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Unit outline_

ARHT5000: Presenting Visual and Cultural Research

Semester 2, 2021 [Normal day] - Remote

This seminar for postgraduate research students in art history, film, museum and heritage studies is linked to Visual and Cultural Research Methods. In this unit students will progress their thesis research through a skills-based focus on the public presentation of their ideas. The seminars will focus on effective means of presenting visual images to an audience of academic peers, skills in oral presentation, strategies for asking questions in a public forum, how to conceptualise and chair a conference panel. Students taking this unit will present on their research topic and situate it in the context of developments in the field.

Unit details and rules

Academic unit Art History
Credit points 6
Prerequisites
? 
None
Corequisites
? 
None
Prohibitions
? 
None
Assumed knowledge
? 

Entry into a research programme in the Department of Art History and Museum and Heritage Studies. (Ph.D, D.Arts, M.Phil. or M.A. Research.)

Available to study abroad and exchange students

No

Teaching staff

Coordinator Donna Brett, donna.brett@sydney.edu.au
Type Description Weight Due Length
Assignment Annotated Bibliography
1x6000 wds Annotated Bibliography
100% Week 13
Due date: 12 Nov 2021 at 23:59
6000 words
Outcomes assessed: LO1 LO2 LO3 LO4

Assessment summary

Submission of an annotated bibliography.

Assessment criteria

Students will prepare a draft annotated bibliography based on their research topic.

For more information see guide to grades.

Late submission

In accordance with University policy, these penalties apply when written work is submitted after 11:59pm on the due date:

  • Deduction of 5% of the maximum mark for each calendar day after the due date.
  • After ten calendar days late, a mark of zero will be awarded.

This unit has an exception to the standard University policy or supplementary information has been provided by the unit coordinator. This information is displayed below:

5% per day

Academic integrity

The Current Student website provides information on academic integrity and the resources available to all students. The University expects students and staff to act ethically and honestly and will treat all allegations of academic integrity breaches seriously.

We use similarity detection software to detect potential instances of plagiarism or other forms of academic integrity breach. If such matches indicate evidence of plagiarism or other forms of academic integrity breaches, your teacher is required to report your work for further investigation.

Use of generative artificial intelligence (AI) and automated writing tools

You may only use generative AI and automated writing tools in assessment tasks if you are permitted to by your unit coordinator. If you do use these tools, you must acknowledge this in your work, either in a footnote or an acknowledgement section. The assessment instructions or unit outline will give guidance of the types of tools that are permitted and how the tools should be used.

Your final submitted work must be your own, original work. You must acknowledge any use of generative AI tools that have been used in the assessment, and any material that forms part of your submission must be appropriately referenced. For guidance on how to acknowledge the use of AI, please refer to the AI in Education Canvas site.

The unapproved use of these tools or unacknowledged use will be considered a breach of the Academic Integrity Policy and penalties may apply.

Studiosity is permitted unless otherwise indicated by the unit coordinator. The use of this service must be acknowledged in your submission as detailed on the Learning Hub’s Canvas page.

Outside assessment tasks, generative AI tools may be used to support your learning. The AI in Education Canvas site contains a number of productive ways that students are using AI to improve their learning.

Simple extensions

If you encounter a problem submitting your work on time, you may be able to apply for an extension of five calendar days through a simple extension.  The application process will be different depending on the type of assessment and extensions cannot be granted for some assessment types like exams.

Special consideration

If exceptional circumstances mean you can’t complete an assessment, you need consideration for a longer period of time, or if you have essential commitments which impact your performance in an assessment, you may be eligible for special consideration or special arrangements.

Special consideration applications will not be affected by a simple extension application.

Using AI responsibly

Co-created with students, AI in Education includes lots of helpful examples of how students use generative AI tools to support their learning. It explains how generative AI works, the different tools available and how to use them responsibly and productively.

