Undergraduate 2012

A place to inspire you / An approach to challenge you


History and Philosophy of Art

Key facts
Start year: 2012
Location: Canterbury
Award/s: BA (Hons)
Type: Full-time and part-time
Options: Year abroad

For over 20 years, Kent has been at the cutting edge in providing innovative and interdisciplinary teaching in the visual arts. We have established research strengths in photographic studies, contemporary art, philosophy of art and art history, which are reflected in the rich variety of study choices we offer through this programme.

Alongside traditional academic modules, we provide all of our students with the opportunity for practice-based learning about the visual arts, for example, by taking photographs, writing criticism or curating an exhibition, and also to contribute to our growing Print Collection, where undergraduates collect art on behalf of the department.

A degree in History & Philosophy of Art enables you to explore the history, meaning and nature of the visual arts, while also providing the skills to equip you for a career in the arts industries or beyond.

Modules

Stage 1

Core modules

90 credits from the following (all available in 15- or 30-credit formats):

  • Now That is Art! Aesthetics and the Visual Arts
  • Photography and its Histories
  • Picasso
  • The Shock of the Now: Themes in Contemporary Art

Stage 2/3

You take two 30-credit core modules, and 180 credits of optional modules, 60 of which can come from subjects across the Faculty of Humanities.

Core modules
  • Independent Dissertation
  • Reading the Image
Art History
  • Abstraction and Construction
  • Art and Film
  • Beauty in Theory, Culture and Contemporary Art
  • Camera, Light and Darkroom
  • Classicism and Baroque
  • Dialogues: Art in a Global Context
  • Drawing on History
  • French Painting in the 19th Century
  • Patronage and Cultural Organisation
  • Photography and Intuition
  • Print Collecting and Curating
  • Reading the Image
  • Renaissance Art and Architecture
  • Russian Painting
  • The Sublime, the Disgusting and the Laughable
  • Visual Arts Internship
  • Visual Arts Writing
  • Warhol to Whiteread: Art since 1960

Year abroad

Currently, our European programmes have exchanges with the University of Bologna in Italy and the University of Amsterdam in Holland, and we are exploring new exchange programmes with other universities. Courses at the University of Bologna are taught in Italian, but at the University of Amsterdam the programme is taught in English.

Year in industry

Sample the 'art world'

Have you ever wondered what's involved in curating an art exhibition, researching and writing art reviews or working in an art gallery, museum or achive?A distinctive feature of our degrees is the chance to put your knowledge into practice and develop work-related skills, such as gallery management and curating, art collecting and dealing, as well as practical writing skills for the media. The Studio 3 Gallery in the new School of Arts RIBA award-winning building, where the department is based, is a high calibre exhibition venue that hosts home and visiting exhibitions and allows students to develop professional curatorial skills. We also offer practical studio-based modules in photography.

Teaching and assessment

The History & Philosophy of Art section emphasises a close working relationship with students. All modules include weekly lectures and small group seminars, but a distinctive feature of History & Philosophy of Art at Kent is that many modules involve visits to London museums, and other out-of-classroom teaching venues. Helping students to acquire independence of thought and the skills of independent study are at the heart of our teaching aims.

All modules provided by History & Philosophy of Art are assessed solely by coursework such as essays, presentations, image or text analyses and other module-related activities. This helps you develop in-depth knowledge of topics within modules that are most interesting and relevant to your study, and to acquire a wide range of generic and transferable skills.

Entry requirements

Passing the Kent IFP with an overall average of 60%, including passing all components, guarantees you entry onto the first year of this degree programme.

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Offer levels

Single honours: AAB-ABB from 3 A levels (depending on predicted grades and interview results), IB Diploma 33 points or IB Diploma with 15 points at Higher.

It is our policy to interview all applicants regardless of predicted grades. Offers may subsequently be made based on levels of enthusiasm and ability identified at interview.

Joint honours (VW34): AAB-ABB from 3 A levels (depending on predicted grades), IB Diploma 33 points or IB Diploma with 14/15/16 points at Higher. All other joint honours see individual programme page.

Required subjects

  • None.

Careers

Through your study, you gain key transferable skills considered essential by graduate employers. These include excellent communication skills, the ability to work independently, the ability to analyse and summarise complex material and present your findings with clarity and flair.

Recent graduates have gone into careers such as arts administration, galleries and museums, journalism, advertising, teaching, image libraries, curating, and working in the art market.

For more information on the services Kent provides to improve your employment prospects, go to www.kent.ac.uk/employability

Further information

Student profile

Subject leaflet (pdf)

Schools:

Enquiries:

T: 01227 827272
E: information@kent.ac.uk

Publishing Office - © University of Kent

The University of Kent, Canterbury, Kent, CT2 7NZ, T: +44 (0)1227 764000

Last Updated: 21/07/2011