university of wolverhamptonphotography is a dynamic, multi-disciplinary practice with many...

Wolverhampton School of ArtBA (Hons) Photography with PlacementCourse Guide

2018-19September

About this guide

This is your course guide. It provides the basic but fundamental information about your course of study. Thisguide is yours for the duration of the course, we don’t re-issue it annually and if any information containedwithin were to change then we will write to you to explain so.

In particular, if any important aspects relating to your modules were to change then we will inform you inaccordance with the Code of Practice for the Management of Changes to Modules and Courses. The teachingand support teams which you will get to know over time will refer to this guide – it will be useful to you andwe advise you to make good use of it throughout your studies.

The Course Guide should be read in conjunction with the more general sources of information which relate toall students at the University. The Student Handbook is a very detailed reference point for all issues relating toyour studies which aren’t specific to just your particular course. You might also want to refer to the StudentCharter; the University’s Policies and Regulations and the University Assessment Handbook documents whichwill provide you with all of the information that we think you will need for your period of study here.

If you need additional information, or you simply want to discuss elements of any of these documents or otheraspects of your course, find that there is something you need to know, please contact your Faculty StudentServices:

Faculty Student Services

We can help with the administration and organisation of your time at University – from enrolment andmodule registration, tuition fee enquiries, attendance support, course management and lifecycle queries,extenuating circumstances, leave of absence, transfers and changes, assignment submission, SAMsappointments, assessment and result queries, right through to Graduation.

You can also come and talk to us for impartial advice and support if things are starting to go wrong and you’renot sure who else to talk to. The main thing to remember is that you are not alone. We see large numbers ofstudents over the course of a year on a variety of issues, so please don’t be afraid to approach us.

We are here to ensure that your transition into Higher Education is as smooth as possible. Normal officeopening hours are Monday-Friday 08:45-17:00.

You can contact us through the e:vision help desk, by phone or in person or by e-mail:

Faculty of Arts (CityCampus)

The MX Building MX 005 (01902) 321034 [email protected]

Help and Advice is alsoavailable from StudentSupport & Wellbeing…

Contact us at the Alan TuringBuilding MI 001 for all enquiries andreferrals… Services operate at allcampuses by appointment.

(01902) 321074(01902) 321070

[email protected]@wlv.ac.uk

Welcome from the Course Leader

On behalf of the teaching and support teams from BA (Hons) Photography with Placement course, I would liketo extend to you a very warm welcome to the University of Wolverhampton, and in particular your campus.

My name is Jane Webb and I am the course leader for your BA (Hons) Photography with Placement course andalongside your personal tutor, will be your main point of contact over the duration of your studies. My contactdetails are below – please don’t hesitate to get in touch if you need any support or guidance.

The successes which you will achieve whilst at the University are based upon a partnership between theexpertise and support from the staff here and the effort you put into learning. We welcome students who areeager to think for themselves, to take control of their own learning and who are ready to get involved in

developing the skills required in a highly competitive job market. Make the most of the wide range ofopportunities available to you.

Studying at University can be difficult, and for many of you the transition into University life will bechallenging. However we will support you throughout your course, particularly whilst you develop into anindependent learner over the course of your first year with us.

We believe it is important that you are encouraged to make your own contribution to the effective operationand development of your chosen course. We hope that you might consider acting as a Course Representativeduring some of your time with us to help the University continue to improve your experience.

I would like to wish you every success with your studies. We look forward to working with you and hope thatyou enjoy your time with us.

Jane Webb

Course Management and Staff Involvement

RoleRole NameName SpecialismSpecialism eMaileMail Tel. Ext.Tel. Ext. RoomRoom

Head of Department Dr Jane Webb [email protected] 1952 MK307

Course Leader Dr Jane Webb [email protected] 1952 MK307

Educational Aims of the Course

Photography is a dynamic, multi-disciplinary practice with many histories, identities and dimensions. At theWolverhampton School of Art (est. 1851), we explore these diverse legacies through contemporary practice andcritical theory. The BA Photography philosophy is that images should be about something rather than ofsomething and examines making images through practical assignments and a number of key photographicthemes such as: identity and portraiture; place and location and narrative and performance. Theseassignments and themes are developed through six modules: Level 4 Recollections and Situations; Level 5Interventions and Encounters and Level 6 Live and Show. The modules allow you to explore the relationshipsfor example between photography and the self-portrait; studio image and fashion; our personal image inemotional photography in health and memory as well as interpretative recordings of landscapes, documentaryand portraiture.

