Area Study with Bachelor's Thesis

Undergraduate course

Course description

Objectives and Content

The course is a specialization within Art History. Taking the cultural tradition of a specific area as its starting point, the course will offer insight into the art, architecture and visual culture of art historical significance in the area. The object of the course is to give knowledge of works of art, regarded within the cultural context that has influenced the area. An important part of the course is an excursion to a site of art historical significance.

Current destinations may be for instance Rome, St. Petersburg, Athens, Istanbul, Vienna, Paris, London, Berlin, Barcelona, Amsterdam, New York. Main museums, art works, architecture and art historical subjects will be presented through lectures and students' presentations on the site. Students may have to pay for parts of the expenses relating to the excursion. Students who are not able to travel, follow lectures and seminars in Bergen.

Learning Outcomes

After completion of the course, the student will

Knowledge

  • Have knowledge of important architecture, monuments, museums and artistic tendencies in the visual arts of the geographically limited area that is studied during the course.
  • Have knowledge of the most relevant concepts, theories and art historical methods that are generally used to read and understand art from the area in historical, cultural and geographical contexts.

Skills

  • Be able to independently analyze art, visual culture and architecture from the area, using relevant literature from the field.
  • Be able to account for and use relevant concepts and theories that are relevant in interpreting the visual culture and art.

General competence

  • Reflect critically with regard to art historical and cultural historical questions.
  • Be able to write a longer analytical text according to academic standards and norms.
  • Prepare and hold an oral presentation of relevant material.
  • Work independently on an art historically based project.

Level of Study

Bachelor

Semester of Instruction

Spring, but not regularly

Place of Instruction

Bergen and the current site of the area study.
Required Previous Knowledge
None
Recommended Previous Knowledge
Four of the courses: KUN 131, KUN 132, KUN135, KUN144, KUN145, KUN146
Access to the Course
The course is open for all students with the right to study at the University of Bergen.
Teaching and learning methods

The teaching is given through lectures and seminars leading up to an excursion (normally of one week's duration). During the excursion there will be lectures, student presentations and discussions by the monuments, museums and architecture. Students who are unable to travel, take part in seminars in Bergen.

If less then 5 students register for a course, the department may give reduced amount of lectures, ref. the department's guiding lines given in My UiB. If this should be the case, the students will get information by the start of the semester, and in due time for the semester registration deadlines on February 1st/September 1st.

Compulsory Assignments and Attendance

It is mandatory to be present at 80 % of the lectures, and seminars, and to participate at all times during the excursion. Students must give an oral presentation of the project during the excursion/at the local seminar, and are required to take part in discussions. The student presentation is assessed as accepted/rejected. Active participation in discussion of one's own and other students' presentations is considered in the asessment. It is also mandatory to hand in a draft of the bachelor thesis once for individual tuition within fixed deadlines. Deadlines for submission of text will be published on My UiB.

The compulsory assignments are valid in the teaching semester

Forms of Assessment
The exam is a supervised written thesis. The final thesis shall consist of 4500-5000 words
Grading Scale
A - F
Assessment Semester
Spring or Autumn, but not regularly.
Reading List
A reading list of around 1000 pages.
Course Evaluation
Evaluation of the the course and the teaching is conducted according to the quality standards of the University of Bergen.