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BA Fine Art

  • UCAS code
    W101
  • Typical offer
  • Year of entry
    2023/24
  • Course duration
    Full Time:  3 Years
  • Year of entry
    2023/24
  • Course duration
    Full Time:  3 Years

Further develop your practical skills and explore new and emerging art forms. Be stimulated by our internationally respected staff and take part in a wide variety of exhibitions and events both here and abroad with BA Fine Art.

Designed for students joining from art access courses, including art foundation, you'll have the opportunity to build on your practical skills and explore the theory and history of art at Reading School of Art.

You will benefit from our distinct approach to the subject, combining practice, theory and history – especially in contemporary art. You can experiment with a range of subjects and media, exploring painting, sculpture (such as welding and casting), printmaking, as well as digital media.

Our studios are a creative, lively and stimulating environment in which to develop the skills you have already acquired. You will receive a dedicated space with access 24 hours a day, seven days a week. There is always a high level of activity in the studios with events, screenings, performances and exhibitions taking place regularly. A student-run gallery and experimental project spaces are also available for you to explore.

We focus heavily on exhibitions, and regular field trips to national and international museums, art institutions and galleries will give you the chance to consider the diverse conditions in which art is created, displayed and received. You will gain professional experience by taking part in your own exhibitions, public art commissions and events. Open debate and constructive criticism are actively encouraged and you will openly discuss your work with peers and teaching staff.

You will be assigned a studio tutor and focus on developing your individual and professional practice, working towards your final project and dissertation in the third year. Placements and collaborations are actively encouraged and there is also the chance to experience life in another country. Throughout your degree you will receive advice and guidance in career development.

Placement

You are encouraged to work with different artists and designers in hosting events and exhibitions. External exhibitions have included Urban Utopia, a partnership between Fine Art and Deutsche Bank where 35 students curated their work in the new Capitol building, Bracknell, and an exhibition at the Beaconsfield Gallery in London.

You are also expected to undertake placement opportunities. Past students have enjoyed internships at Studio Voltaire and Frieze Art Fair. Others have performed at the ICA, taken part in an Arts Council-supported film project at the Museum of English Rural Life and participated in an international exhibition at the Seoul Institute of Arts in South Korea.

Regular field trips to national and international museums, art institutions and galleries allow you to consider the diverse conditions in which art is displayed and received. There are also many opportunities for you to apply to study abroad: Reading School of Art has links with universities in countries such as the USA, Canada, Australia, Taiwan, France, Switzerland and Finland.

Overview

Further develop your practical skills and explore new and emerging art forms. Be stimulated by our internationally respected staff and take part in a wide variety of exhibitions and events both here and abroad with BA Fine Art.

Designed for students joining from art access courses, including art foundation, you'll have the opportunity to build on your practical skills and explore the theory and history of art at Reading School of Art.

You will benefit from our distinct approach to the subject, combining practice, theory and history – especially in contemporary art. You can experiment with a range of subjects and media, exploring painting, sculpture (such as welding and casting), printmaking, as well as digital media.

Our studios are a creative, lively and stimulating environment in which to develop the skills you have already acquired. You will receive a dedicated space with access 24 hours a day, seven days a week. There is always a high level of activity in the studios with events, screenings, performances and exhibitions taking place regularly. A student-run gallery and experimental project spaces are also available for you to explore.

We focus heavily on exhibitions, and regular field trips to national and international museums, art institutions and galleries will give you the chance to consider the diverse conditions in which art is created, displayed and received. You will gain professional experience by taking part in your own exhibitions, public art commissions and events. Open debate and constructive criticism are actively encouraged and you will openly discuss your work with peers and teaching staff.

You will be assigned a studio tutor and focus on developing your individual and professional practice, working towards your final project and dissertation in the third year. Placements and collaborations are actively encouraged and there is also the chance to experience life in another country. Throughout your degree you will receive advice and guidance in career development.

Placement

You are encouraged to work with different artists and designers in hosting events and exhibitions. External exhibitions have included Urban Utopia, a partnership between Fine Art and Deutsche Bank where 35 students curated their work in the new Capitol building, Bracknell, and an exhibition at the Beaconsfield Gallery in London.

You are also expected to undertake placement opportunities. Past students have enjoyed internships at Studio Voltaire and Frieze Art Fair. Others have performed at the ICA, taken part in an Arts Council-supported film project at the Museum of English Rural Life and participated in an international exhibition at the Seoul Institute of Arts in South Korea.

Regular field trips to national and international museums, art institutions and galleries allow you to consider the diverse conditions in which art is displayed and received. There are also many opportunities for you to apply to study abroad: Reading School of Art has links with universities in countries such as the USA, Canada, Australia, Taiwan, France, Switzerland and Finland.

Entry requirements

Select Reading as your firm choice on UCAS and we'll guarantee you a place even if you don't quite meet your offer. For details, see our firm choice scheme.

