FACULTY OF VISUAL
CULTURE: PROPOSALS
RE THE PROPOSED NEW
3+2(+3) STRUCTURE
1
CONTENTS
Introduction
Response to 3+2(+3)
Joint Course
New Undergraduate Programme Proposal
(the “3”)
“+2” Proposals
“+3” Proposals
2
Introduction
The Faculty of Visual Culture plays a leading role as a hub within NCAD, around which
research, teaching and practice are orientated. It exists as a vital facilitating structure within the
college — taking a leading role as a promoter of critical dialogue, both within the college and
without — as well as generating and supporting original scholarship of direct relevance to the
current challenges and aspirations of an independent, nationally-positioned and inter-nationally
orientated, art and design college. The Faculty of Visual Culture is uniquely placed in that all
students have contact with it.
Thus the Faculty of Visual Culture:
(i) is integral to the research culture of the college — at undergraduate, postgraduate and
postdoctoral level
(ii) facilitates the research and contextualising activities of staff and students
(iii) promotes dialogue between staff and students across and between the disciplines of Core,
Design, Education and Fine Art.
(iv) mediates and maintains the connections between different constituent groups within the
college and with peers and other communities beyond the college (through research activities,
public events etc.)
(v) helps to ensure the academic reputation and status of the college within the university sector,
nationally and internationally.
The Faculty of Visual Culture engages with the spectrum of visuality and employs a range of
challenging methodologies to interrogate the field. It is staffed with recognised specialists and
researchers, who are committed to curriculum innovation; who play a vigorous role in the holistic
formation of the artists, designers and art and design educators of the future; who are catalysts for
the generation of new ideas; and who facilitate the integration of theory and practice, to the
highest academic level.
The study of Visual Culture is integral to the value of the degrees offered within the current
college programme, and the proposed 3+2(+3) structure, making those studies relevant and
applicable to the wide-ranging challenges and opportunities of the working world. The college
not only has an obligation to provide a rewarding, high quality studio education but is also bound
by an educational imperative to supply an experience that results in educationally well-grounded,
intellectually sophisticated and professionally flexible graduates, whose careers may take them
beyond their original specialised studio areas.
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In Visual Culture students are taught a range of ways to analyse and situate their own practice,
and that of others, in the contemporary world. They are trained to become visually literate,
expressive and articulate, so that they can critique objects, processes, institutions and concepts of
visual and material culture. Students are guided in understanding how art and design are
produced and consumed in social contexts, and how this is related to the production of
knowledge. Students study the connections between history, theory and practice, in modern and
contemporary contexts, in order to become reflective and effective practitioners.
The study of the history and theory of art, with a focus on the modern and contemporary,
provides students with a solid awareness of the roles that art plays in society and the multiple
practices associated with art. Similarly, the history and theory of design and material culture
provides the opportunity for interrogating the design, production and consumption of objects,
spaces and the material culture of everyday life. Students in the Faculty of Visual Culture
develop the knowledge and intellectual tools to address art, design and material culture within
their national and international contexts.
To study visual culture also means to look at the products of society and their role in the
production of knowledge in terms of their availability to vision. It thus encompasses the wellestablished fields of art and design while going further to investigate the broader field of
contemporary culture with its technological dimension. ‘Human experience is now more visual
and visualized than ever,’ Nicholas Mirzoeff argues, and in this era when ‘life takes place on
screen…your viewpoint is crucial’. The emergent academic field of visual culture studies is,
according to W.J.T. Mitchell, ‘a site of convergence across disciplinary lines.’ It offers urgent
analytical responses to these changed conditions. Mirzoeff says that visual culture is now ‘the
locus of cultural and historical change.’
The critical consideration of creativity, expression and communication are central to the
curriculum. They are at the heart of the art and design student experience at NCAD. In Visual
Culture studies they are cross referenced with individual disciplines, such as history, critical
theory, cultural studies, aesthetics, media and film.
Historically, one of the strengths of NCAD graduates has been their broad awareness of the
cultural context in which contemporary artists and designers operate, and their ability to locate
their own work within this context. Through their participation in the undergraduate and
postgraduate degree programmes, students studying in the Faculty of Visual Culture develop
both general and specialized knowledge bases, skills in research and verbal articulation, and
individual research interests. Students are thus facilitated in contextualising and developing their
own practice. The Faculty also develops students’ expertise in successfully communicating the
outcomes of their practice to different audiences and peer groups.
The aims of the Faculty of Visual Culture are to:


facilitate close integration between theoretical and studio aspects of art and design education;
provide students with the knowledge to understand, question and challenge their own practice;
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