The course is taught by internationally exhibiting specialists in portraiture, performance, landscape,phototherapy, personal identities, archives - stories and narratives and the everyday. You will work alongsidestaff and other professionals to become self-motivated and critically-aware of the developing careers withincontemporary photographic practice. Live projects and off-site shows provide additional professionalexperiences and networking opportunities whilst considering the audience, appropriate publication andfuture employment.

During the your degree, you will work in our exceptional darkrooms (black and white, colour), digital scanningand editing suites, a digital printmaking facility, and spacious, purpose-built studios that are all supported bysubject-specific technical specialists. We provide all photographic equipment –from cameras to darkroomsand lighting kit - in order to facilitate the successful production of your work throughout the course.

Level 4 – Recollections and Situations

You will be introduced to the key themes and materials of the BA Photography Programme through a numberof practical assignments. You will be encouraged to begin thinking independently about the selection andchoice of theme, ideas and materials employed in your assignments whilst receiving instruction in thephotography workshops and equipment. Assignments will allow you to produce portfolios of images aboutidentities and place.

Level 5 – Interventions and Encounters

You will begin to self negotiate projects and materials as you begin to define your practice as a photographerand image-maker. You will begin thinking independently about the selection and choice of theme, ideas andmaterials employed in your assignments whilst receiving instruction in the photography workshops andequipment. You will create work that is outward facing, has and audience and is published. Assignments willallow you to produce portfolios of images about self -identity and space.

In your placement year (Level 5) there is an opportunity to undertake a self identified professional placement

A professional placement provides an opportunity for professional development in the work place and assuch, greatly enhances the student’s prospects of finding rewarding and relevant employment at the end oftheir studies.

Level 6 – Show and Live

You will self manage projects and materials as you define your practice as a photographer and image-maker.Your independent selection and choice of theme, ideas and materials employed in your assignments will driveyour practice. You will create work for and audience and its publication. Assignments will allow you toproduce portfolios of images about your professional needs in contemporary formats: exhibition, promotionand publication.

What makes this programme distinctive?

The course structure offers the freedom and support to explore, challenge and interrogate establishedphotographic genres, that will allow you to engage and promote your ideas and concepts through a number ofkey assignments, analogue and digital materials and resources whilst examining both creative thinking andmaking and concept and technique that form the basis of a critically engaged practice. Simultaneously theseconceptual ideas, contextual knowledge and understanding are a core experience of live industry briefs andexternal projects that you will engage with and create as part of your portfolio.

Studio and workshop culture is core to our courses and you will be encouraged to become part of the art anddesign community through time spent working in the studios, workshops and labs available to studentsacross the week. Our contacts with galleries, curators, publishers and editors offer the opportunity for you towork on live projects. As a result, individual student development is enriched through valuable professionalexperience and the production of specialist portfolios, both necessary in the competitive and demandingprofessional world.

All courses in the School of Art are now available with a professional placement (sandwich year) option. Aprofessional placement provides an opportunity for professional development in the work place and as such,greatly enhances the student’s prospects of finding rewarding and relevant employment at the end of theirstudies.

The BA (Hons) Photography with Professional Placement in particular is distinctive in its approach becauseyou will:

Contribute to a creative student cultureShare and collaborate your ideas and practice within an Art SchoolWork with staff who are published, exhibited and knowledgeableUndertake contemporary and live assignmentsPublish workHave open access to professional darkrooms and digital facilities

Create personal and professional portfolios using our industry standard studios and equipment

Course Structure

September (Sandwich)September (Sandwich)

Year 1Year 1

Full time and Sandwich Undergraduate Honours students normally study 120 credits per academic year;including a Sandwich Placement.

