Researching Images

This subject has the following teaching availabilities in 2016:

This subject must be completed over two consecutive study periods (Semester 1 AND July) – 12.5 points total.

85 Hours

Admission into 101AA Ph.D.- Arts or DR-PHILART Doctor of Philosophy in Arts.

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

The first half of this subject will introduce students to methodologies of researching images and to current issues in the research of images. The subject will be taught through active discussion and joint class readings of extracts from recent significant publications within or cognate to disciplines that work with images. These texts may be drawn from art history, cinema, critical theory or cultural studies. The subject will introduce students to the range of new developments in the scholarship of visual art and culture, cinema and new media. The subject will include workshops led by visiting scholars and invited specialists who will lead discussions about their own recent scholarship. Regular student-prepared reading reports and allotted class presentations will result in the acquisition of literature review skills, advanced seminar presentation and participation skills, and in cross-disciplinary knowledge about disciplinary shifts in the research of images. Students will be assessed on the basis of effective précis, bibliographic, textual and evaluative skills. Students will choose topics based on the proximity to their own research and as well based on their exploration of cross-disciplinary content beyond their home discipline.

The second half of this subject, delivered intensively, focuses on the common challenges of designing a research project at PhD level. These include framing research questions in the context of the existing research literature, selecting and developing an appropriate and refined research strategy, and clarifying the stages of a research project. These are all elements required at Confirmation, and the intensive is intended to accelerate students’ preparation toward that goal. The subject will be collaboratively taught to reflect the diversity of approaches to research across the many disciplines in the faculty.

On successful completion of this subject students should be able to:

• demonstrate knowledge of methodologies of researching images and current issues in the research of images;
• have an enhanced awareness of the range of contemporary scholarship in their discipline or interdisciplinary are;
• demonstrate an ability to reflect on, critically evaluate and synthesise the contemporary research literatures relevant to their thesis topic;
• formulate and present the research proposal for their confirmation; and
• articulate the range of problems, concepts and theories relevant to their thesis and field of study.

1. One 2,500-word essay, due at the end of first semester (50%).
2. Written work totalling 2,500 words, due four weeks after the teaching period (50%).

Hurdle Requirement: Students are required to attend a minimum of 80% of classes in order to pass this subject.

This subject is not available as a breadth subject.