MODULES
Foundation Year
CORE MODULES
- Professional Life (Mental Wealth)
- Art & Design Workshops, Processes & Skills
- Art & Design Specialist Studio Practice & Portfolio
- Art & Design Specialist Workshops, Processes & Skills
- Art & Design Contextual Studies
Year 1
CORE MODULES
Professional Life 1 (Mental Wealth)
Developing the key psychological and physical determinants of human performance are increasingly critical for successful graduate-level employment, entrepreneurship and career progression in the 4th industrial revolution.
This module will provide you with the opportunity to identify the skills, competencies and experience required for successful development to, and in, a range of potential future career areas.
Herein you will begin to recognise the areas for your own personal professional development (including emotional, social, physical, cultural and cognitive intelligences) through taught and workshop activity.
Central to the developmental process is for each student to cultivate the reflective skills, openness and self- awareness to enable themselves to assess what they are doing, identify areas for improvement, and confidently receive and give constructive feedback. You will additionally develop knowledge of strategies to advance your own physical intelligence through 'life style' and 'self-care' approaches to inform their health and wellbeing.
Having acquired understanding of the key developmental areas, you will have opportunity to join in-house activities as a trainee, mentored and supervised by students from higher years. In this position you will learn and begin to apply the cognitive, cultural and social intelligences developed elsewhere in your studies (and from external activities) as required in the workplace, namely cognitive flexibility, emotional resilience, motivation, ethical decision-making, managing your audience, coordinating with others, negotiation, creativity, active listening, attention, problem solving, research, synthesis and analysis.
Practice 1
The module serves as a rigorous introduction to a creative practice, an overview of fundamental skills that will enable experimentation and application, developing their own working practice. The module aims to provide you with an introduction to practical and critical study, to understand the role of research in creative practice and in supporting the development of creative projects. The approach aims to imbue an experimental and open-minded attitude that enhances levels of production, strengthens adaptability, personal confidence and the ability to creatively solving visual ideas. Through experimental and production of work, you will understand your work in relation to research and feel empowered. The module allows you to discuss and develop your work with the help of group critiques and views of others in the enhancement of ideas through to creative outcomes.
At the end of the module you will be able to begin to self-manage the development of a creative practice, and to disseminate ideas.
Contextual Studies 1
Contextual Studies in the first term equips you to understand the history of fine art, fine art technology, graphic design, design interaction, illustration, animation, photography and creative writing and its relevance today. The module comprises thematic lectures, seminars, screenings and field trips as well as keystone research and writing skills such as the use of citation, referencing and academic integrity appropriate to undergraduate study. The module content will support development of your practical work on the adjoining modules. At the end of the module, you would have developed the skills for analysing and contextualising your own work, and that of your peers.
Research into Practice 1
You will begin to establish an intellectual framework within which you can begin to understand a relationship between theory and your own practice. You will begin to contribute critically in the seminars, in relation to contemporary and historical research methodologies. The module is supported by one-to-one tutorials. At the end of the module, you will have developed the skills for analysing and contextualising your own work, to be applied further in second year of your study. The outcome of this module is both a presentation of your practice or research area and a written work.
The lectures are complemented by tutor led discussion focusing on student work in progress, interrogating the practical work within the context established by the lectures in order to promote deeper understanding and extend creative ambition.
Experimentation and Application 1A
The module introduces you to a range of processes and practices, skills and knowledge, through a series of workshops and projects. The module equips you to discover a range of techniques working within context of your discipline and support their developing practice.
The module focuses on process, developing skills and practical knowledge encouraging you to discover a range of creative ways of working within the context of your discipline as well as extended practice supporting your developing practice. The module is backed up through regular group tutorials.
Experimentation and Application 1B
The module introduces you to a further range of processes and practices, skills and knowledge, through a series of workshops, projects and electives to extend their practice.
Technical introductions and workshops enable you to broaden the scope of your skills and practice, as well as specific workshops pertinent to contemporary processes and methods, including a range of analogue and digital tools.
These skills and processes are introduced and discussed in relation to the development of a visual language applicable to contemporary fine art, graphic design, illustration, photography and animation practice.
The module allows you to present your work to audiences, testing your ideas and concepts, receiving feedback feeding forward to your practice and to level 5 of study. Cross-disciplinary exhibitions are encouraged as well as inter-disciplinary discourse.
The module Practice into Research supports the module, and allows you to contextualise your practice in a form of a presentation of your work.
Year 2
CORE MODULES
Professional Life 2 (Mental Wealth)
The module provides a forum for the student to develop a creative, inventive and productive design process in relation to a design project or projects. In particular to raise student awareness and understanding of the occupants and users and their physical, social and psychological needs through the design of both objects and environments at appropriate scales, as well as exploring key characteristics of design projects.
There is a particular focus on investigations of site and context that may involve the gathering of empirical data, making analytical studies and conducting observations of people, place, context and materials that are appropriate to the project.
By setting one design project, the module aims to engage with the practices, protocols and conventions that apply to the design and delivery of projects within the design and construction industry. The module fosters the development of a personal position and working methods as part of the attributes required by a professional architect.
Design Investigation 2
The module provides a forum for the student to develop a creative, inventive and productive design process in relation to a design project or projects. In particular to raise student awareness and understanding of the occupants and users and their physical, social and psychological needs through the design of both objects and environments at appropriate scales, as well as exploring key characteristics of design projects.
There is a particular focus on investigations of site and context that may involve the gathering of empirical data, making analytical studies and conducting observations of people, place, context and materials that are appropriate to the project.
By setting one design project, the module aims to engage with the practices, protocols and conventions that apply to the design and delivery of projects within the design and construction industry. The module fosters the development of a personal position and working methods as part of the attributes required by a professional architect.
Contextual Studies 2
Design Integration 2
This module focuses on the application of knowledge of environmental principles into the student's design projects, using relevant methods of environmental strategies as part of the design process.
The module aims to encourage integration of environmental design from the outset of a project, giving students the ability to reflect on appropriate environmental design strategies and explore these in a creative and rigorous manner.
Advanced Experimentation and Applications (Animation)
Advanced Practice
OPTIONAL MODULES
Industrial Sandwich Placement
Year 3
CORE MODULES
Professional Life 3 (Mental Wealth)
Integrated Technology
This module establishes a student’s ability to integrate the key areas of their technical design knowledge within the context of the final design project Design Investigation 3 Design Resolution 3 and Design Integration 3.
The module provides an overview of the necessary design skills required to meet building users’ requirements within the constraints imposed by cost factors and building regulations.
Independent Major Project Part A
Design Investigation 3
The module consolidates skills and knowledge gained at Levels 4 and 5. Together with Design Resolution 3 and Design Integration 3 which requires highly detailed reflection on the integration of cultural, professional, technical and environmental issues within the design project, this set of 3 modules is intended to prepare students for independent practice, entry into the professional workplace, or for higher studies.
Whilst improving a student’s practical skills and refining their ability to use them productively, the focus of this module is on developing a depth of knowledge and understanding about research and project development, appropriate to graduate level. It also aims to help students to offer evidence of self-management in respect of planning, monitoring, recording and evaluation within the portfolio work that is produced.
OPTIONAL MODULES
Research into Practice 3 – Graphic Design & Illustration
Research into Practice 3 – Extended Research Project