ModuleModule TitleTitle CreditsCredits PeriodPeriod TypeType

4FP017 Recollections 60 YEAR Core

4FP018 Situations 60 YEAR Core


Part time students study alongside full time students. However, they do not study more than 80 credits in eachacademic calendar year.

Year 2Year 2



5FP014 Encounters 60 YEAR Core

5FP015 Interventions 60 YEAR Core



Year 3Year 3



5AD011 Professional Placement (Sandwich) 40 YEAR Core



Year 4Year 4



6FP011 Live 60 YEAR Core

6FP012 Show 60 YEAR Core

Course Learning Outcomes

Learning OutcomeLearning Outcome Contributing ModulesContributing Modules

CertHE Course Learning Outcome 1 CertHE Course Learning Outcome 1 (CHECLO1)(CHECLO1)

Demonstrate experience of working with a rangeof materials, processes and technologiesassociated with Photography.

4FP017 Recollections4FP018 Situations


Be experimental and show the ability to usespeculative and reflective approaches to makingand designing.



Research and respond to contemporary historicaland cultural contexts and show the curiosity todevelop personally focused research.



Evaluate and reflect on your performance andthat of your peer group in relation to appropriatecontextual references and audiences.



Document and communicate with others abouthow your ideas have evolved and explain yourdecision making in support of project outcomes.


DipHE Course Learning Outcome 1 DipHE Course Learning Outcome 1 (DHECLO1)(DHECLO1)

Demonstrate specialist skills, techniques,processes, technologies and material knowledgerelevant and pertinent to contemporary practicein Photography.

5AD011 Professional Placement (Sandwich)5FP014 Encounters5FP015 Interventions


Explore a range of creative, speculative andresearch methods in your work and use theknowledge to inform the development of yourpractice.

5FP014 Encounters5FP015 Interventions


Understand the external contexts of Photographyand resolve projects through informed decisionmaking in relation to these contexts.

5AD011 Professional Placement (Sandwich)5FP014 Encounters5FP015 Interventions


Research, identify and evaluate appropriatecontextual knowledge relevant to Photographythrough written and verbal presentations.



Develop an engagement with externalcommunities and audiences and use appropriateforums to discuss and reflect on your practice.



Demonstrate a sustained commitment todiscussion and engagement with your art anddesign community.


Ordinary Course Learning Outcome 1Ordinary Course Learning Outcome 1(ORDCLO1)(ORDCLO1)

Demonstrate a sustained and independentapproach to generating ideas and production ofwork in response to self initiated or externallygenerated projects

6FP011 Live6FP012 Show


Select and employ appropriately the materials,media, techniques, methods, technologies andtools necessary to resolve your practice.



Identify, understand and reflect on theconnections between intention, process, outcomeand context in your work.



Demonstrate knowledge of the specific criticaland contextual dimensions of your work andengage in the work of practitioners and theoristsrelevant to your final project.



Critically reflect on and benefit from engagementwith others and utilise personal developmentplanning effectively to progress your practice.


Honours Course Learning Outcome 1Honours Course Learning Outcome 1(DEGCLO1)(DEGCLO1)

Think creatively to resolve your work to aprofessional standard within your discipline.



Demonstrate knowledge of the specific criticaland contextual dimensions of your practice andengage in the work of practitioners and theoristsrelevant to your final project.



Employ models of professional presentationappropriate to the dissemination of your work.



Demonstrate a sustained ability to reflect on your


work and use the information to develop newwork and an informed understanding of yourpractice.


Understand and locate your work appropriatelywithin the broad and specialist contexts of yoursubject and research appropriate personal andcareer objectives.


