Master of Transnational Arts

The interdisciplinary Master of Transnational Arts aims to provide opportunities for students to undertake part of their research and practice within a transnational context of cultural exchange. Students are encouraged to develop a range of culturally sensitive understandings and highly experimental modes of representation to help facilitate the communication of ideas to international audiences. Through their individual arts practice, students explore ideas of translation between languages, - Chinese into English, English into French etc.; between art forms; and between various knowledge domains. The various methodologies of translation are developed as imaginative models for transformation, yielding new genres of being and new regimes of representation in the Arts. Through experimental teaching and projects led by local and international artists, academics, curators and writers, this degree seeks to develop each students capacity to create new networks, understandings and appreciations of international contexts - particularly in Asia, South America and Europe - in preparation for Artist residencies, exchanges, exhibitions, arts-based research and collaboration. This course also prepares students for re-inventing research paradigms within arts-based PhD and doctoral research programmes.

The Master of Transnational Art provides opportunities for candidates to develop their research within a range of transnational national Arts contexts, develop innovative practices and modes of representation and contribute to understandings of contemporary interdisciplinary art practice across the arts and beyond. This course prepares leaders for every endeavor across the Arts and beyond national boundaries.

Qualification for the award requires satisfactory completion of all subjects listed below.

Master of Transnational Arts

1. In order to be considered for entry, applicants must have completed:
• a relevant undergraduate degree, with a weighted average mark of at least H2B (70%), or equivalent; and
• at least three years emerging visual or performing arts or film-based practice demonstrated via a folio of work; and
• an interview.
Meeting these requirements does not guarantee selection.

2. In ranking applications, the Selection Committee will consider:
• prior academic performance; and
• the folio; and
• the interview.

3. The Selection Committee may seek further information to clarify any aspect of an application in accordance with the Academic Board rules on the use of selection instruments.

4. Applicants are required to satisfy the university’s English language requirements for postgraduate courses. For those applicants seeking to meet these requirements by one of the standard tests approved by the Academic Board, performance band 6.5 is required.

Communication: Students must be able to participate in and produce performances and exhibitions as required; they will also need to communicate effectively and efficiently in oral and written forms. Communication with fellow students, professional and academic staff, and the wider public about their knowledge and application of practising Arts disciplines is essential.
Creative, Intellectual and Organisational Abilities: Students require the capacity for high-level creative performance or production. They are also expected to have the ability to develop problem-solving skills and to comprehend disciplinary and cross-disciplinary information. Students must have the ability to establish study plans and prioritise training objectives and outcomes.
Behavioural and Social Attributes: Students must possess behavioural and social attributes that enable them to participate in a complex learning environment. They must take full responsibility for their own participation and learning. Students also contribute to the learning of other students in collaborative environments and must therefore demonstrate a wide range of interpersonal skills which consider the needs of other students. Assessment may include the outcomes of tasks completed in collaboration with other students.
Disability: Students who have a disability which may prevent them from participating in tasks involving these inherent academic requirements are encouraged to contact the Disability Liaison Unit: http://www.services.unimelb.edu.au/disability/
Adjustments can be provided to minimise the impact of a disability; however, students will need to participate in the course in an independent manner.

http://www.unimelb.edu.au/about/attributes.html

On completing this course students will have acquired:
• the ability to communicate, cooperate and collaborate in a range of cultural contexts internationally;
• a deep awareness of and respect for cultural differences, protocols and aspirations;
• the ability to generate and promote intercultural dialogue through the arts;
• an ability to initiate research projects and develop highly innovative and experimental modes of representation and communication;
• a high level of understanding and appreciation of transnational practices across the art form;
• the capacity to interpret and translate into clear English a range of discipline-specific vocabularies and languages ;
• a capacity for innovative and original thinking marked by well-developed and flexible problem-solving abilities;
• the capacity to clearly communicate the results of research and scholarship by oral and written communication;
• a profound respect for truth and intellectual integrity, and for the ethics of research and scholarship;
• a capacity to cooperate and collaborate with people across all national, social and cultural divides.