MODULE SPECIFICATION COVER SHEET

1. Title of the module  The Art Business: Structures, Practices, Values 

2. School or partner institution which will be responsible for management of the module Arts

3. The level of the module Level 6 

4. The number of credits and the ECTS value which the module represents 30 credits (15 ECTS)

5. Which term(s) the module is to be taught in (or other teaching pattern)

Autumn or Spring tbc (Proposed alternation with level 6 module Visual Arts Writing [HA595])

6. Prerequisite and co-requisite modules

There are no pre-requisite or co-requisite modules

7. The programmes of study to which the module contributes

 BA (Hons) History of Art

 BA (Hons) Drama & Theatre Studies

 BA (Hons) Film Studies

 BA (Hons) Media Arts  

[NB: Also potential for articulation with the MA-T offer within Arts as a level 6 module which the credit rubric permits to be taken]. 

8. The intended subject specific learning outcomesOn successfully completing the module students will be able to:

(8.1) demonstrate an informed and expansive knowledge of the structure, operation and interconnection of the principal institutions, values and practices which underpin the contemporary, global art market;(8.2)  identify and evaluate the principal  paradigms,  definitional  issues and arguments for understanding contemporary art as a particular form of social, cultural and creative practice;(8.3)  discuss and assess the main drivers and inhibitors of price, value and acquisition in relation to specific art case studies encompassing the post-war (1945-70) and modern periods (c.1970-present);(8.4)   differentiate and contextualise the particular, professional roles exercised by curators, gallerists, auction houses, collectors, brokers, critics and their contribution to the broader ecology of the art market;(8.5)     evaluate the operation and implications of ‘free-market’  practices in relation to broader art business trends and trajectories appreciable since the later 1970s/early 1980s;(8.6)   identify some of the national, international and transnational developments in arts and cultural policy and how these have contributed to debates around the social, cultural, symbolic and economic roles of art practice itself. 

9. The intended generic learning outcomesOn successfully completing the module students will be able to:

(9.1)  research, evaluate and apply a range of critical perspectives and data from secondary sources, including journal articles, essays and academic/policy studies papers and newspaper sources as applicable; (9.2)  structure and articulate, both verbally and in writing, reasoned and coherent argument and analysis; (9.3)   demonstrate the acquisition of IT and advanced study skills including the ability to self-manage academic study time and to prioritise competing demands and pressures, as required in an employability and professional context;(9.4)  explore and identify ways in which the experience, application and self-reflection required of final year study more broadly can serve to support and inform post-course graduation and onward career/future study.

10. A synopsis of the curriculum

The rapid expansion and configuration of the global art market indexes both a new international asset class and a changing geopolitical and economic order. But the production of art and the dynamic of the art market are   frequently   perceived   as   opaque   phenomenon   in   which   value,   meaning   and   price   appear   to   be 

MODULE SPECIFICATION

mysteriously  conferred  and  justified.  This  module  is  designed to  introduce students  to  the  ecology  and working practices of the contemporary visual art market and aspects of the culture industry more broadly - its structures, employment roles, language and operation. 

Referencing specific case studies, the module will open by considering some definitional and interpretative issues   arising   from   the   often   nebulous   categorisation   of   contemporary   art,   exploring   the   dominant paradigms used to justify, explain and account for its creation and social value. Consideration will be given to some of the motivational drivers, both intrinsic and extrinsic, behind its collection, acquisition and curation at both individual, collective and corporate levels. 