provide students with the skills and expertise to communicate their research and work to peers
and other communities;
promote integration of learning across all faculties and courses.
The Faculty has recently completed a lengthy evaluation of its undergraduate courses, resulting
in an academic vision for students that is variously disciplinary-specific and interdisciplinary.
The previous curriculum was heavily historical and chronological and its disciplines were
somewhat discrete. The range of subjects is now porous and dynamic, and focuses on theories of
art and design, and their histories, referencing cultural studies, aesthetics, media and film. In the
new curriculum, students now venture across the disciplinary divides. There is, moreover, a clear
emphasis on the integration of theory and practice. This recent reform of the curriculum has,
effectively, reconfigured the history and theory of art and design and complementary studies as
the study of Visual Culture, demonstrating NCAD’s ongoing leadership in curriculum innovation
and development.
This paradigm has created new pathways that allow students of art and design to study together
and provide mutually enriching experiences. A key feature of the curriculum is that students
engage in a mixture of discipline-specific and cross-disciplinary courses. Some courses are prerequisite, some requisite, and, for the first time, some elective. Early indications are very
positive, evidenced by the percentage of students opting to take an elective module outside of
their studio discipline - 43% in Semester 1 of the academic year 2010-2011.
EXTERNAL RELATIONS
Outside work, initiatives and collaborations by Faculty staff are very much encouraged. Visual
Culture staff collaborate with a variety of institutions in organizing events and teaching
opportunities. So far these initiatives have included:

Spatial Cultures: a collaborative MA module taught by MA ACW, MA DHMC and the UCD
School of Architecture, and addressing issues of design in urban environments.

Modern Manhattan: a collaborative MA module involving MA ACW, MA DHMC and UCD Art
History.

Anthropological Approaches to Design and Material Culture: a collaborative MA module
involving MA DHMC and MA Anthropology, Department of Anthropology, NUI Maynooth.

IFI, Art and Film: a collaboration between MA ACW and the Irish Film Institute, including
public screenings and seminar.

Museology and Material Culture: a collaborative MA module on the MA DHMC taught by Dr
Anna Moran and various curators from the National Museum of Ireland.
5

IMMA: Visual Culture has collaborated in various ways with IMMA including the public lecture
and publication “What is Modern and Contemporary Art?” (Nov. 2009, Declan Long/Dr Francis
Halsall) and an event based around Jorge Pardo.

Dublin: design and culture: a collaborative BA module with UCD architecture taught by Dr Lisa
Godson and Alan Mee (Autumn 2011).

Object Matters: a collaborative seminar with UCD archaeology on interdisciplinary approaches
to material culture, co-convened by Dr Lisa Godson and Joanna Bruck (academic year 2011-12).
Through a variety of activities (such as those clustered around the MA Art in the Contemporary
World and the MA Design History and Material Culture), the Faculty has been at the forefront in
organizing public events (conferences, symposia, roundtables etc.) with a national and
international profile which mediate between the activities of the college and various
constituencies of peers and publics.
These have included:






