FA1ART: Art Studio

Module code: FA1ART

Module provider: Art; School of Arts and Communication Design

Credits: 40

Level: 4

When you’ll be taught: Semester 1 / 2

Module convenor: Dr Karenjit Sandhu , email: karenjit.sandhu@reading.ac.uk

Module co-convenor: Ms Tina Jenkins, email: t.jenkins@reading.ac.uk

Pre-requisite module(s):

Co-requisite module(s):

Pre-requisite or Co-requisite module(s):

Module(s) excluded:

Placement information: NA

Academic year: 2025/6

Available to visiting students: No

Talis reading list: Yes

Last updated: 3 April 2025

Overview

Module aims and purpose

This module introduces you to a range of art practices, methods and techniques allowing you to experiment and develop your practical and intellectual skills. 

Art Studio 1 provides an introduction to contemporary art and its global histories, models of practices and a range of practical and professional skills. Your studies will induct you to codes of good practice, Health & Safety and sustainability in the studio environment. The module provides opportunities for you to produce and present artworks that develop your critically reflective and analytic skills. 

You will be introduced to subject matter and working methods appropriate to your individual interests and begin to apply critical thinking in informed debate, shared experience and studio work. The module also supports your transition from your previous diverse art experiences to the academic learning environment of Art at University. 

You will have the opportunity to develop self-awareness in the context of career decision making by gaining knowledge of the career opportunities that are available to you and the skills to make effective applications. 

By the end of the module you will have developed your understanding of effective research methods providing you with the skills to engage in independent enquiry into material processes as well as contextualising ideas in relation to the diverse field of contemporary art practice. 

Module learning outcomes

By the end of the module, it is expected that students will be able to: 

1. Evidence development of skilful and experimental use of materials, techniques and processes
2. Investigate and realise the relationship between studio work and ideas that inform art practices or result from them
3. Select, organise and present artworks produced over the course of the module
4. Reflect on progress over the course of the module through identifying and analysing the development of skills, experimentation and ideas informing studio work or resulting from them

Module content

At the start of the module students will produce work in relation to a series of practical inductions. The inductions encourage students to experiment with materials and processes, helping them to develop their ideas in relation to key concerns in contemporary culture, sustainability, global issues such as self and other, heritage and relationship to place. Students will have the opportunity to plan for their inductions prior to the timetabled studio teaching, work on their projects during the specified teaching session and continue to develop their projects independently between inductions.  

In the second semester students will be guided towards greater independence in terms of developing their own interests and specialism and in taking ownership of lines of enquiry into materials, ideas and contextual research.  

During the induction phase and the independent phase, the studio teaching sessions will support students in their experimentation with a broad range of material processes such as drawing, painting, printing and object construction through 3D materials that will include ceramics and woodwork. The module will also guide students through Health and Safety procedures.

In the weekly seminars teaching staff will introduce their own approaches to art practice as well as well as providing insight into the varied ways contemporary art is produced and situated in relation to the local and the global. Through planned study visits to museums, galleries and collections as well as timetabled artist talks, students gain further experience of the global diversity embedded in contemporary art practice. 

Structure

Teaching and learning methods

Students attend timetabled taught weekly studio sessions and seminars. Resources on Blackboard provide written descriptions of the processes students explore in the studio teaching session and provide instruction on what to prepare and research prior to these sessions. Analysis of contextual texts and artworks relating to the work being produced encourages a deeper awareness of contemporary art practice and the ideas that inform it. In the teaching sessions students are encouraged to build on their diverse previous experience and knowledge of art to develop an expanded competency of materials and processes. Demonstration of material processes by staff during teaching sessions, workshop inductions and optional skills training will support students in skills acquisition and application.  Over the module students receive feedback via 1-to-1 and group tutorials.

Over the module students receive feedback via 1-to-1 tutorials and through group tutorials.

At weekly seminars staff introduce students to the research methods they use to develop work and encourage students to consider the different ways contemporary art is produced, contextualised, selected and presented.

