Research Methods (Visual Art)

This subject has the following teaching availabilities in 2013:

120 hours

Applicants are required to have completed a major study in a Fine Arts discipline and attained a three year Bachelor of Fine Arts degree or equivalent qualification at H2B standard or equivalent.

For the purposes of considering request for Reasonable Adjustments under the Disability Standards for Education (Cwth 2005), and Student Support and Engagement Policy, academic requirements for this subject are articulated in the Subject Overview, Learning Outcomes, Assessment and Generic Skills sections of this entry.

It is University policy to take all reasonable steps to minimise the impact of disability upon academic study, and reasonable adjustments will be made to enhance a student's participation in the University's programs. Students who feel their disability may impact on meeting the requirements of this subject are encouraged to discuss this matter with a Faculty Student Adviser and Student Equity and Disability Support: http://services.unimelb.edu.au/disability

A weekly seminar that begins to introduce and examine the relationship between research and practice within the context of practice led research. This seminar acquaints students with a range of research methods and research paradigms, key issues and practical skills relevant to the creative arts. It assists students in refining their research question/proposal and developing a research methodology appropriate to their discipline and project. In the seminar research skills, techniques and methodologies are demonstrated both by instruction and example.

This subject aims to:

• introduce and provide students with key research concepts and skills relevant to their chosen project;
• introduce students to an overview of contemporary debates and methodological traditions in the field of arts-based research;
• enable students to develop a research methodology appropriate to their discipline and project.
• train candidates in preparation for research activities involved in higher research degrees; facilitate discussion of research ethics, including codes of conduct and ethical frameworks governing research;

Written Preliminary Research Paper (2,500 words) plus class presentation paper (1,500 words equivalent)

The timing of assessment is the mid-year assessment period. The assessment has a weight of 100%.

This subject is not available as a breadth subject.

On completion of this subject, students will be able to demonstrate:

• the ability to engage in independent and contextually-informed artistic practice;
• well developed and flexible problem-solving abilities appropriate to the discipline;
• the capacity to effectively communicate the results of research and scholarship by oral and written means;
• an ability to initiate major projects and formulate viable research questions;
• a capacity for critical evaluation of relevant scholarly literature and artistic practice;
• an ability to manage time and to maximise the quality of research and scholarship;
• an understanding of, and facility with, scholarly conventions in the discipline area
• an understanding of the relationship with and responsibility to the cultural environment and society; respect for truth and intellectual integrity, and for the ethic of research and scholarship