Noise/Silence public event
Curating in the Contemporary World lecture series
Publishing in the Contemporary World seminar
Modernity in Ireland seminar (with UCD)
Love Objects: engaging material culture (a two-day international conference involving around
40 speakers, organized by Dr Anna Moran, Dr Ciaran Swan and Dr Sorcha O’Brien.
The Fourth Wall: symposium on film and architecture at the Irish Film Institute co-convened
with the Irish Architecture Foundation, UCD Architecture and NCAD Visual Culture.
The activities of Visual Culture have not only brought new people to the college but also play a
key role in communicating the research and practice that goes on in the college to wider
audiences.
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Response to 3+2(+3)
The Faculty of Visual Culture already plays a central role in studies, research and practice across
different disciplines within the College. In the spirit of the proposed changes to a 3+2(+3)
curriculum, the distinctions that have traditionally been drawn between subject areas, and
between undergraduate and postgraduate studies, will be less sharply drawn. In short, the very
ethos and practice of the Faculty are to promote a smooth integration between disciplines, and
between undergraduate, postgraduate and postdoctoral studies.
Following a period of review and renewal, the Faculty is now uniquely positioned in NCAD to
respond to 3+2 (+3). The recently-developed curriculum has brought clarity and unity of purpose
to the Faculty. The curriculum redesign and implementation also ensures a place for the Faculty
of Visual Culture as a national centre of intellectual and critical debate on contemporary,
theoretical and historical issues in art and design in Ireland and abroad.
The current curriculum for years 1, 2 and 3 is organized around two central areas of study:
1. Histories and Theories, which equips students with the general knowledge of their own and
other disciplines, and enabling students to apply the general methods and theories associated with
these disciplines.
2. Thematic Courses: which provide students and staff with the opportunity to pursue particular
research topics.
Our aspiration is that - finances permitting - in all courses there would be regular visits to
galleries and other sites. Lectures by visiting speakers would be an important part of the
progamme.
In their final year, Design and Fine Art students research and write a thesis, which forms twenty
percent of their degree mark (for Joint Course students, Visual Culture forms fifty percent of the
degree mark). For the BA in Art & Design Education there is a variety of courses in history of art
and design over the four years, which ranges from early Irish art to art of the present day.
In the proposed 3+2(+3) structure, the curriculum for years 1, 2 and 3 will adhere to the above
two areas of study. It is the view of the Faculty that students would also be expected to deliver a
thesis in year 3.
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JOINT COURSE
In the current four-year degree structure, second year undergraduate students can elect to
specialise in a Joint Course with either a Fine Art or a Design discipline.
The Joint Honours Degree Course is a unique programme in which the student pursues study in
the studio and in the academic areas of visual and material culture culminating in a degree, which
is assessed on a fifty-fifty basis. (It should be noted that the weighting is currently 30/70 in 2nd
and 3rd Years. The issue of whether this weighting would continue with the new system would
need to be discussed, as will the number of credits achieved over three years within the Joint
Course.)
The Joint Course is a two-subject degree, unlike all other studio-based degrees at NCAD or
elsewhere in Ireland, where the theoretical concerns of the history of art, design and media
represent a minor built-in component of a BA (Hons) in fine art, or BDes (Hons) in one of the
design disciplines.
The aims and objectives of the programme are to strengthen student praxis, developing a
commitment to both studio practice and theory that can be realized in the student’s work. In
second and third year, students currently attend the main lecture series on 20th and 21st century
visual culture. Each student chooses to undertake three 12-week seminar-based courses per term
(six courses per year). Students write six essays (2,000 words each) per year, which are related to
the chosen seminar courses. In fourth year Joint Course students write a thesis, which at 1012,000 words is longer than the norm, and undertake a six-week Research Methods course in the
first term.
The Joint Course offers a versatile primary degree, which prepares students for postgraduate
studies in general, and is particularly suitable in preparing students for the variety of postgraduate
studies offered at NCAD. Many graduates go on to further specialised study leading towards
areas of employment which require the combination of original, creative work and theoretical
research skills: scholarship, librarianship, research, arts administration, museology, heritage and
conservation, education, critical writing, and careers in film, theatre, television or in fine art or
design studios.
The Joint Course continues to attract a high proportion of the very best students at NCAD and
provides an excellent grounding for students moving into postgraduate studies at NCAD (in
particular those MAs currently offered by Visual Culture). It is the view of the Faculty that the
Joint Course should be retained in the proposed 3+2(+3) structure.
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VISUAL CULTURE AND THE FACULTY OF EDUCATION
The relationship of Visual Culture with the Faculty of Education within the new structure
remains to be clarified. It is currently somewhat different to our relationship with the rest of the
College, and will presumably remain so within the new structure. Consequently, it was thought
best that we first elaborate the general outline of our proposed structure. The details of our
relationship with Education can be worked out at a later date.
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New Undergraduate Programme Proposal (the
“3”)
Crucial features of Visual Culture studies within the new 3+2(+3) structure include:
(i) A heightened emphasis on supporting self-directed research from the earliest stage of study in
order to guarantee that students graduating after their 3rd year will be able to enter a post-graduate
environment as highly capable, self-directed learners.
(ii) Through greater liaison with the studios and more involvement in the theoretical side of
studio practice, the new Visual Culture curriculum will deepen the relevance of critical,
theoretical and contextual studies to students’ own practices. At the same time, practice should
increasingly inform theoretical enquiry.
(iii) From the new first year onwards, students will be supported and guided in processes of
independent inquiry and research and encouraged to take responsibility for their own informed
thinking and practice.
This model of undergraduate studies in Visual Culture at NCAD aims to develop futrther our
existing programmes in a manner appropriate to the new 3+2 structure.
We have taken cognizance of the proposed “three-term” structure of First Year in the studio
areas. Nevertheless, for the sake of simplicity and to be in accord with the credit structure in the
College, it was thought best to keep to a two-semester structure in all three years.
SOME CHALLENGES
For some years, due to student numbers and lack of space, we have had to give the same lectures
twice in the year. This involves a considerable expenditure of resources in terms of money, staff
time and student time. If student numbers exceed a level that can be accomodated in two lecture
spaces, the structure below will have to be re-thought once again, as we would then need the use