Staff direct students to relevant research materials including artists, artworks, exhibitions and text. Students are provided with guidance on preparing and editing documentation of their work, as well as reflecting on their work through reflective writing.

Planned study visits to exhibitions and the programmed artist talks further enhance student knowledge of different methods artist use to present work.  All these teaching methods encourage students to reflect upon their intentions so they may continue to develop and progress through further material and theoretical exploration

Feedback delivered by staff and fellow students during peer-review learning sessions support students in the development of their work thus expanding their relationship with new concepts and ideas.

Collaborative working is encouraged through the shared use of studio space, group feedback sessions and the staging of group exhibitions. Alongside collaborative working individual students can with support from staff opt out of group working sessions and instead follow a path tailored to their particular learning needs. 

Assessment points, briefs and deadlines are introduced and made available at the start of the module. 

Mid-module formative assessment provides verbal and written feedback to direct students to reflect upon their strengths and weaknesses. Students are also required to self-assess their work in order to gain an understanding of assessment processes. Assessment literacy and awareness of the marking rubric and processes helps support the students in the development of their work. There is ongoing verbal feedback and peer-review. 

Summative Assessment at the end of the module is authentic, allowing professional experience through presentation of: (1) exhibition portfolio (2) documentation of artwork produced over semester 1 and 2, and (3) critical self-reflection.  

Study hours

At least 134 hours of scheduled teaching and learning activities will be delivered in person, with the remaining hours for scheduled and self-scheduled teaching and learning activities delivered either in person or online. You will receive further details about how these hours will be delivered before the start of the module.

Please note the independent study hours above are notional numbers of hours; each student will approach studying in different ways. We would advise you to reflect on your learning and the number of hours you are allocating to these tasks.

Semester 1 The hours in this column may include hours during the Christmas holiday period.

Semester 2 The hours in this column may include hours during the Easter holiday period.

Summer The hours in this column will take place during the summer holidays and may be at the start and/or end of the module.

Assessment

Requirements for a pass

Students need to achieve an overall module mark of 40% to pass this module.

Summative assessment

Penalties for late submission of summative assessment

The Support Centres will apply the following penalties for work submitted late:

Assessments with numerical marks

• where the piece of work is submitted after the original deadline (or any formally agreed extension to the deadline): 10% of the total marks available for that piece of work will be deducted from the mark for each working day (or part thereof) following the deadline up to a total of three working days;
• the mark awarded due to the imposition of the penalty shall not fall below the threshold pass mark, namely 40% in the case of modules at Levels 4-6 (i.e. undergraduate modules for Parts 1-3) and 50% in the case of Level 7 modules offered as part of an Integrated Masters or taught postgraduate degree programme;
• where the piece of work is awarded a mark below the threshold pass mark prior to any penalty being imposed, and is submitted up to three working days after the original deadline (or any formally agreed extension to the deadline), no penalty shall be imposed;
• where the piece of work is submitted more than three working days after the original deadline (or any formally agreed extension to the deadline): a mark of zero will be recorded.

Assessments marked Pass/Fail

• where the piece of work is submitted within three working days of the deadline (or any formally agreed extension of the deadline): no penalty will be applied;
• where the piece of work is submitted more than three working days after the original deadline (or any formally agreed extension of the deadline): a grade of Fail will be awarded.

The University policy statement on penalties for late submission can be found at: /cqsd/-/media/project/functions/cqsd/documents/qap/penaltiesforlatesubmission.pdf

You are strongly advised to ensure that coursework is submitted by the relevant deadline. You should note that it is advisable to submit work in an unfinished state rather than to fail to submit any work.

Formative assessment

Formative assessment is any task or activity which creates feedback (or feedforward) for you about your learning, but which does not contribute towards your overall module mark.

Portfolios of practice, reflective report, series of formative exhibitions with peer-review and continuous feedback. 

Reassessment

Additional costs