PSRB

None

Employability in the Curriculum

The Photography course provides you with all the necessary skills that enable you to thrive in the excitingand fast-moving creative industries. Typical employment for our alumni includes work as magazine editors,exhibiting photographers, artists and curators, freelance studio and fashion photographers, editorial anddocumentary photographers including sport and those who work in the broader industries of publishing,museums and galleries, community artists, curators and educators. These diverse career paths are introducedto you through a number of ‘live’/professional projects giving invaluable professional experiences and realassignments during study. A number of our students opt for further study either at Masters level or study fora PGCE and these individuals are seeking to develop their skills in practices such as arts and health, artcuratorial practices and other Masters degrees by research.

All of our students have the opportunity to engage with an additional ‘Employability Award’ associated withtheir degree, and a high percentage of our students achieve the gold standard.

All courses in the School of Art are now available with a professional placement option (Sandwich Year). Aprofessional placement provides an opportunity for professional development in the work place and as such,greatly enhances the students’ prospects of finding rewarding and relevant employment at the end of theirstudies. The school assists students in securing work placements, undertaking live briefs, engaging directlywith employers and developing key employability skills. The School is committed to raising studentawareness of the opportunities that exist post-graduation.

International students will need to apply for BA (Hons) Photography with professional placement beforejoining the course to ensure visa requirements are met.

Teaching, Learning and Assessment

Teaching is focussed in (though not limited to) a studio environment in which tutor-student engagement andpeer-to-peer learning supports a creative, experimental, professional and independent approach todevelopment from Level 4 onwards. Teaching, supervised practice and independent exploration also takesplace in well-equipped material workshops and computer labs. Throughout the course students areencouraged to explore, develop and build material and technical competencies towards developing their ownrich, challenging and distinct visual language as artists and designers.

The School of Art houses a range of purpose built studio spaces and workshops with an extensive range ofprofessional equipment not available in schools and colleges. Students at the School of Art are taught bypracticing artists and designers working in academic and technical roles. These specialist practitioners teachboth fundamental skills, support experimental and speculative practice and ensure practice is underpinned byknowledge and awareness of contemporary contexts.

The course is structured over three years and each year is divided into two year- long 60 credit modules. Thisframework is designed to provide opportunities for full and part-time study and to allow students the timeand space to develop their own specialist approach to BA (Hons) Photography over an extended time frame.

Students are assessed 100% on their coursework and are supported to progress and achieve their potentialthrough careful tracking by staff in project feedback sessions, personal tutorials and formative assessmentpoints. Each module has two points of formative assessment that provide key performance indicators for thestudent and staff teams to use in personal development planning. Assessment reviews and tutorials will beused to assess progress, galvanise the student to understand and map their own learning journey and to usethis information to improve their indicative grades and project work. The assessment strategy has beendesigned to provide students with a number of opportunities throughout the year to test their work againstthe learning outcomes and to further develop aspects of their practice before receiving a final summativegrade for the module. These formative reviews will also be used by staff to trigger university and subjectsupport mechanisms for students who are not achieving at an appropriate level before summative resultsstart to affect progression and achievement at each level.

Summative assessment takes place at the end of each module as an event in which students evaluate theirown work and select work to present in a portfolio that best demonstrates their achievement over the year.

Employability is core to the ethos of the School of Art’s learning and teaching, and BA (Hons) Photographyprovides opportunities from Level 4 to experience and engage with professional and industrial contacts. AtLevel 4 students are encouraged to encounter and experience all aspects of their specialist area and furtherembed themselves into the subject through visits and speakers. At Level 5 students will have the opportunityto experience professional practice and will work on subject-specific briefs led by externalclients/organisations. At this level there will also be an emphasis on off-site/live projects/placements thatoffer opportunities for interdisciplinary collaborative practice. Level 5 is designed to give students theopportunity to risk take and experiment within their subjects but also to meet and network with otherstudents across the School of Art. Level 6 emphasises self-negotiated projects and provides students with thetime and support to develop their individual voices as artists and designers. There is also provision forinterdisciplinary teams working together on ambitious final outcomes where appropriate, and student will besupported to maintain placement learning and external networks established at Level 5. In addition, theUniversity offers a Career Development Week each year, which is intended to provide cross-curricula activitiesthat enable students to extend or galvanise their skill and employability goals.