of three lecture rooms rather than two.
KEY ELEMENTS
In years one and two, students would take: (i) a series of common lecture courses; (ii) a number
of elective modules, and (iii) a student-focussed research element.
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In regard to the elective modules, it should be noted that there is room for the addition of further
modules (finances permitting). These could fit into the (numbered) spaces currently left blank in
the schedule below. It should be noted also that the subjects specified in “Electives” are not set in
stone. They are included to indicate some of the
areas we believe it would be
desirable/interesting to cover. At this stage, the proposed structure is more important than the
content indicated.
While currently there are afternoon classes that have historically been framed as ‘Complementary
Studies’, this proposal suggests changing the timetable structures so as to replicate the morning
format in the afternoon. ‘Complementary Studies’ course content would thus become (i)
introduced more fully into main lecture programmes taking place both in mornings and
afternoons, and (ii) re-presented within an extended range of Visual Culture elective models, the
titles of which (see below) would allow for the maintenance and expansion of erstwhile
Complementary Studies subjects. For example, “Society and Politics” could encompass, inter
alia, current / past course provision on Sociology and Cultural Studies, while “Subjectivities”
could include elements of Psychology, “Identities” could feature Gender Studies, etc. The
proposed elective titles could also allow for areas of current or future interest such as art and
ecology, art and science, green design, critical design, cyber-culture, augmented reality, wearable
computers, science fiction, art and literature, etc.
Instead of Complementary Studies as a notional ‘third’ space of study within current structures,
the new model proposes that there would be three means of engagement with students in years
one and two:
(i)
(ii)
(iii)
Common lecture courses in history and theory;
Elective seminar options on discipline-oriented topics;
Research tutorial programmes.
First and second year students would therefore have to:
(i)
Attend the TWO common lecture programmes each semester, one in the morning
and one in the
afternoon, thus attending four lecture courses in one academic
year;
(ii)
Undertake THREE elective modules from the expanded choice available in the
morning and afternoon during one academic year, with the inclusion of disciplinespecific options where appropriate;
(iii)
Complete ONE research tutorial programme (equivalent to the credit allocation of
a semester-long elective module) in one academic year.
The newly proposed ‘research tutorial programmes’ would
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(a) allow supported independent research to become introduced as a priority from first year,
emphasising self-directed enquiry as an important aspect of study from the very
beginning;
(b) create better forms of ongoing contact with students across all years;
(c) allow for greater practice-theory intersections by supporting students in developing
research projects appropriate to their studio work.
The proposal to combine the ‘research tutorial programmes’ with an expanded choice of THREE
electives in one year would have the effect of
(a) improving class sizes for seminars;
(b) continuing to support both disciplinary and interdisciplinary study.
It should be noted that this plan, by incorporating tutorial contact into years one and two,
potentially involves no decrease in contact time with students, while also creating greater
flexibility for both staff and students.
In Year Three, it is proposed that alongside existing independent thesis research, there would be
(a) a series of supporting lectures
(b) a continued engagement with students in developing and articulating a critical/contextual
framework for their final studio projects.
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EXPECTED REQUIREMENTS
1st Year
2nd Year
3rd Year
Semester 1
Semester 1
Semester 1
1 x lecture course: Histories
1 x lecture course: Viewpoints
1 x lecture course: Histories
1 x lecture course: Viewpoints
1 x lecture course
2 x electives
2 x electives
2 x research tutorial programmes
2 x research tutorial programmes
Semester 2
Semester 2
Semester 2
1 x lecture course: Histories
1 x lecture course: Viewpoints
1 x lecture course: Histories
1 x lecture course: Viewpoints
1 x research tutorial programme
–Preparation of supporting
statement
2 x electives
2 x electives
2 x research tutorial programmes
2 x research tutorial programmes
EVERY STUDENT MUST TAKE 3
ELECTIVES AND 1 RESEARCH
TUTORIAL PROGRAMME IN THE
YEAR
EVERY STUDENT MUST
TAKE 3 ELECTIVES AND 1
RESEARCH TUTORIAL
PROGRAMME IN THE YEAR
1 x research tutorial programme
– Thesis Preparation
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14
1ST Year
SEMESTER 1
Lecture: Histories
Weeks 1-12, 9.30-10.30
am
Group A
Visual, Material and Media Cultures
Group B
Modernities
Electives
Weeks 1-15:
11.00-12.30 pm
1
Environments
3
Crossovers
2
Identities
4
Society and
Politics
5
6
4
The Local and
Global
5
6
RESEARCH TUTORIALS FOR STUDENTS NOT IN AN ELECTIVE
Lecture: Viewpoints
Group A
Group B
Weeks 1-12, 2–3pm
Lens Visions
Theory and Society
Electives
Weeks 1-15:
3.30–5.00 pm
1
Space and Place
2
Scientific Visions
3
Subjectivities
RESEARCH TUTORIALS FOR STUDENTS NOT IN AN ELECTIVE
15
1st Year
SEMESTER 2
Lecture: Histories
Group A
Weeks 16-28, 9.30-10.30 Modernities
am
Electives
Weeks 16–30:
11:00 am – 12.30pm
1
Painting: Critical
Approaches
Group B
Visual, Material and Media Cultures
2
Print: Critical
Approaches
3
Media: Critical
Approaches
RESEARCH TUTORIALS FOR STUDENTS NOT IN AN ELECTIVE
Lecture: Viewpoints
Group A
Group B
Weeks 16-28
Theory and Society
Lens Visions
2-3pm
Viewpoints
Electives
1
2
3
Weeks 16 – 30:
Sculpture: Critical ID: Critical
CGM: Critical
3.30 – 5.00 pm
Approaches
Approaches
Approaches
6
RESEARCH TUTORIALS FOR STUDENTS NOT IN AN ELECTIVE
16
5
4
Visual
Communication:
Critical
Approaches
6
5
6
4
F & T: Critical
Approaches
2nd Year
TERM 1
Lecture: Histories
Weeks 1-12, 9.30-10.30
am
Group A
Contemporary Practices in Art &
Design 1
Group B
Contemporary Practices in Art &
Design 2
Electives
Weeks 1-15:
11.00–12.30pm
1
Contemporary Art
3
Users and
Consumers
2
Cultures of
Technology
4
5
6
4
5
6
RESEARCH TUTORIALS FOR STUDENTS NOT IN AN ELECTIVE
Lecture: Viewpoints
Group A
Group B
Weeks 1-12, 2–3pm
Lens Visions
Theory and Society
Electives
Weeks 1-15:
3.30–5.00 pm
1
Games and play
2
Contemporary
Design
3
The Photographic
Image
RESEARCH TUTORIALS FOR STUDENTS NOT IN AN ELECTIVE
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2nd Year
TERM 2
Lecture: Histories
Weeks 16-28
9:30 – 10:30am
Group A
Contemporary Practices in Art &
Design 2
Electives
Weeks 16 – 30:
11:00am – 12.30pm
1
2
Culture & Conflict Fashion/ Textiles
Electives
Weeks 16 – 30:
3.30 – 5.00 pm
1
Made By Hand
Group B
Contemporary Practices in Art &
Design 1
3
Design in the
Contemporary
World
RESEARCH TUTORIALS FOR STUDENTS NOT IN AN ELECTIVE
Lecture: Viowpoints
Group A
Group B
Weeks 16-28
Theory and Society
Lens Visions
2-3pm
2
Dublin
3
Film Noir
RESEARCH TUTORIALS FOR STUDENTS NOT IN AN ELECTIVE
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4
5
6
4
5
6
3rd Year
Semester 1
Visual Culture Lecture
Group A
Exhibition and
Promotion
Group B
Art and Design in
the Public Sphere
Weeks 7-12, 11-12pm
Group B
Art and Design in
the Public Sphere
Group A
Exhibition and
Promotion
Thesis Tutorials
Preparation of thesis
Weeks 1-6, 11-12pm
Visual Culture Lecture
Semester 2
Research Tutorials
Preparation of supporting research statement to accompany degree show, with some studio involvement by
Visual Culture staff.
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+2 Proposals
BACKGROUND
The Faculty of Visual Culture currently offers two taught programs:

