COURSE IN DEPTH
First Year
In the first year of the course we will provide you with the foundations of photographic and moving image practice. This will include essential technical skills using our state-of-the-art facilities, an understanding of how to harness and develop your creativity, means of communicating a message through your work, and an appreciation of the ethical and social issues that all modern photographers should be aware of.
Introduction to Visual Communication
20 credits
This module introduces the universal principles and theories of visual communication. The aim of the module is not only to introduce you to the principles within your own chosen subject area, but also to provide opportunities to take workshops in all subject areas, seek advice from experts in other disciplines and work collaboratively with students from all Visual Communication subject areas.
Principles and Practice of Photography
40 credits
This module will introduce you to historical and contemporary concepts within a number of photographic genres. The module is designed to establish basic workshop skills that are specifically the building blocks for future modules. This module is structured to you with an appropriate level of digital techniques that both support the module and are transferable. The module will result in a body of work that is the outcome of a set project and one day briefs.
Enterprise of Photography
20 credits
This module is about moving from the safety of the classroom and into the exterior world. As part of the module you will be expected to take your work into a public domain. You will be honing your practice through engagement and collaboration with external bodies, and beginning to identify your direction of study. The module is designed to establish advanced workshop skills and an appropriate level of enterprise skills.
Discourse
20 credits
Building on the key principles articulated in the three modules in your first semester, this complementary, contextual studies module will explore seminal design movements and practitioners of the twentieth and twenty-first centuries. It will provide you with a broad contextual framework that will underpin your design practice, both at university and in the future.
In order to complete this course a student must successfully complete at least 20 credits from the following indicative list of OPTIONAL modules.
Optional Modules
Each of the following modules is worth 20 credits:
- Narrative (Space and Place)
- Narrative (Time and Sequence)
- Narrative (Sound and Movement)
- Narrative (Text and Image)
- Narrative (People and Identity)
Core modules are guaranteed to run. Optional modules will vary from year to year and the published list is indicative only.
Second Year
In the second year, you will further develop your signature style, moving rapidly towards your chosen career goal. This will be achieved by developing your portfolio, your photographic intelligence and your conceptual knowledge. Furthermore, you will start to define the type of photographer that you want to become, becoming increasingly specialised in that area.
Creative briefs will help you to understand personal photographic direction and may include a collaborative module may allow you to work with Graphic Designers, Illustrators, Sound artists, Film makers, animators and galleries.
You will also be encouraged to collaborate with those outside of the school, building industry links that enhance your work and skills.
You will also gain essential business skills to prepare you for undertaking commissions and projects. Live briefs are a key part of the second year, so you that you experience what it is really like to work as a professional creative photographer.
Context of Photography
40 credits
You will begin to focus on a more discreet area of specialism, preparing you for your final year of study. You will work within smaller groups, alongside a tutor with expert knowledge in your chosen specialist area. You will also identify and research an area of your profession, developing numerous life and creative skills that will enhance your abilities and aspirations beyond graduation. This aspect of the programme will be supported by seminars and lectures from industry experts and practitioners.
Identifying Direction
40 credits
This flexible module allows you to identify direction within your own practice and future aspirations. You will undertake approaches that will help define your area of practice, which is personalised to your own interests. The structure of this module encourages the development of a more focused, in depth and advanced study through the use of self-directed projects.
Live Project
20 credits
This module provides an opportunity for you to apply your knowledge and skills to an external, professional brief. The brief will be set by an external client/ agency, in consultation with your supervisor, and it could be a ‘real life’ problem to be solved, or a simulation. It is an opportunity for you to engage in a professional manner with an aspect of your subject area, which contributes to the development of employability skills within the supportive infrastructure of the University. Where appropriate, the project may involve interdisciplinary collaboration with students from other courses. In this way, it reflects the collaborative, flexible nature of employment within the Creative Industries.
In order to complete this course a student must successfully complete at least 20 credits from the following indicative list of OPTIONAL modules.
Optional Modules
Each of the following modules is worth 20 credits.
- Work Placement
- Collaborative Practice
Core modules are guaranteed to run. Optional modules will vary from year to year and the published list is indicative only.
Third Year
In the final year you will, under expert tutor guidance, define your own projects, ensuring that your university work is tailored perfectly to you. You will work towards a final outcome, again chosen by you, such as a book, magazine, film, installation, exhibition and/or portfolio. As before, we will help you to develop your business profile and to become a practising photographer before you have graduated, which only goes to strengthen your portfolio and your employability.
We will be there to support you both professionally and pastorally. As well as our own expert tuition, we have a wide range of world-class photographers and portfolio reviewers who will inspire you to take your work to the next level. You will have access to the huge network of contacts that the University has, both nationally and internationally, as well as our close links with other courses within the University.
You will also undertake a piece of critical writing that examines the business practices of your chosen career.This will equip you with the necessary knowledge to approach the commercial photographic market, preparing you for your future aspirations and increasing your level of employability, allowing you to flourish not just while studying, but for many years after.
Critical Practice
60 credits
In exploring your own creative direction you will conduct a project over several weeks, in negotiation with your tutors, which will allow you to demonstrate an in-depth understanding of the issues and concepts chosen and further refine your visual identity as a contemporary photographic based practitioner.
You will develop your skills to source, synthesis and apply research, allowing you to work independently and articulate ideas that are central to your professional practice.
Major Project
60 credits
The purpose of this module is to enable you to undertake a sustained, in-depth and theoretically informed project. It is a culmination of your three years of study and should be a personal inquiry, of a professional and innovative standard and a celebration of you as a work ready practitioner.
You will develop a final major body of work, demonstrating your skills and knowledge which will be showcased at our Graduate Shows. You will have an exhibition, showcasing your individual creative signature, communication, information and problem-solving skills. You will develop your negotiation and planning skills, and will produce meaningful creative work.
