Photography (including foundation year)BA (Hons)

Critical & Contextual Studies: Foundation

The Critical and Contextual Studies module introduces a range of cultural and contextual practices and is diagnostic in helping students to identify areas of reading, writing, information gathering and research in relation to their abilities, needs and aspirations. The intention is to prepare students for critical and theoretical work in Higher Education.

The focus of the Critical and Contextual Studies module is on the ability to ask questions and find answers; specifically, those bearing on Art, Architecture and Design and Media in the broad sense and to the conventional means to present these. The experience of the module is structured by a sequence of three submissions: an initial patchwork assignment that includes a Learning Reflection element, an analysis of the works of a particular creative practitioner and a final submission is a self-directed essay.

The contents include answers to questions that range from practical or theoretical ‘how to’ or ‘what is’ exercises; to simple ‘what do you think?’ form of analysis or reflection; to complex structured responses in the form of the essay.

The module is constructed around two core blocks of intensive study. Each block has a thematic structure to allow the exploration of different topics and approaches, for example: ‘Contexts’, ‘Connections’, ‘Themes in creative practice’. The first assessment includes the Learning Reflection element.

The module aims to motivate and aid the student to find out about and engage in the practice and culture of Art, Architecture and Design and Media.  The module should help inform the student about their future direction of study as well as providing useful insights into their potential and abilities.  Students learn how to ask and begin to answer questions about the discipline they are interested in and its broader context. They should acquire a portfolio of methodological and critical writing and communication skills that enable them and know how to apply themselves to the various forms of study and assessment ahead following progression to the next level in Higher Education.

Critical Creative Practice

The module addresses what is fundamental to creative practices across all disciplines; colour, composition, the fabrication, discussion and development of ideas, visual narratives, collaborative practice, documentation, presentation, curation, critique and exhibition of creative work.

You will work in both digital and analogue formats to explore a range of materials, methods and presentation formats, e.g. sketchbooks, drawings, watercolour, photography, collage, AI and digital platforms.

The module aims to validate and build upon student’s existing creative practice. There is an emphasis on the process of learning from self-evaluation and critical reflection of intuitive making and testing. Throughout the module you will students work both individually and as part of a team to share, discuss and critique creative work in order to extend their capacity to confidently develop, articulate and presenting work. The module encourages peer-to-peer learning via teamwork and the required presentation of collaborative outcomes. The module aims to expand subject-area knowledge and introduce practical strategies for the formation and growth of student’s nascent creative practice.

Project

The Project module provides a broad, varied, stimulating experience of a range of creative practices that allows for self-assessment of individual interests and aptitudes towards developing a specialism. It enables the development of a productive, disciplined and critical approach to visual and practical enquiry; and to individual independent thinking, making and communicating. It develops the individual’s portfolio of work in a distinctive and ambitious way as evidence of a personal creative practice in the context of a specific subject area. Assignments and study trips will open up London as a source of limitless research potential and creativity.

A project develops ideas through conceptual and material processes towards outcomes that can be evaluated in relation to the initial idea; and other related contexts that may arise during the timeframe of the project. The Project module is an introduction to the project as a key feature of creative practice. The projects in the Project module vary considerably in aim, structure and duration to reflect their application in a wide range of creative practices. The definition, implementation, development and outcome of the projects is transferred from tutor to student as the course develops. The projects are inherently student-centred with course demands satisfied by nurturing the student’s independent inquiry, discovery & production.

Practical elements of project-work are built-up by a close relation with the Techniques module. Critical reflection and self-evaluation encourage the development of self-organisation and effective time-management.

Techniques

The Techniques module introduces a wide range of materials, methods, techniques and processes to produce work in a broad sense. It is closely aligned with the Project module to develop a working knowledge of the potential and limitations of selected media, materials and techniques in the development of project work. Responsible attitudes aligned to ethical and professional contexts are applied and considered in relation to imaginative experimentation and exploitation for innovation.

Techniques explores approaches to the skills-based, technical aspects of creative practice in relation having, developing and resolving ideas through processes towards media/material outcomes. It concerns the quality of making, considerations of care, appropriateness and endeavour. It encourages recognition of the intrinsic formal and structural qualities of different media as essential elements in visual/aural communication. The module involves a series of learning experiences that introduce and develop many of the key skills and techniques needed for a range of making practices across various subject areas; the outcomes are in the context of and further developed in close relation with the Project module.

The Techniques module links the analysis and evaluation of technical quantitative properties with qualitative aesthetic discernment and judgment and introduces a common vocabulary, technical/professional language, core skills and reference models.

It introduces safe and appropriate studio/workshop/site practice.