MA Art in the Contemporary World (MA ACW)

MA Design History & Material Culture (MA DHMC)
The Faculty also contributes to the following taught postgraduate degree programs:

MA Art in the Digital World

MA Visual Arts Education

PG Dip Art & Design Education

PG Dip Community Arts Education

MA Visual Arts Education
The MA Art in the Contemporary World (MA ACW) and the MA Design History & Material
Culture (MA DHMC) have lectures and seminars on two days of the week for full-time students,
and on one day of the week for part-time students. The duration of the program is 12 months fulltime, 24 months part-time. Students attend classes from September to June, and submit a major
piece of work in the autumn. This major research project offers an opportunity for each student to
evolve a self-set project engaging particular personal interests.
With the new +2 structure, it is proposed that the current 1-year MA courses be retained, but that
electives could be offered within them to fulfill the requirements of the 2 year (+2) Masters
course.
CURRENTLY EXISTING COURSES
The following is an outline of the MA courses as they currently exist in Visual Culture:
MA Art in the Contemporary World
The MA Art in the Contemporary World is a taught program that examines contemporary art
practices and their critical, theoretical, historical and social contexts. The course offers an
opportunity for focused engagement with the varied challenges presented by today’s most
ambitious art practices, bridging the relationship between theory and practice by creating exciting
study opportunities for both practitioners and theorists. This innovative program welcomes
graduates from a variety of backgrounds, including fine art, art history, philosophy, literature,
film studies, architecture, communications, and design.
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The MA ACW aims to function as a valuable forum for debate on contemporary art theory and
practice, regularly hosting public events involving course participants. Bringing key international
speakers to NCAD is an essential part of this process.
Graduates from the MA Art in the Contemporary World have gone on to receive international
awards and residencies, to take up respected curatorial positions, and to publish writings in
prominent academic journals and art magazines.
INDICATIVE COURSE TOPICS
The course is composed of four related strands of study.
(i) Practices
Practices is a year-long seminar organized collaboratively with the Fine Art MA. It explores the
range and diversity of current international and local art practices. This strand involves two study
modules (one per semester). Indicative modules include:
Cinematic Visions (semester 1): Employing the idea of ‘the cinematic’ as a point of
departure for exploring contemporary art practices.

Art and the Everyday (semester 2): Exploring the various ways in which contemporary
artists develop practices in relation to everyday situations or specific sites.

(ii) Situations
A range of elective modules addressing theoretical debates on cultural and social contexts for art
practice today. Typically these are 6 weeks long and take place on a Monday afternoon.
Indicative modules include:

Spatial Cultures: examining aspects of space and culture with particular reference to
theories of urbanism in art and architecture.

Modern Manhattan: 20th century Manhattan as a case study for modernity in the context
of historical and theoretical debates in art, architecture and culture.

Curating in the Contemporary World: an exploration of the key tendencies and debates in
contemporary curatorial practice.

Art, Aesthetics, Environment: a study of relations between ecology, aesthetics and ethics,
focusing on such issues as eco-feminism and “deep ecology”.

Literary Visions: Exploring contemporary art’s fascination with key figures in modern
and contemporary literature such as W.G Sebald and J.G Ballard.
(iii) Theories
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This strand runs over the year and comprises 2 key themes (one per semester) organized into 4
modules (i.e. 2 modules per theme).
Participants will gain an understanding of key methodologies with respect to the study of
contemporary art and its cultural and historical contexts. Particular focus will be placed on the
visual analysis of materials and media.

