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Transmissions & Connections - HOA00012C

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  • Department: History of Art
  • Module co-ordinator: Dr. Richard McClary
  • Credit value: 20 credits
  • Credit level: C
  • Academic year of delivery: 2023-24

Module summary

This module focuses on processes of transmission, which is widely defined to encompass the history of ideas, motifs, materials, people and objects, including changes in the function and reception of individual works over time. The module is structured around case studies, each of which pertains to a specific theme or issue.

Module will run

Occurrence Teaching period
A Semester 1 2023-24

Module aims

This module focuses on processes of transmission, using case studies (single works or groups of related objects) as a starting point for exploring different kinds of transmission and/or connection across the history of art. Transmission is widely defined to encompass the history of ideas, motifs, materials, people and objects, including changes in the function and reception of individual works over time. While the emphasis is on Western art and architecture, a significant number of case-studies are objects that were made elsewhere or that have histories that reach across other parts of the globe. The case studies have a broad chronological range, spanning several centuries of art history. We will explore the interactions across time, geography, materials and culture that create the complex meanings of our objects of study.

Module learning outcomes

By the end of the module, students should have acquired:

  • An ability to explore links between works of art and architecture across space and time

  • An in-depth understanding of selected objects and their cultural and material complexity

  • A critical understanding of key concepts regarding processes of transmission

  • A knowledge of the key publications exploring the themes of the course

Assessment

Task Length % of module mark
Online Exam -less than 24hrs (Centrally scheduled)
Open exam : Online (Open) Exam		 3 hours 100

Special assessment rules

None

Reassessment

Task Length % of module mark
Online Exam -less than 24hrs (Centrally scheduled)
Open exam : Online (Open) Exam		 3 hours 100

Module feedback

You will receive feedback on assessed work within the timeframes set out by the University - please check the Guide to Assessment, Standards, Marking and Feedback for more information.

The purpose of feedback is to help you to improve your future work. If you do not understand your feedback or want to talk about your ideas further, you are warmly encouraged to meet your Supervisor during their Office Hours.

Indicative reading

  • Ashley, Kathleen, and Véronique Plesch. “The Cultural Processes of ‘Appropriation’.” Journal of Medieval and Early Modern Studies 32, no. 1 (2002): 1-15.
  • Greenblatt, Stephen. “Cultural Mobility: An Introduction,” and “A Mobility Studies Manifesto.” In Cultural Mobility: A Manifesto, edited by Stephen Greenblatt, 1-12, 250-53. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 2010).
  • Ingold, Time. Making: Anthropology, Archaeology, Art and Architecture. London: Taylor & Francis Group, 2013. “The Materials of Life,” 17-32.
  • Moxey, Keith. “What Time is it in the History of Art?” In Time in the History of Art: Temporality, Chronology and Anachrony, edited by Dan Karlholm and Keith Moxey, 26-42. London: Taylor & Francis, 2018.


The information on this page is indicative of the module that is currently on offer. The University is constantly exploring ways to enhance and improve its degree programmes and therefore reserves the right to make variations to the content and method of delivery of modules, and to discontinue modules, if such action is reasonably considered to be necessary by the University. Where appropriate, the University will notify and consult with affected students in advance about any changes that are required in line with the University's policy on the Approval of Modifications to Existing Taught Programmes of Study.