The modules embed theoretical and contextual practice within studio-based teaching. We have an extensiveand specialist library collection, supported by a subject librarian with whom staff and students work closely.Level 4 provides opportunities for exploring these resources and is structured around a range of contextuallearning opportunities from traditional lectures to creative thinking workshops, mirroring the breadth offeredin studio practice. Levels 5 and 6 provide opportunities for students to develop their own trajectories in a waythat reflects their practice in the studio through a choice of theoretical and theory-practice combined projects.External visiting speakers and staff research projects and practice contribute to a thriving contextual diet;Students can experience staff working, and gain additional insight into the importance of ideas, research andconceptual experimentation to creative production.

In addition the School of Art provides many opportunities throughout the year for students to join study visitsto UK and European destinations. These visits underpin student learning by providing an opportunity forstudents to see professional practice in their field, engage with new ideas, materials, sites and scale, considerdisplay and presentation strategies and explore other roles associated with art and design such as curation,marketing, education. The visits also provide opportunities for students to spend time in an expandedcommunity of their own peers to support interdisciplinary and cross year support and collaboration.

Reference Points

Quality Code - Part A: Setting and Maintaining Academic Standards. Including :

Qualifications Frameworks

Characteristics Statements

http://www.qaa.ac.uk/assuring-standards-and-quality/the-quality-code/quality-code-part-a

http://www.qaa.ac.uk/assuring-standards-and-quality/the-quality-code/qualifications

http://www.qaa.ac.uk/assuring-standards-and-quality/the-quality-code/characteristics-statements

Credit Frameworks

Subject Benchmark Statements

http://www.qaa.ac.uk/en/Publications/Documents/SBS-Art-and-Design-17.pdf

Quality Code - Part B: Assuring and Enhancing Academic Quality

University Policies and Regulations

Equality Act (2010)

Academic Regulations Exemptions

AFRSC/17/6.2.3 FoA Undergraduate Arts Degree Portfolio.

Section 1.3.1 - Exemption to exceed normal module credits within the standard University AcademicFramework allowing for use of all 60 credit taught modules (Level 3 to Level 6) delivered Year Long on thefollowing programmes;

BA (Hons) Photography

BA (Hons) Fashion

BA (Hons) Fine Art

BA (Hons) Glass and Ceramics

BA (Hons) Graphic Design

BA (Hons) Illustration

BA (Hons) Painting and Printmaking

BA (Hons) Sculpture and Environmental Art

BA (Hons) Textiles and Surface Pattern

BDes (Hons) Furniture Design

BDes (Hons) Interior Design

BDes (Hons) Product Design

Effective date: September 2018.

APPROVED (by Chair’s Action on 6/10/2017)

Support with your studies

University Learning Centres are the key source of academic information for students providing access to:

Physical library resources (books, journal, DVDs etc.)Study areas to allow students to study in the environment that suits them best: Social areas, quiet andsilent areas.A wide range of online information sources, including eBooks, e-journals and subject databasesAcademic skills support via the Skills for Learning programmeStudents on campus can attend workshops or ask for one-to-one help on a range of skills such asacademic writing and referencing.Dedicated Subject Pages to enable you to explore key online information sources that are recommended

http://www.qaa.ac.uk/assuring-standards-and-quality/the-quality-code/academic-credit

http://www.qaa.ac.uk/assuring-standards-and-quality/the-quality-code/subject-benchmark-statements

http://www.qaa.ac.uk/en/Publications/Documents/SBS-Art-and-Design-17.pdf

http://www.qaa.ac.uk/assuring-standards-and-quality/the-quality-code/quality-code-part-b

http://www.wlv.ac.uk/about-us/governance/legal-information/policies-and-regulations/academic-regulations/

for their studies.Physical access to local libraries both in UK and overseas via SCONUL and WorldCat agreements

We also strongly advise you to download to “MyWLV” student app. MyWLV is a single point of personalisedaccess to the variety of systems the University offers. This includes pulling through relevant information (e.g.deadlines, timetables) and linking to underlying systems.