Module sessions will then consider the dominant institutions, employment roles and professions involved in creating,   legitimating and disseminating the social,  symbolic  and commercial  value of contemporary  art. These will include central market-makers such as galleries, managing agents, brokers, art buyers and auction houses. With reference to a selection of case studies, students will explore the contributory role in value formation   played   by   some   contemporary   artists   in   managing   their   own   “brand   identity”   through participation  in art   fairs,  exhibition retrospectives,  professional  affiliations and  increasingly,   international biennales. The mediated and tangential role in value, market formation and work recognition played by the so called “commentariat” – critics, curators, art journalists and academics, will be explored and evaluated in relation   to   existing   and   developing   market   trends   with   greater   specificity   provided   by   particular contemporary art case studies. The module’s concluding section will discuss and consider the landscape of contemporary art making from the perspective of social entrepreneurship and its contribution to a range of perspectives on policy frameworks at national, transnational and international levels.?

11. Reading List (Indicative list, current at time of publication. Reading lists will be published annually)

Buck, Louisa (2012)  Commissioning Contemporary Art: A Handbook for Curators, Collectors and Artists , London, Thames & Hudson  

Horowitz,  Noah   (2011),  Art of the Deal: Contemporary Art in a Global Financial Market,   Princeton, University Press, Princeton

              Robertson, Iain (2008), The Art Business, London, Routledge               

Thompson, Don (2012), The Curious Economics of Contemporary Art, London, Aurum Press

Velthuis, Olav   (2007) Talking Prices: Symbolic Meanings of Prices on the Market for Contemporary Art , Princeton, University Press Princeton

12. Learning and Teaching methods

This module will be taught by means of a weekly 2 hour lecture and 2 hour seminar over 11 weeks.

The formal delivery of academic content will be effectively delivered through the lecture format whilst discursive and participative seminars will provide an opportunity for supported, student centred engagement with the material, debate and arguments. Independent learning hours will include research, preparation for seminar and lectures, private study and assessment work. There will be a study visit to an auction sale/secondary market disposal of work by way of contribution to the learning and attainment outcomes.

Total number of study hours: 300 for a 30 credit module to include 44 hours of lectures and seminars.

13. Assessment Methods

3500-3750 word essay assignment: 70%  

2Module Specification Template (September 2015)

MODULE SPECIFICATION

1000 word summative reflection on issues and themes arising from the module and how such might relate to candidates’ own post-Kent trajectory: 30% The rationale for having a summative and reflexive dimension to the assessment rubric is consistent with the level 6 and  employability-related  dimension  of   the  module.   In   addition   to  encouraging  consideration  of   the  material explored the intention is to support consideration of professional aspirations after graduation.

14. Map of Module Learning Outcomes (sections 8 & 9) to Learning and Teaching Methods (section12) and methods of Assessment (section 13)

Module learning outcome

8.1 8.2 8.3 8.4 8.5 8.6 8.7 9.1 9.2 9.3 9.4 9.5

9.6

Learning/ teaching method

Hours allocated

Private Study

Essay research and preparation inc. preparation for seminars

260 x x x x x x x x x x x x

Seminars 22 x x x x

Lectures & Tutorials

22 x x x x x x x

Assessment method

Essay 1 x x x x x x x x x x x x

Summative Reflection

x x x x x x x x x x

15. The School/Collaborative Partner (delete as applicable) recognises and has embedded the expectations of current disability equality legislation, and supports students with a declared disability or special educational need in its teaching. Within this module we will make reasonable adjustments wherever necessary, including additional or substitute materials, teaching modes or assessment methods for students who have declared and discussed their learning support needs. Arrangements for students with declared disabilities will be made on an individual basis, in consultation with the University’s/Collaborative Partner’s (delete as applicable) disability/dyslexia student support service, and specialist support will be provided where needed.

N/A

16. Campus(es) or Centre(s) where module will be delivered:

Canterbury 

3Module Specification Template (September 2015)

MODULE SPECIFICATION

FACULTIES SUPPORT OFFICE USE ONLY

Revision record – all revisions must be recorded in the grid and full details of the change retained in the appropriate committee records.

Date approved Major/minor revision

Start date of the delivery of  revised version

Section revised Impacts PLOs (Q6&7 cover sheet)

gp/ha/arts/sep15/rev/gp/jan16

4Module Specification Template (September 2015)