Typical offer

Foundation Diploma in Art plus 80 UCAS tariff points, or three A levels at BBB

All suitable applicants will be interviewed and will need to provide a portfolio of their work

International Baccalaureate

24 points plus Pass in Art Foundation, or 30 points overall

BTEC Extended Diploma

DDM

UAL Level 3 Extended Diploma

Merit

English language requirements

IELTS 6.5, with no component below 5.5

For information on other English language qualifications, please visit our international student pages.

Alternative entry requirements for International and EU students

For country specific entry requirements look at entry requirements by country.

Pre-sessional English language programme

If you need to improve your English language score you can take a pre-sessional English course prior to entry onto your degree.

  • Find out the English language requirements for our courses and our pre-sessional English programme

Structure

  • Year 1
  • Year 2
  • Year 3

Compulsory modules include:

X

Module details


Title:

Fine Art Studio

Code:

FA1SAA

Convenor:

PROF Rachel Garfield

Summary:

The module aims to provide students with the skills to identify and investigate particular (individual) interests and concerns through practical engagement in the studio, and through related research; to develop the capacity for self criticism through informed debate and to develop confidence in students' ability to recognise, research and use working processes relevant to their developing practice. The module also aims to introduce students to the necessary tools that will enable them to use appropriate forms of visual documentation.

Assessment Method:

Project 100%

Disclaimer:

The modules described on this page are what we currently offer. Modules may change for your year of study as we regularly review our offerings to ensure they’re informed by the latest research and teaching methods.

Code Module Convenor
FA1SAA Fine Art Studio PROF Rachel Garfield

Optional modules include:

X

Module details


Title:

Drawing skills

Code:

FA1DS

Convenor:

DR Florian Roithmayr

Summary:

In this module you will develop your drawing skills in a series of focused practical sessions, drawing from various subjects, including life drawing, still life, spatial and architectural/landscape contexts. Through the module you will develop your skill-set in terms of foundational techniques such as line, tone, scale; you will also develop applied drawing skills including planning, scaling and gridding up; and develop an understanding of the relationship of the whole subject to detail and internal form. Practical teaching will support a focus on drawing as a way to record, document and communicate observations, as well as a way to explore, realise and communicate ideas and imagination. 

Assessment Method:

Project 100%

Disclaimer:

The modules described on this page are what we currently offer. Modules may change for your year of study as we regularly review our offerings to ensure they’re informed by the latest research and teaching methods.

X

Module details


Title:

Expanded Drawing

Code:

FA1ED

Convenor:

PROF John Russell

Summary:

In this module you will develop your drawing skills in a series of practical sessions focused on ‘expanded’ or experimental drawing techniques. This will include working from still and moving subjects including life drawing, animals, still life, spatial and architectural/landscape contexts but also exploring other approaches to drawing such as sculptural, performance and conceptual-based strategies, digital drawing, dry point and mono-print drawing techniques and the inter-section of drawing and painting.  Through the module you will develop your skill set in terms of foundational skills such as line, tone, scale but you will also develop an understanding of the varied contemporary and historical contexts, uses, ideas and techniques of expanded drawing.  

Assessment Method:

Project 90%, Report 10%

Disclaimer:

The modules described on this page are what we currently offer. Modules may change for your year of study as we regularly review our offerings to ensure they’re informed by the latest research and teaching methods.

X

Module details


Title:

English for Arts and Communication Design

Code:

FA1EN

Convenor:

MS Emily Salvesen

Summary:

This module is for international students whose first language is not English with IELTS (or equivalent) below 7.0. The module recognises the need to continue language development for students whose first language is not English, and to develop their academic skills in a UK Arts and Communication Design context.

Assessment Method:

Assignment 50%, Oral 50%

Disclaimer:

The modules described on this page are what we currently offer. Modules may change for your year of study as we regularly review our offerings to ensure they’re informed by the latest research and teaching methods.

X

Module details


Title:

Modernisms & Mythologies

Code:

FA1MM

Convenor:

DR Jenny Chamarette

Summary:

This module will provide a broad, introductory survey of key developments in the history, theory and criticism of art during the modern period. Its starting point will be theories of the development of modernity and its social, political and economic components, and the ways in which modern art functions in and on its historical contexts. It will continue to look at the retrospective modernist critical and theoretical accounts of modern art's development.

Assessment Method:

Assignment 100%

Disclaimer:

The modules described on this page are what we currently offer. Modules may change for your year of study as we regularly review our offerings to ensure they’re informed by the latest research and teaching methods.

X

Module details


Title:

Visual Thinking and Material Writing

Code:

FA1MW

Convenor:

PROF Alun Rowlands

Summary:

This is a seminar based module designed to develop writing skills and the awareness of the scope of writing within art and art history. It will focus on the range of writing that constitutes the current discourses in art. The module will look at writings from Art Historical and critical theory approaches to genre in order to expand the student's expectations of what approaches are acceptable and useful within writing about art and art writing. Each week the group will look at different models of art writing in order to think through and begin to find a position on the appropriate forms for different contexts.