Leave of Absence:

The University allows breaks in learning of up to two years and there is a process for applying for a leave ofabsence, which can be accessed through your e:Vision account. Initially you will need to apply for the leave ofabsence, which could be for medical, parental or personal reasons. A short-term absence, such as annual leave,must not be recorded as a break. The course leader will consider, and where appropriate agree, the leave ofabsence application. A return date will be identified and agreed for a suitable point in the programme.Additional course fees may be incurred as a result of a leave of absence and you are advised to discuss thiswith the Faculty Student Services team prior to application.

Course Specific Support

General University support:

The university has an extensive range of support options for students. For Art and Design students thisbegins with Arts Support Central, an online resource through which academic study support, careers andenterprise, counselling, enabling services, Chaplaincy services, nursery and carer support, financial servicesand distance learning can all be accessed. Students can access student advisors and mentors and there issupport and representation also offered by the Students’ Union and can also find support based on whetherthey are International students, TNE students, research students, mature students or students with families.

Course Specific Support

The course has a personal tutor system in which students see a tutor assigned to them regularly throughoutthe year and this provides them with pastoral support outside of their immediate academic studies on specificmodules. Our core aim is to build upon a creative student culture that is open and ambitious, with relevantresources and staff that are both available and approachable.

There is a specialist Art and Design librarian who works closely with the staff team to support the subject-specific research and writing skills of students at all levels. This support is situated within the library, whichhas an extensive and long-standing collection of printed materials and monographs that can be accessed 24hours a day in term time. Students can also access a range of texts and journals electronically both on campusand at home.

Contact Hours

In higher education, the term ‘contact hours’ is used very broadly, to refer to the amount of time that youspend learning in contact with teaching or associated staff, when studying for a particular course.

This time provides you with the support in developing your subject knowledge and skills, and opportunitiesto develop and reflect on your own, independent learning. Contact time can take a wide variety of formsdepending on your subject, as well as where and how you are studying. Some of the most common examplesare:

lecturesseminarstutorialsproject supervisionsdemonstrationspractical classes and workshops

supervised time in a studio/workshopfieldworkexternal visitswork-based learning (including placements)scheduled virtual interaction with tutor such as on line, skype, telephone

In UK higher education, you as the student take primary responsibility for your own learning. In this context,contact time with teaching and associated staff is there to help shape and guide your studies. It may be usedto introduce new ideas and equip you with certain knowledge or skills, demonstrate practical skills for you topractise independently, offer guidance on project work, or to provide personalised feedback.

Alongside contact time, private or independent study is therefore very significant. This is the time that youspend learning without direct supervision from, or contact with, a member of staff. It might includebackground reading, preparation for seminars or tutorials, follow-up work, wider practice, the completion ofassignments, revision, and so on.

50 Day Engagement:

You will be withdrawn from the University if you fail to engage with the academic requirements of yourcourse of study, within 50 days of the course start date, following repeated and reasonable attempts by theUniversity to contact you.

Course Specific Health and Safety Issues

No specific health and safety issues have been recorded for this provision, but should this change your CourseLeader will make you aware of this and provide relevant guidance as appropriate.

Course Fact File

Hierarchy of Awards:Hierarchy of Awards: Bachelor of Arts with Honours Photography, having satisfactorily completed a sandwichplacement Bachelor of Arts Photography, having satisfactorily completed a sandwich placement Diploma of Higher Education Photography Certificate of Higher Education Photography University Statement of Credit University Statement of Credit

Course Codes:Course Codes: FP010K23UV Sandwich 4 Years

UCAS Code:UCAS Code: W642

Awarding Body / Institution:Awarding Body / Institution: University of Wolverhampton

School / Institute:School / Institute: Wolverhampton School of Art

Category of Partnership:Category of Partnership: Not delivered in partnership

Location of Delivery:Location of Delivery: University of Wolverhampton

Teaching Institution:Teaching Institution: University of Wolverhampton

Published: 15-Aug-2018 (Auto Published)