Research and Papers

Christiana Payne and Harry Mount	History of Art/2561/Humanities, Stage II: 2nd and 3rd year undergraduates
title:	British Art from Hogarth to Turner
keywords:	staff research, student research
email:	cjepayne@brookes.ac.uk

The module therefore drew heavily on staff research. It was also strongly research-oriented in its mode of assessment. The students were required to write "an in-depth, 2500-word, essay on a single picture of your choice". They were asked to visit as many as possible of eight specified London galleries, and to choose three images (or sculptures), each from a different gallery. They were then given individual tutorials to discuss the most suitable work to concentrate on for the essay.

Students were thus effectively encouraged to choose their own research topic. A substantial bibliography was provided for the module, and staff made additional suggestions, but students were told (in the course booklet) "it is very much up to you to follow your own path through the available literature. We will be especially impressed by any discussion of debates among contemporary art historians over the meaning of your image - British art history of this period has recently seen some fierce debates over meaning among art historians, and we would be interested to see if you think that these debates have some relevance for your image...What we are effectively asking you to do is to produce a research paper - a report on your own investigation presented in a scholarly fashion. Those of you who have just finished a dissertation should be well-placed to use their expertise in producing this sort of piece, while those of you who are about to embark on a dissertation can think of it as a warm-up exercise and a way of getting into good habits".

In general, students responded well to the challenge of this exercise. They enjoyed the freedom to choose their own image or sculpture to work on (six students specifically commented on this in their evaluation forms); a wide range of pictures was chosen and a considerable number of very interesting essays resulted. The exercise placed a premium on individual initiative, and those students who demonstrated this did well. Several of the group have since gone on to study the history of British art at postgraduate level.