Tuesday, 27 January 2009

Historical and Critical studies

As an undergraduate in SoFA about 20% of my degree is from the department of Historical and Critical studies (H&C). If you are in the School of Design the same percentage for H&C is also recquired.

As a third year student I have started preparing to write a bigger paper, either an extended essay or a dissertation (I haven't decided which yet). The course consists of lectures and group tutorials combined with individual tutorials. Last term I made a book review and this term I have to extend my horizon a little and write a critical review of sources, which ideally will form the basis I will use for researching (and writing) my extended essay.

During the year we have one day a week set aside for lectures with H&C. This year it is Tuesdays, ideally I should have used the rest of the day on research and preparing for H&C as well, but I normally end up doing reading and research for H&C during Reading Week and just before delivery of whatever it is we are delivering. Without a deadline I don't think I would be able to produce anything at all, but it is quite a hassle when I get to the point where I basically have to lock myself up in my flat for a week to be able to do it.

However I am planning to write the CRS and the extended essay on how art is financed, using contracts and interviews -primary sources, as the basis for my research, adding in articles and reviews from newspapers and some financial theory I guess. I have to read something which can help me perform the analysis of the source material as well.

So far we have had lectures on basic research skills, dealing with how to access to archives and how to use them when you get in, object based research, research based on interviews and other verbal sources, research from written mediums particularly looking at newspapers etc. Most of the lectures focus on a critical approach to your source.

I guess this sounds a bit boring, but I just find it really interesting how you can generate knowledge by this way of research, the perspectives you get etc. It is very useful to how I might be able to develop my practice and definitely helps inform how I percieve research in a studio based practice. My biggest worry is more to not get too excited about this kind of academic research as opposed to other ways of researching.

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