western world.

Uniqueness:

This program is unique because it offers a comprehensive understanding of art and archaeology in Asia, Africa, and the Middle East, incorporating both historical and contemporary perspectives. Students are encouraged to engage in critical analysis and question established theoretical frameworks.

Outline:

Program Structure:

The MA History of Art and Archaeology program consists of:

• Compulsory modules (30 credits):
• Theory and Method in Art History
• Guided option modules (90 credits):
• Students choose a selection of modules from a diverse range of topics, including:
• Shogunal Iconography in the Edo Period
• Popular Practice in the Edo Period Arts
• Islam and the West: Artistic and Cultural Contacts
• Asia and Africa On Display
• Ceramics in Chinese Culture: 10th - 18th Centuries
• Art and Politics in Africa
• Themes in the Visual Arts of Dynastic China (before 1800)
• Arab Painting
• Arts of Modern and Contemporary China (since 1800)
• Art and archaeology of early maritime Southeast Asia
• Arts of Goryeo and Joseon Korea
• Modern and Contemporary Korean Art
• Architectural Boundaries and the Body
• Chinese Porcelain: Trade, Transfer and Reception
• Islamic Visual Culture
• Curating the Sacred: Buddhism and Hinduism on display
• Art and Architecture of the Seljuks and Ottomans (12th - 15th centuries)
• Tibetan Buddhist Monuments in Context
• The Figure of the Buddha: Theory, Practice and the Making of Buddhist Art History
• Islamic Art and Architecture of Eastern Mediterranean of the Period of the Crusades (11th-14th centuries)
• Issues in Contemporary Southeast Asian Art
• Contemporary Art and the Global
• Southeast Asia's Art Histories I
• Curating Cultures Cohort B
• China and the Silk Road: Art and Archaeology
• The Silk Road and its Origins: Art and Archaeology
• Modern and Contemporary Art of the Middle East
• Buddhist Art in a Cosmopolitan Environment: Gandharan Art and its Heritage
• Southeast Asia's Art Histories II
• Arts of the Tamil Temple
• Deities, Devotion and the arts of Hinduism
• Heritage in Asia: Intangible Cultural Heritage in Theory and Practice
• Dissertation (60 credits):
• Students undertake a research project and dissertation under the supervision of a faculty member.

Assessment:

Each module is assessed through a variety of methods, including:

• Short essays
• Reports
• Presentations
• Annotated bibliographies
• Journal entries
• Unseen examinations (slide tests)

Additional Information:

The program can be studied part-time over two or three years, with the dissertation being completed in the final year of study.

Teaching:

Teaching methods:

• Lectures
• Seminars
• Museum visits
• Independent study
• Group presentations
• Research projects

Faculty:

The program is taught by a team of experts with extensive experience and research in the history of art and archaeology of Asia, Africa, and the Middle East.

Careers:

Career paths:

This program prepares graduates for a wide range of careers in the cultural and creative industries, including:

• Museum and gallery curator
• Art historian
• Archaeologist
• Art critic
• Auction house specialist
• Art dealer
• Heritage consultant
• Researcher
• Educator

Home student fees: £12,220 per year Overseas student fees: £25,320 per year Please note that fees go up each year.