Bachelor of Creative Arts (Visual Arts)

2017 Deakin University Handbook

Note: You are seeing the 2017 view of this course information. These details may no longer be current. [Go to the current version]

Year	2017 course information
Award granted	Bachelor of Creative Arts (Visual Arts)
Course Map	This course map is for new students commencing from 2017. If you require a course map from a previous year, please contact a Student Adviser.
Campus	Offered at Burwood (Melbourne), Waterfront (Geelong)
Cloud Campus	No
Duration	3 years full-time or part-time equivalent
Deakin course code	A359
Approval status	This course is approved by the University under the Higher Education Standards Framework.
Australian Quality Framework (AQF) recognition	The award conferred upon completion is recognised in the Australian Qualifications Framework at Level 7.
Note: Geelong Waterfront campus students can take units of study at the Waurn Ponds Campus.

Course sub-headings

Course overview

Develop your skills as a contemporary art practitioner to engage critically and creatively with the world in new and traditional media including painting, drawing, printmaking, 3D, digital and multi-disciplinary forms.

Combine cutting edge theory with specialised studio practice when you enrol in Deakin’s Bachelor of Creative Arts (Visual Arts).

Incorporating digital technologies, traditional techniques and interdisciplinary practices, this course focuses on the curious, the critical and creative student. Students are introduced to contemporary art through a program that contextualises their work in theory and practice through lectures, workshops, tutorials, collaborative and independent studio. Critical thinking and collaboration are key to developing the technical skills of the 21st century as students need to be adaptable, articulate and creative practitioners, no matter the vocation they choose.

In internships you’ll have access to important arts organisations, events and galleries to enhance your curatorial, educational and administrative skills, while you will have numerous opportunities to exhibit in Deakin’s own gallery spaces. Showcasing your work through festivals, exhibitions and award programs is a great way to launch your career, gain professional experience and network.

By coupling your major with units in other creative arts disciplines your design skills will be sought after in areas like marketing, media, and communications. You could work on creative designs for websites, packaging, printed material, company branding, video games, advertising, exhibitions and displays. Combining your art specialisation with teaching studies can also qualify you to teach visual arts in schools and other educational settings.

Graduates can enjoy creative roles as artists, in arts administration, curation, academic research, illustration, design, video, advertising, film production and teaching. There are further opportunities within the arts and cultural communities.

Transition to University study

The faculty offers two units AIX160 Introduction to University Study and AIX117 Professional Writing for Work which are specifically designed to ease the transition into university study. New students are encouraged to enrol in one or both of these units as electives in their first year.

Fees and charges

Fees and charges vary depending on your course, your fee category and the year you started. To find out about the fees and charges that apply to you, visit the Current students fees website.

Course Learning Outcomes

Deakin Graduate Learning Outcomes	Course Learning Outcomes
Discipline specific knowledge and capabilities	Demonstrate a working knowledge of Visual Arts studio practice. Demonstrate knowledge of art theoretical and historical content through studio practice. Demonstrate particular depth of knowledge in the studio practice of painting and drawing. Adapt knowledge to analyse and interpret art and cultural products within the art world and within a broader context of cultural production. Apply discipline knowledge and problem solving skills to reflect on, engage with, and reshape cultural/societal practices
Communication	Express ideas and opinions cogently through oral, written, and nonverbal (visual) channels. Engage critically with ideas through technically sophisticated and theoretically informed art practice. Demonstrate an understanding of the art industry and its cultural contexts through written and oral communication.
Digital literacy	Employ a range of digital media technologies to create art works. Demonstrate a high level of skill in both the manipulation of digital technologies as well as the creative extension of such technologies Critically engage with the interaction of old and new media technologies through scholarly writing and creative arts practice.
Critical thinking	Analyse and interpret cultural products (including the student’s own work) and make informed judgements about their meaning, value, and efficacy. Use visual arts practice to develop self-reflexive habits that both develop and critically re-examine personally held views.
Problem solving	Develop skills in identifying, analysing and solving creative (ill-defined) problems through studio practice. Employ visual arts methodologies (ways of making) to define and explore new problems or re-frame existing ones.
Self-management	Use personal initiative and judgment to produce creative solutions to set creative briefs Demonstrate initiative and autonomy in researching, developing and solving self-directed creative problems in the visual arts. Demonstrate skills in objective critical self-assessment.
Teamwork	Collaborate with peers within and across disciplines to generate creative outcomes in art practice and professional situations. Effectively negotiate interpersonal and creative differences through engagement in group projects.
Global citizenship	Demonstrate an awareness of ethical issues, cultural diversity, and social responsibility when engaging in Visual Arts scholarship. Demonstrate an awareness of the ethical and inter-cultural issues involved in the production and interpretation of visual representations.
Approved by Faculty Board October 2015