Key Theoretical Paradigms
This theme provides an introduction to several key theoretical paradigms used in contemporary
art discourse.
It is organized into 2 modules:
(i) Key Theoretical Paradigms 1: ART
(ii) Key Theoretical Paradigms 2: SOCIETY

The Politics of Participation
This seminar provides a grounding in the core issues and theories of participation, social
organization and political agency, which are relevant to contemporary cultural discourse.
Students will develop a critical knowledge of the present conditions of possibility for
participation in its many forms.
It is organized into 2 modules:
(i) The Politics of Participation 1: DISSENT
(ii) The Politics of Participation 2: COLLABORATION
(iv) Writing
This is a student-led seminar taking place throughout the whole year. Participants explore and
critique different models and strategies for writing on art. Students will also reflect on their own
practice as writers and engage in peer review critiques.
It is organized into 4 modules (indicative content):
(i) Writing 1: Writing as Practice
(ii) Writing 2: Contemporary Criticism
(iii) Writing 3: Artists’ Writings
(iv)Writing 4: Histories of Writing
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MA Design History and Material Culture
The taught MA in Design History and Material Culture is a pioneering course that examines the
history of design and material culture from the eighteenth century to the present day. This
innovative program provides a dynamic platform for the study of objects, architecture and
interiors within their social, historical and theoretical contexts.
The MA in Design History and Material Culture at the NCAD is the only postgraduate course of
its kind in Ireland. The program does not aim to offer comprehensive historical or geographical
coverage - instead the modules interrogate particular themes and case studies, which equip
students with a range of skills and methodologies used to interpret design and material culture.
Each semester has a distinct intellectual emphasis.
Course seminars on campus are complemented by outside sessions at various national cultural
institutions. A crucial part of the course is a visit to either London or Berlin (organised on
alternate years), during which the students visit a number of design museums and historic
properties where they are facilitated with behind-the-scenes object-handling sessions, led by
leading specialists and curators.
Course contributors are leading figures in their field and are drawn from the Visual Culture team
of design historians, leading academics from other educational institutions, museum curators and
well-known design practitioners at the forefront of contemporary design practice.
Participants from varied backgrounds add to the richness of the course; we encourage applicants
from disciplines including art/design practice, art history, sociology, cultural studies, history,
literature, folklore and economics. Graduates of the course have gone on to do further study at
doctoral level, lecture in the area of design history and material culture, and work in galleries and
museums in Ireland and abroad.
INDICATIVE COURSE TOPICS
Semester 1
The first semester introduces students to the tools and skills necessary for object analysis in an
academic context together with the latest methodologies used in primary research.
During this semester the modules mainly draw on material from the eighteenth and nineteenth
centuries, and have included the following (which is shown as indicative content):

Uncovering the Everyday: shopping and consumption in Eighteenth century Ireland:
Focusing on the consumer culture of the eighteenth century, this module uses case studies to
explore the ways in which people accessed, used and valued goods. Theoretical approaches are
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used in considering the ways in which objects were not just commodities with functional or
exchange value, but were integral to the shaping of personal, local and national identities.

Approaches to domestic space in the Georgian era: This course introduces students to
both the material and ideological aspects of interiors designed during the Georgian period, and
aims to foster an appreciation of the myriad critical approaches to studies concerned with the
history of domestic space and the material culture of the home.

Design and the luxury markets in France, 1750-1789: Focusing on issues surrounding
innovation, imitation, taste and gender, this module examines the design, production and retailing
of the luxury goods of France during the second half of the eighteenth century.

An Introduction to the Influence of Neo-Classicism in Art, Architecture and Design - The
aim of this course is to introduce students to the origins and history of the classical tradition in the
art, architecture and design of the eighteenth century. Students are introduced to the theories of
neoclassicism and the literature of neoclassicism in art, architecture and design with specific
reference to European design in the eighteenth century. The objectives of the course are to place
the classical revival in context and to develop students’ skills of historical and critical analysis.

Space, Place and Identity in Nineteenth-Century Ireland: Two guest lecturers, Mary Ann
Bolger (DIT) and Sarah Foster (Crawford College of Art and Design) present on their own
primary research in the areas of interiors, typography and print culture. Alongside exploring the
range of identities – political, social, religious and gender – expressed via such material, the
speakers pay particular attention to the historiography of their subject, and in doing so reflect on
the way such subjects have been interpreted and approached by other historians.

Modernism and Material Culture– This course focuses on the objects, spaces and
systems of modernism, and its philosophical relationship to modernity, including such key
cultural concepts as temporality, currency and agency.
Semester 2
The second semester, mainly addressing the period since c. 1900, is orientated around key
theoretical issues surrounding the relationship between design, technology, culture and society.
These issues are explored within the different modules, paying attention at all times to the ways
in which the history of design has been written and interpreted, and have included the following
(which is shown as indicative content):

Dress, Meaning and Identity: an examination of the role of dress in constructing social
and cultural identity. Rather than seeing dress as ‘reflecting’ history, the module explores dress as
an agent of history, embodying new ideas and changing cultural norms.

The Reinvention of Identity: State and commercial visual communications in Ireland,
1900 – present: an exploration of contemporary theories of national and cultural identity as a
means of contextualising and decoding state and commercial visual imagery.