Assessment Method:

Assignment 100%

Disclaimer:

The modules described on this page are what we currently offer. Modules may change for your year of study as we regularly review our offerings to ensure they’re informed by the latest research and teaching methods.

X

Module details


Title:

What is the Contemporary? 1

Code:

FA1WC1

Convenor:

MISS Julia Crabtree

Summary:

This module provides a rigorous critical forum where students consider their own artistic concerns in relation to the experiences of visiting speakers. Module content will centre on Contemporary Art's debates and trajectories as well as diverse models of practice through presentations by visiting artists, theorists, writers, curators, and others involved in visual culture. Students will critically analyse the artist presentations through seminar discussion, course reading, art historical research and written response.

Assessment Method:

Assignment 100%

Disclaimer:

The modules described on this page are what we currently offer. Modules may change for your year of study as we regularly review our offerings to ensure they’re informed by the latest research and teaching methods.

X

Module details


Title:

What is the Contemporary? 2

Code:

FA1WC2

Convenor:

MISS Julia Crabtree

Summary:

This module provides a rigorous critical forum where students consider their own artistic concerns in relation to the experiences of visiting speakers. Module content will centre on Contemporary Art's debates and trajectories as well as diverse models of practice through presentations by visiting artists, theorists, writers, curators, and others involved in visual culture. Students will critically analyse the artist presentations through seminar discussion, course reading, art historical research and written response.

Assessment Method:

Assignment 100%

Disclaimer:

The modules described on this page are what we currently offer. Modules may change for your year of study as we regularly review our offerings to ensure they’re informed by the latest research and teaching methods.

X

Module details


Title:

Introduction to Management

Code:

AP1SB1

Convenor:

PROF Julian Park

Summary:

This module provides a contemporary and comprehensive introduction to management science and its relevance to businesses. Interactive in-class activities and the use of online apps will help you learn techniques for inspiring teamwork in an organisation context, discover the importance of strategic management design for achieving an organisation's goals, and understand the roles of the manager and the responsibilities this carries. You will also have a range of opportunities to gain hands-on practising decision making through case studies. Furthermore, develop your leadership skills to motivate and guide a team towards the achievement of an organisation’s objectives.  

Assessment Method:

Class test 100%

Disclaimer:

The modules described on this page are what we currently offer. Modules may change for your year of study as we regularly review our offerings to ensure they’re informed by the latest research and teaching methods.

X

Module details


Title:

Roman History: the rise and fall of the Republic

Code:

CL1RH

Convenor:

DR Andreas Gavrielatos

Summary:

This module investigates the mid- and late Republican history of Rome (2nd century BC to late first century BC), a period marked by profound socio-political changes which ultimately led to the crisis of the Republican institutions. It introduces students to the main types of evidence for ancient history and to modern methodological approaches.

Assessment Method:

Assignment 50%, Class test 50%

Disclaimer:

The modules described on this page are what we currently offer. Modules may change for your year of study as we regularly review our offerings to ensure they’re informed by the latest research and teaching methods.

X

Module details


Title:

Texts, Readers, and Writers

Code:

CL1TR

Convenor:

PROF Eleanor Dickey

Summary:

This module explores the history of texts, reading, and writing in the ancient Greek and Roman worlds. We shall look at literature, papyri, inscriptions, letters, Linear B, etc. Attention will also be given to the invention of the alphabet and to ancient writing materials and technologies. No knowledge of Latin, ancient Greek, or the ancient world more generally is required.

Assessment Method:

Assignment 40%, Oral 50%, Set exercise 10%

Disclaimer:

The modules described on this page are what we currently offer. Modules may change for your year of study as we regularly review our offerings to ensure they’re informed by the latest research and teaching methods.

X

Module details


Title:

The Economics of Climate Change

Code:

EC110

Convenor:

DR Stefania Lovo

Summary:

The module will offer an economic perspective on the causes and consequences of climate change. It will provide an introduction to key theoretical concepts, such as externalities and public goods, and to the policy tools available to devise adequate responses to climate change, such as command and control measures, taxation and subsidies. The module will also introduce national and international policy approaches in dealing with climate change and provide an overview of their implications for economic development.

Assessment Method:

Assignment 60%, Class test 40%

Disclaimer:

The modules described on this page are what we currently offer. Modules may change for your year of study as we regularly review our offerings to ensure they’re informed by the latest research and teaching methods.

X

Module details


Title:

Approaches to Film

Code:

FT1ATF

Convenor:

DR Adam O'Brien

Summary:

How do films tell stories, make meanings, and contribute to our culture? What questions can, and should, we ask of a film?

This module includes a mix of cinema screenings, seminars and lectures, exploring a range of fiction and non-fiction films. Class discussions and assignments will challenge you to explore the meanings and cultural significance of moving images, across the 20th and 21st centuries.

Assessment Method:

Assignment 100%

Disclaimer:

The modules described on this page are what we currently offer. Modules may change for your year of study as we regularly review our offerings to ensure they’re informed by the latest research and teaching methods.

