Course Details in 2024/25 Session

Module Title	LI Art, Race and the British Empire, 1837-1901: Contexts, Approaches, Legacies
School	Lan, Cult, Art Hist & Music
Department	Art Hist, Cur and Vis Studies
Module Code	09 37040
Module Lead	Dr Kate Nichols
Level	Intermediate Level
Credits	20
Semester	Semester 1
Pre-requisites
Co-requisites
Restrictions	None
Contact Hours	Lecture-10 hours Seminar-20 hours Guided independent study-170 hours Total: 200 hours
Exclusions
Description	Art historians have recently begun to challenge the definition of ‘British Art’ by emphasising the centrality of the British Empire to the production, display and reception of art. This module explores the relationships between art and empire in one of the periods most associated with British imperial expansion, 1837-1901, and pays particular attention to questions of race and ethnicity. It examines a broad range of media, including painting, sculpture, decorative arts and photography, and new contexts of display, including art museums and international exhibitions. The module will introduce you to key historical and theoretical frameworks for analysing these artworks and contexts, drawing on a wide range of primary source material in tandem with approaches from history, post-colonial studies, museum studies and gender studies to explore how the imperial contexts of art production contribute towards racialised, gendered and national identities. It will also consider the ongoing legacies of the relationships between art, race, and empire, exploring the often contentious afterlives of visual culture produced and collected in this period.
Learning Outcomes	By the end of the module students should be able to: Demonstrate an in-depth knowledge of the key artistic practices addressed in the module; Demonstrate an understanding of the place of those practices in terms of the wider cultural and social context; Display a sound knowledge of the relevant critical debates over the question of how to interpret these practices; Apply knowledge of those debates to the analysis of individual artists and works of art; Identify primary and secondary sources relevant to the understanding and interpretation of art featured in the module, and subject them to critical analysis.
Assessment	37040-01 : 4000-word essay : Coursework (100%)
Assessment Methods & Exceptions	Assessment: One 4,000-word essay (100%). Reassessment: Re-submission of 4,000-word essay (100%)
Other
Reading List