Critical and Contextual Studies (Photography and Fashion Photography) 1

Critical and Contextual Studies 1 will introduce you to the history and theory of your discipline, its extent and conventions, and its broader social and material context in culture and contemporary practice.

You will be guided towards critical reflections on what you see and learn how to read connections between different ideas. In particular, the module investigates how thinking and articulating ideas about practice in the field of Photography and Fashion Photography might be framed – for example in relation to history, the economy, society and the environment, or through theory and practice. Teaching and learning on the module encourages you to explore these questions in relation to your own background and identity, and to broaden your thinking and understanding of previously marginalised contexts and histories of your discipline.

The module will begin to introduce you to a range of academic skills needed to produce a graduate-level study in their final year. It helps you to develop your own interests, and to reflect on and take responsibility for the development of your own learning.

Looking and Making 1

The PH4001 LOOKING AND MAKING 1 module consists of seminars, talks, visits and workshops designed to provide a critical and thematic basis from which students are able to explore and expand their personal creative, critical and contextual basis for future practice.

This module will require students to investigate and reflect upon trends in current practice as well as historical models. Case studies and seminar sessions are intended to encourage engagement with, and understanding of, photographic and aligned creative practices. Students will explore these both through guided research as well as practical making. At the beginning of Semester 1 students will agree a basic group code of ethics for study.

The module is shared by, serves and sustains the Honours awards in the BA Fashion Photography and BA Photography courses, delivered in a seamless and integral relationship with the work of other core modules in the level.

Students engage in a series of research tasks and seminars in order to explore and to critically consider the diverse practices, concepts and aesthetics that underpin photographic and creative practices.

Project Work 1

Focusing on the student’s own evolving photographic practice, the PH4000 Project Work 1 module provides an opportunity for students to develop projects, responding to photography briefs, using technical skills and research methods supported within the course. The module considers the relationship between method, medium and meaning, with reference to relevant theory, as well as traditional and contemporary practices.

The module PH4000 Project Work 1 is shared by, serves and sustains the awards in the BA Fashion Photography and BA Photography courses, delivered in a seamless and integral relationship with the work of other core modules in the level, including the Critical and Contextual Studies modules.

Students are encouraged to develop as autonomous learners, taking increasing responsibility for the progress of their project work. Students will be expected to consider and construct critical connections between Level 4 modules.

This module aims to enable students to investigate and learn key skills of interpretation and knowledge in the development of individual photographic practice. Through assigned briefs and projects, the module aims to provide a framework to develop concepts and principles in visual practice relevant to contemporary debates in photography. Building upon skills acquired in the other subject specific modules, the module aims to facilitate learning in the selection, testing and informed use of materials, equipment, facilities, research and processes relevant to their enquiry into and interpretation of the theme of a given project. One key objective of the module is to give the students opportunities to present their project work to an audience of peers.

Techniques: Photography

The PH4002 Techniques: Photography module introduces students to and engages them with digital and analogue photography and approaches to photographic production. Focusing upon key skills and concepts, the module introduces students to relevant photography materials, processes and techniques for the development of ideas and photographs, enabling students to make informed connections between intention, process, and outcome.

The module involves a series of demonstrations and practical tasks, introducing and developing basic skills and techniques relevant to photography practice and supporting the development of individual briefed projects in PH4000.

PH4002 Techniques: Photography serves and sustains awards in the BA Photography and BA Fashion Photography courses, delivered in a seamless and integral relationship with the work of other core modules on Level 4. Students are expected to investigate and develop critical and aesthetic working relationships between and across the Level 4 modules.

This module aims to enable students to apply photography processes and techniques effectively, with students learning to operate digital and analogue cameras with fluency and control, to use workshop facilities, darkrooms, studios and equipment with confidence and ease and to understand good working practices within digital workflows.

The module thus aims to give maximum opportunities in the practical aspects of photography, enabling students to craft photographs by their careful printing and finishing, with due attention to professional and organised archiving.

Critical and Contextual Studies (Photography and Fashion Photography) 2

Critical and Contextual Studies 2 will continue to critically engage you in the history, theory and practice of your discipline, its extent and conventions, and its broader social and material context in culture and contemporary practice. You will build on studies undertaken in Level 4 and develop into independent thinkers, capable of selecting an appropriate topic and producing a sustained piece of independent study in the form of a dissertation in Level 6.