Contemporary Design Cultures - In this course the different themes in contemporary
design practice and cultures are explored. We examine in particular the way design is a
multivalent activity, increasing in complexity and extending far beyond its original meaning.
Also addressed is the growth in activity of the category of contemporary practice designated
‘design’ and the social and ethical implications of this in a post-industrial context.
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
DesignedArt: Converging fields and critical responses in contemporary practice: This
module explores how the disparate fields of design and art have come together to create modes of
practice that are critically generative of new ideas.

Contextualising Contemporary Craft - This module offers an introduction to the history
and theory of craft. The course will start by exploring the background and discourse surrounding
craft in its international context before going on to focus on the crafts movement in Ireland. The
various methodologies which can be used in the study of craft, particularly oral history, will be
considered together with the dominant debates within contemporary literature.

An Introduction to the Material Culture of Ireland - The aims of this course are to
introduce students to the design and material culture of Ireland, to discuss theories of material
culture and Irish culture generally with specific reference to design in the twentieth century, and
to develop students’ skills of historical and critical analysis through lectures, seminars, research
and writing.

Dress and Irish Material Culture - Building on visual, material and oral history sources,
this module explores the role of dress in Ireland in negotiating the realms of nationality, gender,
religion and status.

Technology, Design and Society - This module considers the material culture of
technology, both digital and analogue, in our everyday world, investigating the interaction
between man-made technological/designed artefacts, the systems in which they are embedded
and the end user as consumer of these artefacts. It considers both primary and secondary sources
pertaining to the relationship between design, technology and society, and introduces students to
concepts from the history of technology (e.g. the social construction of technology, actor-network
theory) and post-structuralist theory (e.g. simulacra and simulation, cyborg theory). It considers
both the design of computers and the development of new media technology within this
framework, extending the consideration to technologies of the screen, the home and the body
(e.g. online communities, smart homes and mobile computing) as well as interrogating the
possibility of sustainable technologies.

Contemporary Design Cultures – new critical design, transformation design and new
roles
for
the
designer
‘Critical Design’ denotes a current in recent practice where objects, in particular technological
products, consciously materialise cultural critique. This suggests a new position for product
designers as engaging in cultural speculation about the uses and meaning of technology rather
than their traditional role as stylists of the packaging around technology. Design then becomes a
form of ‘cultural probe’ into particular aspects of everyday life, and technology is treated less as
the promise of a utopian, ‘better’ future but as a constituent and reflection of messy dystopian
realities.
In parallel with this interest in the everyday and a rejection of utopian configurations for design,
many designers have incorporated banal or found objects into their work, or used chance such as
the actions of the consumer/user to complete the form and meaning of their products. We will
examine how this destabilises ideas of authorship and subverts a ‘closed system’ model of design
practice.
VISUAL CULTURE WITHIN THE +2 STRUCTURE
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It is proposed that, within the new structure, Visual Culture would play a key role in the academic
development of all postgraduate students in the college. The plan for +2 provision is thus similar
to the proposed model for the undergraduate programs.
In order to make the best use of limited resources, postgraduate provision would comprise
elements of the already-existing, and successful Art in the Contemporary World and Design
History and Material Culture MAs.
This new structure formalises and develops the current, informal relationships between Visual
Culture and Masters programs in the college - such as the current collaborative lecture program
Practices run by Fine Art and Visual Culture (Monday mornings). The key elements are as
follows:
Design MA
In years 1 and 2 students will attend:
(i)
3 x elective modules drawn from the Art in the Contemporary World and Design History and
Material Culture programmes.
Postgraduates in the Design Faculty are welcome to attend any of the modules offered as part of
the MA Design History and Material Culture. However there will be specific modules that tackle
contemporary material. Indicative topics include:

Technology, Design and Society (Dr Sorcha O’Brien)

Contemporary Design Cultures (Dr Lisa Godson)