WK Topic Learning activity Learning outcomes
Week 01 Introduction: Contemporary Relevance and Transformative Research or what is a research thesis? Seminar (2 hr)  
Week 02 The selection of a Research Approach Seminar (2 hr) LO1
Week 03 What to read, how and why? Or, what on earth is a literature review? Seminar (2 hr) LO3
Week 04 Designing chapter maps, structure, flow and narrative. Seminar (2 hr) LO1
Week 05 Time management, documentation and file organisation Seminar (2 hr) LO1
Week 06 Taking notes, references and style Seminar (2 hr) LO1
Week 07 Academic ethics Seminar (2 hr) LO3
Week 08 Writer’s block, hints, and how to work with your supervisor. Seminar (2 hr) LO2
Week 09 Working in archives, methods and practice Seminar (2 hr) LO3
Week 10 Forming questions and establishing arguments Seminar (2 hr) LO3
Week 11 The value of case studies Seminar (2 hr) LO3
Week 12 The elevator pitch or how to promote your research Seminar (2 hr) LO4
Week 13 Conferences and publishing Seminar (2 hr) LO4

Attendance and class requirements

Students will attend 1 x 2 seminar per week with designated art history staff. Most weeks correspond with departmental research seminars presentations of 1 hour which are a compulsory component of the 2 hour seminar class.

Study commitment

Typically, there is a minimum expectation of 1.5-2 hours of student effort per week per credit point for units of study offered over a full semester. For a 6 credit point unit, this equates to roughly 120-150 hours of student effort in total.

Learning outcomes are what students know, understand and are able to do on completion of a unit of study. They are aligned with the University's graduate qualities and are assessed as part of the curriculum.

At the completion of this unit, you should be able to:

  • LO1. have greater confidence to progress their thesis research supported by skills in time management, archival research etc.
  • LO2. be aware of the infrastructure available to support their research into visual culture both within the University and beyond it.
  • LO3. be able to more clearly articulate the place of their thesis topic within the broader field of art history and visual studies.
  • LO4. have a clear sense of the professional opportunities available to them to present their postgraduate research within their discipline.

Graduate qualities

The graduate qualities are the qualities and skills that all University of Sydney graduates must demonstrate on successful completion of an award course. As a future Sydney graduate, the set of qualities have been designed to equip you for the contemporary world.

GQ1 Depth of disciplinary expertise

Deep disciplinary expertise is the ability to integrate and rigorously apply knowledge, understanding and skills of a recognised discipline defined by scholarly activity, as well as familiarity with evolving practice of the discipline.

GQ2 Critical thinking and problem solving

Critical thinking and problem solving are the questioning of ideas, evidence and assumptions in order to propose and evaluate hypotheses or alternative arguments before formulating a conclusion or a solution to an identified problem.

GQ3 Oral and written communication

Effective communication, in both oral and written form, is the clear exchange of meaning in a manner that is appropriate to audience and context.

GQ4 Information and digital literacy

Information and digital literacy is the ability to locate, interpret, evaluate, manage, adapt, integrate, create and convey information using appropriate resources, tools and strategies.

GQ5 Inventiveness

Generating novel ideas and solutions.

GQ6 Cultural competence

Cultural Competence is the ability to actively, ethically, respectfully, and successfully engage across and between cultures. In the Australian context, this includes and celebrates Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander cultures, knowledge systems, and a mature understanding of contemporary issues.

GQ7 Interdisciplinary effectiveness

Interdisciplinary effectiveness is the integration and synthesis of multiple viewpoints and practices, working effectively across disciplinary boundaries.

GQ8 Integrated professional, ethical, and personal identity

An integrated professional, ethical and personal identity is understanding the interaction between one’s personal and professional selves in an ethical context.

GQ9 Influence

Engaging others in a process, idea or vision.

Outcome map

Learning outcomes Graduate qualities
GQ1 GQ2 GQ3 GQ4 GQ5 GQ6 GQ7 GQ8 GQ9

This section outlines changes made to this unit following staff and student reviews.

This is the first time this unit has been run.

Disclaimer

The University reserves the right to amend units of study or no longer offer certain units, including where there are low enrolment numbers.

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