The module aims to situate your own ideas and practice within the process of constructing knowledge about your discipline. It rehearses the analytical and discursive skills you need to become knowledgeable about the authorities, objects and methods in your field and to understand the roles, locations and responsibilities of important players within it. In particular, the module encourages you to weigh and understand the broader ethical questions relevant to your discipline, and to become conversant with the themes and current debates that animate it. The module recognises that you are an active contributor in this process: what you bring to the construction of knowledge counts – and how effectively you are able to construct and apply this knowledge depends on how well you understand the field of your discipline.

You will be encouraged to think creatively and take responsibility for the development of your own learning. Critical and Contextual Studies for second year students is structured in order to foster confidence through applying analytical skills to a growing body of knowledge, and expressing this through debate, discussion and public presentation.

Looking and Making 2

The PH5001 LOOKING AND MAKING 2 module consists of seminars, talks, visits and workshops designed to provide a critical and thematic basis from which students are able to explore and expand their personal creative, critical and contextual basis for future practice.

This module will require students to develop and test ideas that reflect upon trends in current practice as well as historical models. Case studies and seminar sessions with practitioners are intended to encourage engagement with and understanding of photographic practices. Students will explore these both through open ended research as well as practical making.

The module is shared by, serves and sustains the Honours awards in the BA Fashion Photography and BA Photography courses, delivered in a seamless and integral relationship with the work of other core modules in the level.

Allied to Critical and Contextual Studies modules, the intention is for PH5001 LOOKING AND MAKING 2 to inform future approaches to the Level 6 Final Major Body of Work.

The module aims to enable students to develop key skills and knowledge in critical thinking as well as in the concepts and principles of photography. The module also aims to provide students with information about Looking and Making for later recall in the application of critical thinking for the building of the practical, conceptual and contextual
boundaries within which they then create and make their own work.

This element of the curriculum also aims to develop the key skill of understanding the use of reflection in order to connect learning experience, successes and challenges to the improvement of future performance

Professional Practice 1: Photography

PH5002 Professional Practice 1: Photography enables the development of practical and skills in contemporary photographic practice and begins to build the basis of professional understanding that will enable students to pursue careers in the creative sector upon graduation. Practical and professional practice tasks and work related learning enable students to engage with learning by doing in order to gain the foundation of the knowledge and capabilities necessary to realise their creative practice within diverse professional contexts.

The module builds on the key technical skills and concepts introduced at Level 4 providing students with a sustained and in-depth engagement with the world of work in photography by asking students to self-organise for contact with diverse specialist and non-specialist audiences. Technical competence is enhanced and advanced while exploring the range and application of photography practice.

The PH5002 Professional Practice 1: Photography module serves and sustains an award in the BA Photography and BA Fashion Photography courses. It is delivered in a seamless and integral relationship with the work of other core modules on Level 5. Students are expected to investigate and develop critical and aesthetic working relationships between and across the Level 5 modules.

The module aims to enable students to develop key subject-specific skills and knowledge in the concepts and principles of photography only, as they apply to the world of work in that discipline. Through mastering the organisation of cameras, photography equipment, materials and post-production workflow, this module’s objectives are to enable students to develop the key cognitive skill of applying what is learned in the photography studio to novel situations in the presentation and display of work to new audiences or a wider public. The module also aims to provide students with work-related learning about creating an online presence to develop a public professional profile, with a view to creating a sustainable legacy of career assets to aid employability.
Students will work collaboratively in order to create printed publications and/or exhibitions for public dissemination.

Project Work 2

Focusing on the student’s own evolving photographic practice, the PH5000 Project Work 2 module provides an opportunity for students to develop and to explore their creative identity through responding to photography briefs and using technical skills and research methods supported within the course. The module considers the relationship between method, medium and meaning, with reference to relevant theory, as well as traditional and contemporary practices.

The module PH5000 Project Work 2 is shared by, serves and sustains the awards in the BA Fashion Photography and BA Photography courses, delivered in a seamless and integral relationship with the work of other core modules being studied in the level, including the Critical and Contextual Studies modules.

Students are encouraged to act as autonomous learners, taking increasing responsibility for the progress of their project work. Work from this module is contextualised in the form of a printed publication.

This module aims to enable students to continue to build and to develop key skills of interpretation and knowledge in the development of individual photographic practice and creative individual identity. Through assigned briefs and projects, the module aims to provide the basis for students to both consolidate and develop further concepts and principles in visual practice relevant to contemporary debates in photography. Building upon skills acquired in the other subject specific modules, the module aims to facilitate learning in the selection, testing and informed use of materials, equipment, facilities, research and processes relevant to their enquiry into and interpretation of the theme of a given project.