X

Module details


Title:

Analysing Theatre and Performance

Code:

FT1ATP

Convenor:

DR Matt McFrederick

Summary:

How do theatrical stories allow us to examine and reimagine our impression of the world today?  What practical qualities do theatre makers return to - or reinvent - in creating meaning in performance?

In this introduction to theatre and performance, you will share your interpretations and expand the ways you see and think about theatre in relation to the world today. You will learn how to be a confident spectator and reader of theatre through a range of diverse and topical performances in local or in London-based venues - previous trips have included the National Theatre, RSC Live, Peking Opera, the West End and smaller, innovative fringe venues.

Assessment Method:

Assignment 70%, Oral 30%

Disclaimer:

The modules described on this page are what we currently offer. Modules may change for your year of study as we regularly review our offerings to ensure they’re informed by the latest research and teaching methods.

X

Module details


Title:

Approaches to Television

Code:

FT1ATT

Convenor:

DR Faye Woods

Summary:

In an era of intensified competition for audiences and technological innovation, the box in the corner has expanded to include a vast universe of televisual content that can be slipped into your pocket. In this module you will learn the tools to both analyse this wealth of programming and the industry that produces it. Considering contemporary developments alongside the extensive history of the form, it examines continuities rather than disruption. Centred on close analysis and critical reading, you will explore a range of exciting viewpoints and frameworks through which to approach television.

Assessment Method:

Assignment 60%, Set exercise 40%

Disclaimer:

The modules described on this page are what we currently offer. Modules may change for your year of study as we regularly review our offerings to ensure they’re informed by the latest research and teaching methods.

X

Module details


Title:

Comedy on Stage and Screen

Code:

FT1CSS

Convenor:

DR Simone Knox

Summary:

This module gives you the opportunity to study comedy on stage and screen, encompassing film, television, theatre and stand-up comedy. You will engage with the relevant critical vocabulary and contextual knowledge to explore how humour is created, consumed and debated, across a range of genres and practices. Case studies may include classic and contemporary film comedies (e.g. screwball comedy, black comedy); musical comedies (e.g. The Book of Mormon); stand-up comedy (e.g. Ali Wong, Hannah Gadsby); sitcoms (e.g. Friends); or the work of specific creative practitioners (e.g. Joe Orton). 

Assessment Method:

Assignment 60%, Set exercise 40%

Disclaimer:

The modules described on this page are what we currently offer. Modules may change for your year of study as we regularly review our offerings to ensure they’re informed by the latest research and teaching methods.

X

Module details


Title:

Intercultural Competence and Communication

Code:

IL1GICC

Convenor:

MS Joan McCormack

Summary:

In this module students develop skills and understanding needed for working in the multi-cultural global workplace. In the Autumn term it will consider intercultural competence and communication from a range of disciplinary perspectives, including psychology, education, inclusivity, business, language and discourse. In the Spring term students will apply their knowledge to define and explain a defined a real-world issue.

The module will be delivered at the University of Reading Whiteknights campus

Assessment Method:

Oral 10%, Portfolio 30%, Project 60%

Disclaimer:

The modules described on this page are what we currently offer. Modules may change for your year of study as we regularly review our offerings to ensure they’re informed by the latest research and teaching methods.

X

Module details


Title:

English Language and Society

Code:

LS1ELS

Convenor:

DR Christiana Themistocleous

Summary:

The course aims to provide a broad introduction to English Language and Society, and a basis for further in-depth study of the field in parts two and three of the degree in English Language and Linguistics.

Assessment Method:

Exam 60%, Assignment 40%

Disclaimer:

The modules described on this page are what we currently offer. Modules may change for your year of study as we regularly review our offerings to ensure they’re informed by the latest research and teaching methods.

X

Module details


Title:

Globalization and Language

Code:

LS1GL

Convenor:

DR Tony Capstick

Summary:

In this module students will explore the role of language in globalization. They will examine the reasons for the spread of languages around the globe historically and in the future (especially in the context of political developments such as Brexit, and the increasing importance of World languages such as English). They will also explore debates about linguistic imperialism and the political dimensions of language use and language policies. Finally, they will explore the effects of technology and migration on the linguistic situation in Latin America, New Zealand and the Middle East, including how urban centers are becoming increasingly multilingual and ‘superdiverse’, and the political and social consequences of this. Teaching is drawn from across the School of Literature and Language.

Assessment Method:

Set exercise 10%, Project 90%

Disclaimer:

The modules described on this page are what we currently offer. Modules may change for your year of study as we regularly review our offerings to ensure they’re informed by the latest research and teaching methods.

X

Module details


Title:

Introduction to Linguistics

Code:

ML1IL

Convenor:

MR Federico Faloppa

Summary:

This module aims to familiarise students with principles in general linguistics, and to give students an overall picture of what a language is, how it works, and what its main structures are, with a particular focus on French, German, Italian and Spanish. It will also provide useful meta-linguistic competence which can be applied to the study of any other language.

