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Information about the Department of History of Art and the Barber Institute of Fine Arts
CONTENTS
Information about the Department of History of Art and the Barber Institute of Fine Arts
· Introduction
· The Department
o Academic Staff
o Support Staff
· Facilities
o The Departmental Office
o The Department Pigeonholes & Notice Boards
o Departmental Intranet and Student Email Addreses
o Important University Websites
o The Barber institute of Fine Arts Collection
o The Barber Fine Arts Library
o The Fine Art Slides Library and Its Usage
o Inter-Library Loans
o The Fine Art Photograph Room
o The School of Historical Studies Postgraduate Office
· Student Responsibility
o Attendance
o Choosing Options
o Submitting Written Work
o Applying for Extensions of Leave of Absence
o Writing Up
o Upgrading to PhD
o Student Feedback
o Mentor
· Additional Opportunities for Students
o The RX-Network Training Sessions
o Opportunities in the Barber Institute
o Work Experience
MPhil (b) in History of Art: Programme Details
· Educational Aims of the Programme
· Learning Outcomes
o Knowledge and Understanding
o Skills and Other Attributes
· Components
· Part-Time Routes
· Assessment
· Modules
o Critical Approaches to the History of Art
§ Some Introductory Comments About the Module
§ Objectives of the Module
§ Teaching
§ Assessment
§ Assignment 1: Essay
§ Assignment 2: Oral Presentation & Written Version
§ Module Outline
o Research Training Module
§ Module Outline
§ Assessment: Dissertation Rationale
Thesis Supervision and Presentation
· Supervision
· Progress Log and Progress Review
· Submission of Dissertation
Appendix A:
· Guide to Style, Footnoting and Bibliographies
Appendix B:
· Department of History of Art Research Seminar Series 2004-05 (Provisional Timetable)
Appendix C:
· Pro formas for Postgraduate Thesis Timetable/Log
INTRODUCTION
The Department of History of Art warmly welcomes all new students. The purpose of this pamphlet is to inform you about the Department, the objectives and learning outcomes of the MPhil (b) programme, resources, administrative procedures and programme requirements. You will find it a useful reference as it gives detailed information about both academic and routine Departmental matters. Everything contained in this handbook was accurate at the time of writing, but as procedures and regulations do change, please ensure that you check up on any details given here. This handbook must be read in conjunction with the university’s postgraduate regulations.
Please keep this pamphlet. If you lose it, a copy will be available on the Department’s web site (http://www.bham.ac.uk/HistoryofArt/).
Department of History of Art
Barber Institute of Fine Arts
The University of Birmingham
Edgbaston
Birmingham B15 2TS
Tel: 0121 414 2218 Fax: 0121-414-2727
email:
website: http://bham.ac.uk/historyofart/
THE DEPARTMENT
The Department falls within the School of Historical Studies, which is based in the Arts Building. The Department itself, however, is located in the Barber Institute of Fine Arts, which is open Monday-Thursday 8.30-7.00 (vacations 9.00-5.00), Friday-Saturday 8.30-5.15 (vacations Monday-Friday 9.00-5.00).
Academic Staff
David Hemsoll, Senior Lecturer (email: ).
Office in basement.
Specialist fields: 15th and 16th-century art; Renaissance architecture.
Head of Department
Dr. Jutta Vinzent, Lecturer (email: )
Office in basement.
Specialist fields: 20th century and contemporary art.
Examinations Officer.
Dr. Francesca Berry, Lecturer (email: )
Office in Mason Building
Specialist fields: French art, design and visual culture c. 1840-1940.
Undergraduate Admissions Officer, Transfer Officer, Welfare Tutor.
Dr. Richard Clay, Lecturer (email: )
Office in basement
Specialist fields: 18th and early 19th-century French art; iconoclasm.
Postgraduate Tutor, Staff-Student Liaison.
Professor Shearer West (email: )
Office in Arts Building room no. 352.
Specialist fields: 18th, 19th and 20th-century European art.
Professor West currently holds the office of Head of the School of Historical Studies.
Professor Richard Verdi, Director of Barber Institute.
Office on ground floor.
Specialist fields: 17th-century European painting; late 19th and early 20th-century painting.
Dr. Paul Spencer-Longhurst, Senior Curator and Lecturer
(email: ).
Office on ground floor
Specialist fields: 18th and early 19th-century British and French art.
Staff are always happy to see students about any concerns they have. However, as university academics are heavily involved with research, administration and professional activities, their schedules are very tight. Please respect this by making an appointment, seeing staff during office hours, or contacting them by email.
