Visual Arts and Film, BA (Hons)

Combining still and moving images, advanced academic study and practical skills development, the BA in Visual Arts and Film at Durham is a programme like no other. It draws on staff research spanning historical periods from classical Rome to the present, and is almost global in its geographical reach, with an emphasis not only on Western art, film, and visual culture, but that of the Middle East, Russophone Eurasia, and East Asia. The very conceptions of the visual and the image students will explore in the programme are fundamentally shaped by this transnational perspective. With this transnational scope in mind, the programme offers extensive language-learning opportunities, while within Durham it draws on the outstanding collections of the University’s Oriental Museum, its distinguished Western Art collections, and the curatorial expertise of its staff. No previous study of art is required: just a desire to explore the vast world of visual art and film.Course Structure The course is structured so that you:

• acquire an appropriate breadth of knowledge of visual arts and film, considering historical and geographical range as well as the multifarious theoretical and critical approaches appropriate to the analysis of visual artefacts

• develop specialist knowledge of film history and theory

• pursue a programme of skills development in a) public-facing applications of visual culture research, and b) digital research methods.

At the same time, it provides numerous opportunities for you to pursue their own interests, which may involve developing linguistic competence, or expanding the geographical of historical range of their subject knowledge.Year 1You will study 3 core modules that lay a broad foundation for the study of visual arts and film, and 2 optional modules from within or beyond the Faculty. This may include a language.Year 2You will study 3 core modules that build on your knowledge and skills in film studies, exhibition display and curating, and digital research skills. Optional modules give you the opportunity to further develop their language skills or expand their knowledge of visual culture and film into more specialised areas, with a particular emphasis on historical and geographical diversity.Year 3You must undertake a dissertation project and special subject module. This gives you the chance to apply your existing knowledge in two distinct modules that encourage depth of research. Optional modules allow you to deepen your knowledge and understanding of exhibitions, to further extend your practical skills base in the filmmaking module, or to expand the geographical, historical, or thematic range of your studies.For more information on this course, please see our website.