Assessment Method:

Assignment 40%, Oral 20%, Set exercise 40%

Disclaimer:

The modules described on this page are what we currently offer. Modules may change for your year of study as we regularly review our offerings to ensure they’re informed by the latest research and teaching methods.

X

Module details


Title:

Introduction to Political Ideas

Code:

PO1IPI

Convenor:

DR Andrew Reid

Summary:

An introduction to political theory, covering central topics like the state and its authority, democracy, rights and liberty, equality and social justice, and war and intervention, as well as some of the basic methods for understanding them all. 

Assessment Method:

Exam 50%, Assignment 50%

Disclaimer:

The modules described on this page are what we currently offer. Modules may change for your year of study as we regularly review our offerings to ensure they’re informed by the latest research and teaching methods.

X

Module details


Title:

Global Justice

Code:

PP1GJ

Convenor:

DR Shalini Sinha

Summary:

Global traditions of philosophy  from the Buddha and Confucius to Simone Weil, Frantz Fanon, Martin Luther King Jr., and African and Native American thinkers advocate ideas of justice and freedom that extend far beyond contemporary conceptions. This course shows how these thinkers question our  ideas of justice, and  transform how we approach injustice and freedom in the  context of race and colonialism, nature and  indigenous communities, identity  and sexuality, family and polity, through radically different conceptions of freedom and violence,  love, equality and harmony.

Some of the claims we will examine include: Justice is freedom from suffering!  Revolutionary violence is cathartic and emancipatory! Political justice  requires mental training! Nature is alive and has rights! Gender and sexual freedom are gained by  dissolving bodily boundaries!  Truth lies in pleasure! Justice is  love! Social justice comes with harmonising differences! 

Assessment Method:

Assignment 90%, Class test 10%

Disclaimer:

The modules described on this page are what we currently offer. Modules may change for your year of study as we regularly review our offerings to ensure they’re informed by the latest research and teaching methods.

X

Module details


Title:

The Meaning of Life

Code:

PP1ML

Convenor:

DR George Mason

Summary:

What is the meaning of life? This is perhaps the most important philosophical question we can ask. What is the answer? Indeed, what is the question really asking? In this module, we seek the answers. Along the way, we will consider a series of fascinating questions which promise to enlighten our understanding of ourselves and our place in the world. What makes life worth living? Is there any reason to fear death? Could life in artificial reality be better or more fulfilling than life in the real world?

Reading:

A list of required readings will be posted online. All or nearly all core readings are available electronically.

Assessment Method:

Assignment 90%, Class test 10%

Disclaimer:

The modules described on this page are what we currently offer. Modules may change for your year of study as we regularly review our offerings to ensure they’re informed by the latest research and teaching methods.

X

Module details


Title:

Radical Philosophy

Code:

PP1RP

Convenor:

PROF Maximilian De Gaynesford

Summary:

From Plato and Marx to contemporaries like Judith Butler, Slavoj Zizek, and Catharine MacKinnon, there is a long tradition of radicalism in philosophy. This course is about how radical philosophy can usefully question our deepest assumptions and challenge our deepest beliefs. Poets should be outlawed from our society! We can secure knowledge by doubting everything! Capitalism will be destroyed by the very forces it creates! Gender is a social performance! Pornography silences women! Torture is permissible in extreme circumstances, e.g. post 9/11! These are some of the claims this course investigates philosophically.

Assessment Method:

Assignment 90%, Class test 10%

Disclaimer:

The modules described on this page are what we currently offer. Modules may change for your year of study as we regularly review our offerings to ensure they’re informed by the latest research and teaching methods.

X

Module details


Title:

Introduction to Psychology

Code:

PY1IPY

Convenor:

DR Katie Barfoot

Summary:

This module is delivered at the University of Reading, for students who are interested in but not studying Psychology.  

Assessment Method:

Exam 60%, Report 40%

Disclaimer:

The modules described on this page are what we currently offer. Modules may change for your year of study as we regularly review our offerings to ensure they’re informed by the latest research and teaching methods.

X

Module details


Title:

History of Graphic Communication

Code:

TY1HGC

Convenor:

DR Rob Banham

Summary:

The module provides students with an introduction to the history of graphic communication over the past 150 years, and the changing role of the graphic designer during that time. We will study the key design movements of the 20th century and the work of some of its most influential graphic designers and typographers.

Assessment Method:

Assignment 50%, Oral 50%

Disclaimer:

The modules described on this page are what we currently offer. Modules may change for your year of study as we regularly review our offerings to ensure they’re informed by the latest research and teaching methods.

X

Module details


Title:

Printing and printmaking

Code:

TY1PRI

Convenor:

DR Rob Banham

Summary:

The invention of printing, and the resulting spread of knowledge, played a crucial part in the development of modern society. This module will provide students with a broad overview of advances in printing and printmaking over the past 500 years. We will study how technological advances and the changing needs of readers affected the production, distribution, and reception of printed documents of all kinds. Students will also gain practical experience of printing, including letterpress, copper-engraving, and stone lithography, and will have opportunities to handle books, prints, and artefacts produced by some of the great printers and printmakers of the past.