Mr. Hemsoll, Dr. Berry, Dr. Clay and Dr. Vinzent are available during their office hours (indicated on their doors) or by appointment. Professor West, Professor Verdi and Dr. Spencer-Longhurst are available by appointment.
Support Staff
Deborah Clements, Departmental Secretary (email: ).
Office in basement.
Maria Daniel, Slide Librarian (email: ).
Office in Slide Library, ground floor.
David Pulford, Learning Advisor (email: )
Barber Music Library.
Jules Gray, Library Services Assistant Manager (email: )
Nick Cull and Tina Keevil, Information Assistants, Fine Art Library.
FACILITIES
The Departmental Office
Open: Monday and Tuesday 9.30-3.00, Wednesday 9.30-1.30, Thursday 9.30-12.30.
Deborah Clements, the Departmental Secretary, deals with general enquiries and all matters of Departmental administration, and will take messages for members of academic staff in their absence. Deborah is always willing to help students with queries and problems.
The Departmental Pigeonholes & Notice Boards
The pigeonholes are directly outside the Departmental Office and the notice boards are situated outside the Fine Art library. These MUST be checked regularly as members of staff often communicate with students via their pigeonholes and notice boards.
Departmental Intranet and Student Email Addresses
The Department operates an intranet system, where you will find termly information, such as Course Outlines and forthcoming events. The Departmental Intranet is accessed on http://artsweb.bham.ac.uk/arthistory. Username: arthistory (password available from Department office).
It is extremely important that you fill in a form with your contact details and give it to Deborah Clements in the first week of term. It is also important that if any of your contact details change, you have the form amended. Much of the Department’s communication with students is conducted by email and, therefore, it is essential that your email address is up-to-date. If you don’t have an email address, you should apply for a University of Birmingham email account.
Important University Websites
http://www.ao.bham.ac.uk (for general University information from the Academic Office)
http://www.historical.bham.ac.uk (for School of Historical Studies information)
The Barber Institute of Fine Arts Collection
Open during term time: Monday-Thursday 8.30-7.00, Friday-Saturday 8.30-5.15, closed on Sunday
Open during vacations: Monday-Thursday9.00-5.00. Friday-Saturday 9.00-5.00, closed on Sunday
The Barber Institute of Fine Arts houses a remarkable and representative collection of post-medieval European art. Students are encouraged to familiarise themselves with it as quickly as possible and to revisit the collection on a regular basis.
The Barber Fine Art Library
Open during term time: Monday-Thursday 9.00-7.00, Friday 9.00-5.15, Saturday 9.00-1.00
Open during vacations: Monday-Friday 9.00-5.00.
The Barber Fine Art Library is an extensive research library containing excellent holdings in most areas of art history with specialist collections of sales and exhibition catalogues and nineteenth-century books. The Library houses two collections: (1) the University collection of books and periodicals, the majority of which may be borrowed; (2) the Barber reference collection of books and periodicals, which may be consulted but not borrowed.
The main reading room houses the Barber reference collection of books and periodicals that may be consulted but not borrowed. The smaller reading room houses the loan collection of books and videos, and contains one networked PC and a Library Catalogue PC. Not all of the books are listed on the online catalogue; books acquired before 1992 are listed in the Card Catalogue.
Members of library staff are always happy to help you find material, and David Pulford will be offering library tours and induction sessions in the Autumn Term.
Photocopy facilities are available with a variety of different value cards available to suit various needs.
The Barber Fine Art Library is part of Information Services: for more information about the full range of facilities and support offered by Information Services see http://www.is.bham.ac.uk
The Fine Art Slide Library and Its Usage
Open during term time: Monday to Thursday, 9.00-5.00
The Slide Librarian, Maria Daniel, will show new students how to use the Slide Room. The slide collection is for study and reference only. It is important that standard procedures are followed by everyone; failure to do so results in lost slides, which is disruptive to both students and staff alike. The most important rule is that slides may ONLY be taken from the slide library for use in seminars.
Inter-Library Loans
Postgraduates often need to take advantage of Inter-Library loans, but the Department is able to fund only a small number of these loans. The loans are given to postgraduates on a first come/first served basis. Please contact Deborah Clements if you need to make use of the Inter-Library loan facility, and she can advise you on the procedure. If you need a lot of inter-library loans and the Department’s ability to subsidise them is exhausted, it is worth knowing that the Birmingham City Library actually runs a cheaper scheme than the University library.
The Fine Art Photograph Room
The Photograph Room (frequently used for seminar teaching) houses an extensive collection of black and white photographs and can be opened on request. A key to the Photograph Room is kept by the Slide Librarian, Maria Daniel.