Contextualising Contemporary Craft (Dr Anna Moran)
Designed Art: Converging Fields and Critical Responses in Contemporary Practice (Emma Mahony)
Dress and Material Culture (Hilary O’Kelly)
Introduction to Irish Material Culture (Dr Paul Caffrey)
The Reinvention of Identity: State and Commercial Visual Communications, 1900 – present (Dr Ciaran Swan)
Each elective takes place over a period of 6 weeks (normally on Monday or Friday). More details
on likely and indicative content are given in the sections on Art in the Contemporary World and
Design History and Material Culture.
(ii) 1 x research and practice module
This is a student-centred module driven by the student’s own research and practice,
culminating in a substantial written statement. This will comprise a series of studio visits and
one-to-one tutorials with the student, during which the student’s work is discussed in relation to
relevant critical and theoretical perspectives.
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Assessment
(i) Elective Modules
There are 3 formal assessments, each one associated with an elective module.
(ii) Research and Practice Module
A substantial written statement on the student’s practice and research interests produced in
relation to the research and practice module.
Fine Art MA
In years 1 and 2 students will attend:
(i) 2 x elective modules drawn from the Art in the Contemporary World and Design History
and Material Culture programs.
Each elective takes place over a period of 6 weeks (normally on Monday or Friday). Likely and
indicative content is given in the sections on Art in the Contemporary World and Design History
and Material Culture.
(ii) 2 x research and practice modules
Each research and practice module is based on the current successful lecture program (Practices)
run collaboratively by Fine Art and Visual Culture (Monday mornings).
Year 1 – A program of lectures and research tutorials culminating in a written assessment on
the student’s research interests
Year 2 – A program of lectures and research tutorials culminating in a substantial written
statement.
Assessment
(i) Elective Modules
There are 2 formal assessments, each one associated with an elective module.
(ii) Research and Practice Modules
Year 1 – A written assessment on the student’s research interests.
Year 2 - A substantial written statement on the student’s practice
CREDITS
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It is proposed that the Visual Culture input to all +2 degrees would be 20 credits (of a 120 credit
degree). This corresponds closely with the provision in years 1 and 2 of the new undergraduate
programme.
Within the system envisaged, each module comprises 5 credits and students take 4 modules over
the 2 years. Thus:
Design MAs take 3 x elective and 1 x research and practice modules;
Fine Art MAs take 2 x elective and 2 x research and practice modules.
CONCLUSION
For the reasons outlined below, the Faculty proposes that these two programmes maintain the 1
year full time / 2 years part time model.
(i) The current structure has a built-in flexibility, which allows both for students who wish to
undertake the course in an intensive one year, and those who wish to undertake the course less
intensively over two years one day per week, to enable them to combine the course with their
jobs, frequently within the art/design area. Both MA programmes work successfully using this
structure and this flexibility has contributed significantly to working art and design professionals
taking the courses.
(ii) These MA programs compete with other taught MA programs which can be completed in one
year. These include:
o
MA Cities: Art, Architecture and Aspiration, School of Art History and Cultural Policy,
UCD.
o
MPhil Irish Art History, School of Art History, TCD.
(iii) If our MA programmes were to move to a 2-year full-time structure, they would ultimately
be more costly and take longer to complete, possibly leading them to compare unfavourably with
competing courses elsewhere in the sector.
Consequently, any potential clash between the proposed 2-year full-time MAs and the current
(and, we propose, continuing) 1-year MAs would need to be resolved. (The current Visual
Culture MAs accrue 90 credits over one year, while the new studio-based MAs would accrue 120
credits over two years (60x2).
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+3 Proposals
This area will need to be expanded but at this point we would like to indicate some
preliminary ideas.
The Faculty of Visual Culture currently plays a central role in postgraduate studies in all areas of
the college including:
(i)
across the college;
(ii)
(iii)
facilitating, supporting and academically grounding research activities
mediating between the research communities of the college and wider
publics through public events, research seminars and publications.
Promoting dialogue between staff and students across and between
existing disciplines within the College and also extending to other
communities beyond. We now have an impressive range of national and
international external collaborations.
RESEARCH DEGREES
The Faculty has awarded research degrees since 1989. The Faculty has a growing PhD community
of scholars who, in addition to a range of topics commensurate with visual culture, are breaking
new ground in addressing issues concerning the relationship of theory and practice. The Faculty
currently has a vibrant postgraduate culture with a considerable number of registered PhD
students. PhD topics which have been brought to a successful conclusion in the Faculty include:
depictions of Ireland in 19th Century newspapers; Irish art and architecture; visual imagery in an
Irish political framework; interdisciplinarity in the University context; mural painting in Ireland;
contemporary art and comic illustration; cultural biography of male attire; interactive film; a selfreflexive study of an artist’s own work; and a study of Dublin from a cultural studies perspective.
Current PhD projects include: a study of “Remix Culture”; intextuality in the visual sphere;
political issues around computer games and the Internet; art and ecology; art, church and national
identity;; art, politics and propaganda; cultural representations of contemporary Belfast. In
conjunction with the Faculty of Fine Art, Visual Culture are actively involved in supervising
theory/practice PhDs, with students registered either in Visual Culture or Fine Art--some of these
have already been brought to a successful conclusion.
Faculty staff are actively committed to developing their own research; communicating their
research to students; and improving students’ confidence and ability to undertake independent
research, from undergraduate to postgraduate levels. All lecturers have specific research interests
and are available for supervision. The areas of expertise are spread across the history of western
art and design, with a special emphasis on Modern and Contemporary Art; History and Theory of
Art; Design History and Material Culture; Glass Studies; Dress in Visual and Material Culture;
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Retailing History; Irish Cultural History; Irish and International Contemporary Art and
Architecture; Cultural Studies; Aesthetics; New Media; Interactive Art; Cyber-culture; Computer
Games; Ecology and Culture; Post-colonialism and National Identity; Film; Photography, etc.
Full-time academic staff biographies are available
http://www.ncad.ie/faculties/visualculture/staff.shtml
on
the
NCAD
website
at:
Within the +3 structure, the Faculty looks forward to intensifying and expanding its activities at
doctoral level, in conjunction with GradCam and in collaboration with the Head of Research and to exploring the possibilities of more formal, structured teaching at doctoral level. We are
also interested in developing the area of post-doctoral research within the Faculty, and indeed the
College as a whole.
December 2011
Visual Culture 3+2(+3) Submission [15 Dec 2011].doc
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