Assessment Method:

Assignment 50%, Set exercise 10%, Portfolio 40%

Disclaimer:

The modules described on this page are what we currently offer. Modules may change for your year of study as we regularly review our offerings to ensure they’re informed by the latest research and teaching methods.

X

Module details


Title:

What the font? Making and using typefaces

Code:

TY1WTF

Convenor:

DR Rob Banham

Summary:

You are surrounded by fonts. Social media, text messages, email, branding, advertising, websites, books, magazines … Human (and machine) communication relies extensively on fonts, but what do you really know about them? How and why are new fonts created? And is it ever OK to use comic sans?! This module will introduce you to the world of typeface design, exploring the history, theory, and practice of making and using fonts and giving you the opportunity to design a typeface of your own. No background in design is required.

Assessment Method:

Set exercise 50%, Project 50%

Disclaimer:

The modules described on this page are what we currently offer. Modules may change for your year of study as we regularly review our offerings to ensure they’re informed by the latest research and teaching methods.

Code Module Convenor
FA1DS Drawing skills DR Florian Roithmayr
FA1ED Expanded Drawing PROF John Russell
FA1EN English for Arts and Communication Design MS Emily Salvesen
FA1MM Modernisms & Mythologies DR Jenny Chamarette
FA1MW Visual Thinking and Material Writing PROF Alun Rowlands
FA1WC1 What is the Contemporary? 1 MISS Julia Crabtree
FA1WC2 What is the Contemporary? 2 MISS Julia Crabtree
AP1SB1 Introduction to Management PROF Julian Park
CL1RH Roman History: the rise and fall of the Republic DR Andreas Gavrielatos
CL1TR Texts, Readers, and Writers PROF Eleanor Dickey
EC110 The Economics of Climate Change DR Stefania Lovo
FT1ATF Approaches to Film DR Adam O'Brien
FT1ATP Analysing Theatre and Performance DR Matt McFrederick
FT1ATT Approaches to Television DR Faye Woods
FT1CSS Comedy on Stage and Screen DR Simone Knox
IL1GICC Intercultural Competence and Communication MS Joan McCormack
LS1ELS English Language and Society DR Christiana Themistocleous
LS1GL Globalization and Language DR Tony Capstick
ML1IL Introduction to Linguistics MR Federico Faloppa
PO1IPI Introduction to Political Ideas DR Andrew Reid
PP1GJ Global Justice DR Shalini Sinha
PP1ML The Meaning of Life DR George Mason
PP1RP Radical Philosophy PROF Maximilian De Gaynesford
PY1IPY Introduction to Psychology DR Katie Barfoot
TY1HGC History of Graphic Communication DR Rob Banham
TY1PRI Printing and printmaking DR Rob Banham
TY1WTF What the font? Making and using typefaces DR Rob Banham

These are the modules that we currently offer. They may change for your year of study as we regularly review our module offerings to ensure they’re informed by the latest research and teaching methods.

Compulsory modules include:

X

Module details


Title:

Fine Art Studio including CMS

Code:

FA2SA

Convenor:

MR Angus Wyatt

Summary:

This is an Art studio module that is supported by tutorials, group critiques, material sessions, weekly seminars, exhibitions, and a program of visiting artist talks. There is also an option to take a study abroad module or take up a work placement in the Autumn term. The aim of the module is to support and challenge students in their development of an independent, creative and critically informed art practice. The module encourages students to identify and investigate particular (individual) interests and concerns through practical engagement in the studio and workshop areas. Students are further supported in the development of research skills relevant to both the development of an art practice and an understanding of its relationship to the broad field of contemporary art. Through the visiting artist program and placement schemes, students are encouraged to enhance their knowledge of career opportunities and reflect upon skills required to make effective applications.

Assessment Method:

Practical 33%, Portfolio 33%, Report 34%

Disclaimer:

The modules described on this page are what we currently offer. Modules may change for your year of study as we regularly review our offerings to ensure they’re informed by the latest research and teaching methods.

Code Module Convenor
FA2SA Fine Art Studio including CMS MR Angus Wyatt

Optional modules include:

X

Module details


Title:

Visual Thinking and Material Writing

Code:

FA2IMW

Convenor:

PROF Alun Rowlands

Summary:

This is a seminar based module designed to develop writing skills and the awareness of the scope of writing within art and art history. It will focus on the range of writing that constitutes the current discourses in art. The module will look at writings from Art Historical and critical theory approaches to genre in order to expand the student's expectations of what approaches are acceptable and useful within writing about art and art writing. Each week the group will look at different models of art writing in order to think through and begin to find a position on the appropriate forms for different contexts.