School of Historical Studies Postgraduate Office
The School of Historical Studies Postgraduate Office can offer advice about University regulations, fee structures and funding opportunities. Please contact Christine Bluck ( ; 414-6049). Her office is located on the third floor of the Arts Building.
Student Responsibility
Attendance
MPhil (b) students are required to attend all seminars on the Critical Approaches module, and to complete and pass the assessed coursework. MPhil (b) students are also required to attend the research training sessions, and to complete and pass the assessed assignment. Full-time postgraduates are required and part-time postgraduates are strongly recommended to attend the research seminars held on some Thursdays. If absence is necessary, please inform the Department in advance. The Department may ask for medical evidence.
Submitting Written Work
Essay deadlines must be met, unless medical or other evidence can be provided. If an extension is required, please consult the course tutor in advance.
If essays are handed in late, without excuse or extension, the penalty for late submission is a 1% deduction for each working day it is late. These are School of Historical Studies regulations.
Two copies of each piece of written work should be submitted. Essays should be double spaced, footnoted (making consistent use of the chosen conventions for referencing) and have a bibliography.
Essays should be submitted by posting them into the box marked ‘ESSAY HANDING IN BOX’ outside of the Departmental Office. All essays that are submitted should be accompanied by a complete ‘Declaration of Authorship’ form, available in a file on top of the ‘Essay handing in box’. Please attach your form to one copy of your essay.
Applying for Extensions or Leave of Absence
If a student requires an extension on their dissertation for medical or personal reasons, they will need to complete an extension request form (available from the School of Historical Studies postgraduate office). Students who have personal or medical problems that prevent them from working for long periods of time are advised to consider applying for a leave of absence from the degree programme. Please consult your supervisor if you think this may apply to you.
Writing Up
Students who have completed the minimum period of registration for their degree can transfer to ‘awaiting thesis’ status (informally known as ‘writing up’). There is only a very small administration fee for this, and students are not expected to require supervision if they are in ‘writing up’ status, although they may apply to continue to use library resources. Students can register for this status only if they are far advanced with their degree. Students whose work has not progressed sufficiently and who need continued supervision may have to apply to extend their registration and pay full fees.
Upgrading to Ph.D.
It is possible for M.Phil(B) students to apply for an upgrade to Ph.D. in May of the first year for full-time candidates, or May of the second year for part-timers. The upgrade procedure involves submitting a chapter of the thesis to two independent reviewers, who have been chosen by your supervisor. They write reports on your work and make a recommendation. If you feel that you might like to upgrade to a Ph.D., you need to consult your supervisor in the first instance.
Student Feedback
At the introductory session, postgraduates will elect a representative, who is invited to attend and participate in regular Departmental meetings. Student representatives are actively involved in curriculum discussion and have initiated many improvements and changes in the Department. The Guild of Students organises training for student representatives. Students should always raise issues of concern to their tutor, supervisor or mentor. Students will also be able to complete a course questionnaire at the end of the academic year.
Mentor
Dr. Richard Clay assigns each student a member of staff to act as mentor. However, students are free to ask Dr. Clay to request a different mentor at any point in the year. The Mentor will provide general advice and guidance – although this may touch on academic matters this will not cut across routine supervision. The Mentor will meet with the student at least once each session – for the first time within a fortnight of the student’s first registration and subsequently at the beginning of each session. Other meetings may take place at the request of either the student or the Mentor. The Mentor may contribute to the annual progress review, though this will not be a routine requirement.
Additional Opportunities for Students
RX-Network Training Sessions
The Department of History of Art is a member of the Arts and Humanities Research Council funded RX-Network of British universities that collectively offer a special programme of discipline specific training to member universities’ History of Art postgraduates. Funds are available to pay the travel costs of postgraduates who attend training sessions that member institutions take turns to organise. You will be invited to join the RX-Network soon after your arrival in the Department.
Opportunities in the Barber Institute
If they wish, students may help in various activities that take place in the Barber Institute, including gallery tours and Open Days. If you are interested in assisting with the Barber education programme, please contact the Education Officer, Brian Scholes (his office is upstairs in the Slide Library). If you are interested in getting involved in the Department’s work in Widening Participation, please contact Dr. Richard Clay.
Work Experience
We strongly recommend that students who want to work in galleries or museums should gain work experience during their period of postgraduate study. Many of our postgrads gain such experience at the Birmingham Museum and Art Gallery (BMAG), the Ikon, the MAC, or the Barber (your tutor, supervisor or mentor will be happy to offer you advice on work experience).