For the 2020-2021 Academic Year this course is being taught remotely. This means there will be no face-to-face teaching and you will not need to be present in person in Cambridge. The course content will be delivered, and the learning outcomes met, through the use of video-based teaching platforms and a dedicated course Virtual Learning Environment. ”
To transition to remote delivery of the course our academic staff are updating the course structure and timetable. This will allow the course to be academically engaging and of the quality expected from the Institute. A course guide will be available containing this detailed information no later than the end of July. Details of the Unit start dates and assignment submission deadlines are under the Teaching & Assessment tab. For an overview of the course scroll down this page.
Who is this Course for?
The course is open to anyone with an interest in the subject area, and no previous experience is necessary.
What will I be studying?
The Certificate is divided into three termly units.
Unit 1: Restoration to Pre-Raphaelites
The period from the seventeenth to the nineteenth centuries saw immense shifts in terms of artistic styles and movements, from a British Baroque inspired by the huge numbers of migrant artists from the Continent, to the “Golden Age” of the eighteenth century, to a Victorian Britain in which conflict emerged between those artists and designers who sought to create innovative contemporary styles and those who immersed themselves in a revival of the arts of the past. During this time art came to be seen as a means of social reform, with the highest standards of design and craftsmanship being extended to the decorative as well as to the fine arts.
Unit 2: Twentieth-century European art
Starting with Impressionism and Neo-Impressionism, developments of painting styles on the continent began to reflect technological, social and political change, showing an increasing commitment to the modern world. This unit charts the history of European art from the late 19th century through the avant-garde movements of the 1910s–30s (Cubism, Surrealism, Dadaism). Finally, we will consider the years leading to World War II and its immediate aftermath, a time when the European artistic landscape underwent a dramatic shift.
Unit 3: Postmodernism and Contemporary Art
From the 1960s onwards, artistic practices on both sides of the Atlantic shifted away from traditional media such as painting to focus on technologically-mediated practices (photography, video art, installation art). Moreover, the rise of the “neo-avant-gardes” inaugurated a new relation between art and life, with movements such as Fluxus, Land Art, and Performance Art. This unit traces how these two distinct yet connected frameworks developed over the 1960s and 1970s, and how they have continued to be relevant to recent and contemporary art since the 1980s, from mass media appropriation to art using digital technologies.
What can I go on do?
The Institute offers two 60 credit complementary one-year Certificate courses in History of Art which are taught and awarded at first year undergraduate level (FHEQ 4). The Certificates will be taught in alternating years and can be studied independently of each other, and in any order.
Students who have successfully completed the Undergraduate Certificate in History of Art: Early Modern to Contemporary (60 credits at FHEQ level 4) and the Undergraduate Certificate in History of Art: Classical to Renaissance (60 credits at FHEQ level 4) can apply to be awarded the Undergraduate Certificate of Higher Education in History of Art (120 credits at FHEQ level 4).
Undergraduate Diplomas in History of Art
The Institute also offers 2 part-time Diplomas in History of Art (FHEQ level 5) which will be taught in alternating years.
Credit awarded by the Institute can also be transferred into the degree programmes of other higher education providers. However the amount of credit which can be transferred into degree programmes varies from institution to institution and is always at the discretion of the receiving institution.
Do I choose Certificate or Diploma level?
The Certificate and Diploma courses have been designed to provide a progression path for your studies. The Certificate level courses are ideal for those who are new to the History of Art and/or University level study. If you are still unsure which academic level to study please contact the Academic Director in History of Art, Dr Lydia Hamlett (lkh25@cam.ac.uk)