Assessment Method:

Assignment 100%

Disclaimer:

The modules described on this page are what we currently offer. Modules may change for your year of study as we regularly review our offerings to ensure they’re informed by the latest research and teaching methods.

X

Module details


Title:

Philosophies and Theories of Art

Code:

FA2IPA

Convenor:

DR James Hellings

Summary:

This module explores a range of philosophical and political ideas and tracks their impact on the histories and discourses of art. Over the course of 10 lectures students will be introduced to a range of historical and contemporary expositions and their use in Art, art criticism and theory. The module will develop through a combination of lectures, seminar discussion, exhibition visits, screenings and a written assignment.

Assessment Method:

Assignment 100%

Disclaimer:

The modules described on this page are what we currently offer. Modules may change for your year of study as we regularly review our offerings to ensure they’re informed by the latest research and teaching methods.

X

Module details


Title:

International Study

Code:

FA2IS

Convenor:

PROF Alun Rowlands

Summary:

This module involves a week long supervised study trip to a major European art centre (there is also 1 lecture in Week 2 of the Autumn term). Students see and experience contemporary art at first hand and also benefit from the knowledge and expertise of accompanying academic staff. Recent centres have included Berlin, Madrid, Vienna, Cologne, Paris and Venice.

Assessment Method:

Assignment 100%

Disclaimer:

The modules described on this page are what we currently offer. Modules may change for your year of study as we regularly review our offerings to ensure they’re informed by the latest research and teaching methods.

X

Module details


Title:

Independent study with Work Placement

Code:

FA2ISP

Convenor:

DR Kate Allen

Summary:

Students undertake an intensive investigation into an organisation, museum, gallery, studio complex, selected in consultation with a supervisor. Students will develop and present a portfolio consisting of elements such as an annotated list of sources; a critical bibliography including an analysis of a selected number of key sources; an exhibition and reproduction history, including illustrations; a visual analysis; a short discursive text accounting for the significance of their chosen investigation.  It may also be an exhibition or key texts in the field.

Assessment Method:

Assignment 100%

Disclaimer:

The modules described on this page are what we currently offer. Modules may change for your year of study as we regularly review our offerings to ensure they’re informed by the latest research and teaching methods.

X

Module details


Title:

What is the Contemporary? 3

Code:

FA2IWC3

Convenor:

MISS Julia Crabtree

Summary:

This module provides a rigorous critical forum where students consider their own artistic concerns in relation to the experiences of visiting speakers. Module content will centre on Contemporary Art's debates and trajectories as well as diverse models of practice through presentations by visiting artists, theorists, writers, curators, and others involved in visual culture. Students will critically analyse the artist presentations through seminar discussion, course reading, art historical research and written response.

Assessment Method:

Assignment 100%

Disclaimer:

The modules described on this page are what we currently offer. Modules may change for your year of study as we regularly review our offerings to ensure they’re informed by the latest research and teaching methods.

X

Module details


Title:

What is the Contemporary? 4

Code:

FA2IWC4

Convenor:

MISS Julia Crabtree

Summary:

This module provides a rigorous critical forum where students consider their own artistic concerns in relation to the experiences of visiting speakers. Module content will centre on Contemporary Art's debates and trajectories as well as diverse models of practice through presentations by visiting artists, theorists, writers, curators, and others involved in visual culture. Students will critically analyse the artist presentations through seminar discussion, course reading, art historical research and written response.

Assessment Method:

Assignment 100%

Disclaimer:

The modules described on this page are what we currently offer. Modules may change for your year of study as we regularly review our offerings to ensure they’re informed by the latest research and teaching methods.

X

Module details


Title:

Study Abroad

Code:

FA2SSA

Convenor:

MISS Julia Crabtree

Summary:

Module code to indicate that a student has undertaken a period of Study Abroad at a partner institution as part of their single or joint honours Art degree.

Assessment Method:

Disclaimer:

The modules described on this page are what we currently offer. Modules may change for your year of study as we regularly review our offerings to ensure they’re informed by the latest research and teaching methods.

Code Module Convenor
FA2IMW Visual Thinking and Material Writing PROF Alun Rowlands
FA2IPA Philosophies and Theories of Art DR James Hellings
FA2IS International Study PROF Alun Rowlands
FA2ISP Independent study with Work Placement DR Kate Allen
FA2IWC3 What is the Contemporary? 3 MISS Julia Crabtree
FA2IWC4 What is the Contemporary? 4 MISS Julia Crabtree
FA2SSA Study Abroad MISS Julia Crabtree

These are the modules that we currently offer. They may change for your year of study as we regularly review our module offerings to ensure they’re informed by the latest research and teaching methods.

Optional modules include:

X

Module details


Title:

Art dissertation

Code:

FA3DIS

Convenor:

DR James Hellings

Summary:

Art Dissertation module offers an opportunity to produce a sustained in-depth study in contemporary art and theory

Assessment Method:

Dissertation 100%

Disclaimer:

The modules described on this page are what we currently offer. Modules may change for your year of study as we regularly review our offerings to ensure they’re informed by the latest research and teaching methods.

