A year-long program offered at the end of the Bachelor of Fine Arts course. For entry into the Honours program, a candidate should have at least two distinctions or above during their undergraduate course, one of which must be in the final year of the major subject completed.
FSA400/401 Bachelor of Fine Arts with Honours (Full time)/(Part time)
The program is an in-depth, though not necessarily media-specifIc study of one of the following areas: Art Theory, Ceramics, Drawing, Furniture Design, Graphic Design, Painting, Photography, Printmaking, Sculpture or Video. The course allows students to concentrate on developing a body of work, usually of a speculative and individual nature and emphasises a strong sense of independent enquiry. The examination will grow from the research proposal which in turn will feed into the main written paper. The proposal and paper will evolve through consultation with studio and theory staff. The main theory requirement is a paper of a maximum 3,000 words, in which the candidate will discuss a theoretical issue relating directly to his or her research project. The paper will focus on 'The Context of the Work'. Candidates engaged in a theory-only honours program will complete two papers, one of which focuses upon one of the topics presented in the seminar series and may include gallery/curatorial components in the proposal. These two papers will be a maximum 5,000 words each and the thesis a maximum 15,000 words. A course of lectures and workshops is presented at a weekly Honours Seminar in Semester 1. This series of lectures is devoted to a study of contemporary theory, methodology and criticism of visual arts and design. Candidates can expect to present their ideas to a workshop group during the latter part of the semester, in a relatively informal and provisional manner. In Semester 2 short summaries of papers will be formally presented in three day-long seminars in August. As well as Honours Seminars, the program is supported by a weekly meeting with Peter Hill, the Units Honours Coordinator, to discuss research strategies and provide a forum for invited practitioners who generate discussion and debate relating to art, craft, design and theory. At the end of the year, shortly before examination, a two-page (500-1,000 word) summary explanation of the research outcomes in relation to the course proposal will be required. Studio-based candidates can expect to spend four-fifths of their time on studio-based projects which will count for four-fifths of the final assessment A panel of academic staff appointed by the Head of Department examines the candidate's presentation of visual work (or, in the case of Art Theory candidates, their written submission) representing their year's study; the theory paper(s); and any other written documentation, such as diaries and notebooks. The panel will include the candidate's studio and theory supervisors.