Postgraduate Course: Internship in a Museum or Public Institution (HIAR11103)
Course Outline
| School | Edinburgh College of Art |
College | College of Arts, Humanities and Social Sciences |
| Credit level (Normal year taken) | SCQF Level 11 (Postgraduate) |
Availability | Not available to visiting students |
| SCQF Credits | 20 |
ECTS Credits | 10 |
| Summary | The Internship in a Museum or Public Institution gives you experience of applying and developing their art-historical knowledge and skills in contexts beyond the University. You will be placed with host institutions across the visual arts, heritage and cultural sectors in Edinburgh, and will contribute to the education and community outreach activities of these institutions. |
| Course description |
The Internship in a Museum or Public Institution gives you the opportunity to work in an arts, heritage or cultural institution in Edinburgh as part of their academic curriculum at the University of Edinburgh. You will contribute to the education and community outreach work of their host institution. This work will vary considerably from place to place, depending on the type of institution hosting the placement, as well as the interests and skills of the student. Responsibilities may include organizing events, producing learning materials, leading tours and education sessions and writing exhibition interpretation. The details of the work to be undertaken on placement will be agreed by the Course Organiser, the host institution and you at the outset of the course. You will have a nominated mentor within your host institution who will offer you advice and support throughout your time on the internship.
Internships will operate across Semester 1 and Semester 2 (the exact start date will depend on the particular internship). You will be spending 20 days on placement in total. In addition there will be five 2-hour lectures/workshops, spread across the two semesters. The lectures/workshops will involve staff from the Careers Service and other external bodies. In addition to these classes you will be offered three 2-hour slots, across Semester 2, in which you can drop in to consult the Course Organizer on the development of your written report.
The number of internships will vary each year, but typically around 35 will be available, which will be publicised to you in Week 1 of Semester 1. If you wish to do an internship, you will be asked to write an application, to be submitted in Week 4 of Semester 1, giving your three preferred placement options and a short statement detailing the reasoning behind your choices, and what you hope to gain from an internship. Allocations are based on a competitive process, that is you are not guaranteed a place. The Course Organiser, in consultation with host institutions, will allocate students across the available placements based on applications and in some cases a short interview with the host institution.
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Entry Requirements (not applicable to Visiting Students)
| Pre-requisites |
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Co-requisites | |
| Prohibited Combinations | |
Other requirements | None |
Course Delivery Information
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| Academic year 2023/24, Not available to visiting students (SS1)
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Quota: 80 |
| Course Start |
Full Year |
Timetable |
Timetable |
| Learning and Teaching activities (Further Info) |
Total Hours:
200
(
Dissertation/Project Supervision Hours 4,
Fieldwork Hours 140,
Formative Assessment Hours 0.5,
Summative Assessment Hours 0.5,
Programme Level Learning and Teaching Hours 4,
Directed Learning and Independent Learning Hours
51 )
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| Assessment (Further Info) |
Written Exam
0 %,
Coursework
100 %,
Practical Exam
0 %
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| Additional Information (Assessment) |
Summative assessment: 3000-word essay (100%), to be submitted at the end of Semester 2. You should formulate a research question in consultation with the Course Organiser during the Week 5 feedforward meeting. This question will relate to an issue pertinent to the host institution and the activities undertaken on the internship. This essay is an academic piece of writing, but it is not strictly art-historical and will give you the opportunity to develop your essay-writing skills into new areas. |
| Feedback |
Formative Assessment: You will produce a 500-word plan for your essay, which you will upload in the appropriate Learn folder in Week 5 of the semester. Feedback will be provided on Learn in the form of written comments.
Summative feedback will be provided in the form of written comments on Learn. |
| No Exam Information |
Learning Outcomes
On completion of this course, the student will be able to:
- Acquire critical awareness of the institutional landscape of the cultural sector.
- Apply academic knowledge of art history to projects in a professional cultural sector work environment.
- Take initiative and work effectively, under guidance, in a professional cultural sector organisation.
- Effectively communicate information about art in academic writing.
- Critically reflect on your own professional skills and aptitudes, and understand how best to further develop these.
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Reading List
Baverstock, A., How to Get a Job in a Museum or Art Gallery (London: Bloomsbury Publishing, 2010)
Bennett, T., The Exhibitionary Complex, New Formations no.4 (Spring 1988)
Duncan, C., Civilizing Rituals: Inside Public Art Museums (London: Routledge, 1995)
Thornton, S., Seven Days in the Art World (London: Granta, 2008) |
Additional Information
| Graduate Attributes and Skills |
The course will enable students to:
Plan and execute an original and creative research project, including defining research questions or problems and testing them against evidence and existing research;
Apply critical analysis, evaluation and synthesis to the study, care and display of cultural collections that are at the forefront of, or informed by, developments at the forefront of curatorial practice and research;
Identify, conceptualise and define new problems and issues in the field of Museums and curating, and show creativity in proposing solutions to them.
Exercise substantial autonomy and initiative in professional and equivalent activities, including being responsible for resources and accountable for decisions in the context of placement projects with external partners;
Be able to collaborate with others, debate approaches effectively, and modify their own ideas in order to strengthen their views;
Communicate, using appropriate methods, to a range of audiences with different levels of knowledge/expertise, as well as in diverse contexts;
Understand social, cultural, global and environmental responsibilities and issues, particularly those relating to the display, management and care of artworks;
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| Keywords | Museum,Gallery,curating,education placement,internship |
Contacts
| Course organiser | Dr Keava McMillan
Tel:
Email: |
Course secretary | Miss Chloe Hancock
Tel: (0131 6)50 4124
Email: |
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