X

Module details


Title:

Dissertation

Code:

FA3DISB

Convenor:

DR James Hellings

Summary:

This module aims to provide the occasion for students to identify, research, and organize an extended written project. The focus of the module is on independent learning. The module also challenges students to reflect and build upon knowledge gained from lectures, seminars and studio tutorials in parts 2 and 3 of the programme.

Assessment Method:

Dissertation 100%

Disclaimer:

The modules described on this page are what we currently offer. Modules may change for your year of study as we regularly review our offerings to ensure they’re informed by the latest research and teaching methods.

X

Module details


Title:

Part 3H Studio

Code:

FA3HS1

Convenor:

PROF Susanne Clausen

Summary:

This is an Art studio module that is supported by tutorials, group critiques, material sessions, weekly seminars, exhibitions, and a program of visiting artist talks.  The aim of the module is to support and challenge students in their development of an independent, creative and critically informed art practice. The module encourages students to consolidate and develop particular (individual) interests and concerns through practical engagement in the studio and workshop areas, to prepare them for future public exhibitions and to state their positions as artists. Students are further supported in the development of research skills relevant to both the development of an art practice and an understanding of its relationship to the broad field of contemporary art and to locate their practice both historically and theoretically. Through the visiting artist program students are encouraged to enhance their knowledge of career opportunities to enable them to plan and make effective applications for future postgraduate opportunities, employment, professional practice. 

Assessment Method:

Project 100%

Disclaimer:

The modules described on this page are what we currently offer. Modules may change for your year of study as we regularly review our offerings to ensure they’re informed by the latest research and teaching methods.

X

Module details


Title:

Studio

Code:

FA3HSB

Convenor:

PROF Susanne Clausen

Summary:

This is an Art studio module that is supported by tutorials, group critiques, material sessions, weekly seminars, exhibitions, and a program of visiting artist talks.  The aim of the module is to support and challenge students in their development of an independent, creative and critically informed art practice. The module encourages students to consolidate and develop particular (individual) interests and concerns through practical engagement in the studio and workshop areas, to prepare them for future public exhibitions and to state their positions as artists. Students are further supported in the development of research skills relevant to both the development of an art practice and an understanding of its relationship to the broad field of contemporary art and to locate their practice both historically and theoretically. Through the visiting artist program students are encouraged to enhance their knowledge of career opportunities to enable them to plan and make effective applications for future postgraduate opportunities, employment, professional practice. 

Assessment Method:

Project 100%

Disclaimer:

The modules described on this page are what we currently offer. Modules may change for your year of study as we regularly review our offerings to ensure they’re informed by the latest research and teaching methods.

Code Module Convenor
FA3DIS Art dissertation DR James Hellings
FA3DISB Dissertation DR James Hellings
FA3HS1 Part 3H Studio PROF Susanne Clausen
FA3HSB Studio PROF Susanne Clausen

These are the modules that we currently offer. They may change for your year of study as we regularly review our module offerings to ensure they’re informed by the latest research and teaching methods.

Fees

New UK/Republic of Ireland students: £9,250

New international students: £20,300

UK/Republic of Ireland fee changes

UK/Republic of Ireland undergraduate tuition fees are regulated by the UK government. These fees are subject to parliamentary approval and any decision on raising the tuition fees cap for new UK students would require the formal approval of both Houses of Parliament before it becomes law.

EU student fees

With effect from 1 August 2021, new EU students will pay international tuition fees. For exceptions, please read the UK government’s guidance for EU students.

Additional costs

Some courses will require additional payments for field trips and extra resources. You will also need to budget for your accommodation and living costs. See our information on living costs for more details.

Financial support for your studies

You may be eligible for a scholarship or bursary to help pay for your study. Students from the UK may also be eligible for a student loan to help cover these costs. See our fees and funding information for more information on what's available.

Placement year fees

If you spend a full year on placement, you will only pay 15% of your usual tuition fee for that year. For more information, please see our fees and funding pages or contact placements@reading.ac.uk.

Careers

Our courses will equip you with the knowledge, intellectual ability and practice-led skills you need to make an imaginative and effective contribution to the art world – or the wider creative industries. As well as the practical experience gained on this degree, our students graduate with a range of transferable skills, such as self-motivation, time management and strategic thinking.

Many of our graduates develop successful careers as artists, writers and curators. These include a number of famous alumni, such as Turner Prize-nominated artists, and PhD students who are award-winning artists and curators at influential museums. Others have found employment in galleries, education, art therapy, film and video production, journalism, advertising and teaching. Recent employers include Tate, Whitechapel Gallery, Christies, Microsoft, the BBC, Victoria & Albert Museum, and Manolo Blahnik.

97% of leavers are in work and/or study 15 months after the end of their course (Graduate Outcomes Survey 2018/19; First Degree responders from Art).

Tara discusses BA Fine Art.

Contextual offers


We make contextual offers for all our courses.

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