Who is this course for?
The course is ideal for students of all ages wanting to build on their previous experience of art history as well as mid-career professionals wanting to boost their knowledge of specialist subject areas. Prior study at Certificate level is recommended.
What will I be studying?
The Diploma is divided into three units.
Unit 1: British Art in a Global Context: the long seventeenth century
This module will examine British visual culture in a global context from the end of the sixteenth to the start of the eighteenth centuries. It will focus on the influence of the court, from the late Tudors and across each of the Stuart monarchs, looking at the interaction of arts of all media with aspects of wider culture including literary, historical and political. The sites of the royal palace and aristocratic country and town house, in particular, will serve as foci for the examination of architecture, painting, sculpture, gardens, mural painting, miniatures and tapestries. The course will consider the extent we can talk about “British” art when, in fact, many of the artists and craftsmen of the period were migrants from the Continent.
Unit 2: The Eighteenth Century: the ‘Golden Age’ of British art?
This course will begin with the shift from a British Baroque to the beginning of what is traditionally seen as the “Golden Age” of British art, a period that saw the birth of the Royal Academy and the huge popularity of British-born artists such as Hogarth, Constable, Turner and Reynolds. The course will look at the divergence of the arts from the previous period and the emergence of new hierarchies of genres, including an exploration of the evolution of history painting and the predominance of the neoclassical in architectural projects. It will consider notions of Britishness in the context of imperial dominance and its impact on visual culture at home. Current issues in interpretation in museums and heritage sites will be addressed, for example around slavery and the historic house.
Unit 3: Russian art: Modernism to post-Soviet
Russian and Soviet art are often placed outside the canon of western European art, owing to the particularities of the country’s geography, history and politics, but the success of the early twentieth-century avant-garde movement has led to its inclusion in broader narratives of global modernism. A pattern of artistic contact, the mutual exploration of theories and ideas, and cross-cultural exchange has resulted in many links between the art of east and west. Yet Russia, the Soviet Union, and the post-Soviet space also provide a rich case study for the interpretation of modern art through its national contexts such as religion and politics. Exploring a wide range of art, artists, movements, influences, patronage, collecting, and exhibition histories, students will gain an in depth understanding of the path of modernism in Russian and Soviet art and architecture and its distinctive features.
What can I go on to do?
The Institute offers two 60 credit complementary one year Diploma courses in History of Art which are taught and awarded at second year undergraduate level (FHEQ 5). The Diplomas 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 Diploma in History of Art: Renaissance and Baroque (60 credits at FHEQ level 5) and the Undergraduate Diploma in History of Art: British Visual Culture (60 credits at FHEQ level 5) can apply to be awarded the Undergraduate Diploma of Higher Education in History of Art (120 credits at FHEQ level 5).
Undergraduate Advanced Diploma in Research Theory and Practice
Students who have successfully completed an Undergraduate Diploma in History of Art course might be interested in progressing their Diploma studies by applying to join the Undergraduate Advanced Diploma course (120 credits at FHEQ level 6) which offers a History of Art strand. Students on this course will have the opportunity to work closely and collaboratively with qualified researchers in their field and will be introduced to a research community where they will begin to forge an identity as a researcher in their own right.
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 Diploma level course is suitable for those that have successfully completed the Certificate level course or who have comparable knowledge and experience at FHEQ level 4 or equivalent. 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)