Critical and Contextual Studies: Dissertation (Photography and Fashion Photography)

Critical and Contextual Studies: Dissertation in Level 6 offers you an opportunity to develop a sustained enquiry into a topic you choose because it particularly interests you. Building on critical and academic skills gained during two years of previous study, the module encourages you to develop an awareness of issues around which there is some debate, uncertainty or contest. Based on this awareness, you will develop a set of research questions which constitute the topic of your study. This topic can be theoretical, historical, or technical and you may, with guidance, decide to engage with an area of scholarly interest outside the territory of your degree course.

You will develop your topic and respond to your research questions in the form of an extended critical study or Dissertation (6,000–7,000 words). Through this study you demonstrate that you can thoroughly research a topic, use appropriate methods of investigation, and work in a methodical and organised way to develop a coherent argument or line of thought. Teaching and Learning on the module is designed to support you in this process through a combination of seminars, workshops, academic skill sessions and one-to-one supervision; as well as a series of formative and summative assessments which prepare you for the final submission.

The final form and presentation of your Dissertation can reflect a broad range of approaches to research and writing. It may include visual materials or other non-written forms of presentation as long they support your enquiry and comprise an integral part of the whole. By prior approval at the start of the module, your research can be part practice-based, and include primary research and fieldwork.

By virtue of the sustained, independent nature of the learning and substantial final output, the dissertation is also intended to prepare you for possible postgraduate study

Looking and Making 3

The PH6001 LOOKING AND MAKING 3 module consists of seminars, talks, visits and workshops. Students build on the critical and thematic basis for their personal creative, critical and contextual practice explored and expanded at Level 5.

Within this module students are required to both build and consolidate a contextual and creative framework for their practice as well as critically evaluating their wider research and creative interests in order to place and understand their own practice within photography as a contemporary discourse.

In investigating Looking and Making 3, the module will require students to consolidate and develop ideas that reflect upon trends in current practice as well as historical models. Case studies and seminar sessions with practitioners are intended to encourage engagement with and understanding of photographic practices. Students will explore these both through open ended research as well as practical making.

The module is shared by, serves and sustains the Honours awards in the BA Fashion Photography and BA Photography courses, delivered in a seamless and integral relationship with the work of other core modules in the level.

Allied to Critical and Contextual Studies modules, the intention is for PH6001 LOOKING AND MAKING 3 to form the basis of the students creative, critical and contextual framework for their practice.

The module aims to enable students to apply key skills and knowledge in critical thinking as well as in the concepts and principles of photography. The module also aims to provide students with information about Looking and Making for later recall in the application of critical thinking for the building of the practical, conceptual and contextual
boundaries within which they then create and make their own work as future creative sector professionals.

This element of the curriculum also aims to develop the key skill of understanding the use of critical reflection in order to connect learning experience, successes and challenges to the improvement of future performance

Major Project

Focusing on the students’ photographic and creative practice, the PH6000 Major Project module provides an opportunity for students to create a substantial final major body of work based on their individual creative identity and aligning to their aspirations for their future careers within the creative sector. In Semester 1, presentations, workshops, tutorials, group critiques and seminars support students to develop a proposal and plan outlining research and experimentation in order to initiate the substantial Final Major Body of Work.

The module requires students to critically consider their work in relation to method, medium and meaning, with reference to relevant theory, as well as traditional and contemporary practices. It aims to enable students to apply and consolidate key skills of interpretation and knowledge in the development of individual photographic practice and creative individual identity. Through critically evaluated research and testing, students demonstrate the application of the key skills acquired in the other subject specific modules in order to create a resolved Final Major Body of Work.

The module PH6000 Major Project is shared by, serves and sustains the awards in the BA Fashion Photography and BA Photography courses, delivered in a seamless and integral relationship with the work of other core modules being studied in the level, including the Critical and Contextual Studies modules.

Students are encouraged to act as critical and independent learners, taking increasing responsibility for the progress of their project work.

Professional Practice 2: Photography

The PH6002 Professional Practice 2: Photography serves and sustains the award in the BA Photography course only, delivered in a seamless and integral relationship with the work of other core modules being studied in the level, including the Critical and Contextual Studies modules.

Students are expected to synthesise and consolidate the experience and knowledge gained over the course, contextualising own practice within photographic frameworks such as commissions, publications, competitions, exhibitions. Students will explore career paths and outline how to continue to develop in a professional capacity, employing a range of subject-specific and transferable skills in communication, negotiation, analysis, project planning and project management.

The module supports students in acquiring coherent and detailed knowledge of specific skills appropriate to individual career aspirations, building key knowledge and skills in order to be autonomous, self-directed professionals able to plan and pursue individual
Students will have the opportunity to reflect on and so demonstrate their proactive approach to developing professional practice and personal professional development throughout their studies in the form of an illustrated presentation.