Bachelor of Creative Arts (Visual Arts)

2019 Deakin University Handbook

Note: You are seeing the 2019 view of this course information. These details may no longer be current. [Go to the current version]

Year	2019 course information
Award granted	Bachelor of Creative Arts (Visual Arts)
Course Map	This course map is for new students commencing from Trimester 1 2019. This course map is for new students commencing from Trimester 2 2019. This course map is for new students commencing from Trimester 3 2019. Course maps for commencement in previous years are available on the Course Maps webpage or 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 Qualifications 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 through Deakin's tailor-made Bachelor of Creative Arts (Visual Arts). Through specialised studio practice and opportunities to exhibit your work in galleries and exhibitions, you’ll develop your physical, creative and intellectual capacities to engage with the world through new and traditional media. You’ll explore painting, drawing, printmaking, 3D, digital and multidisciplinary forms.

Want to experiment with expression and make a career out of adventurous, contemporary art?

From specialised studio practice and interdisciplinary learning to leading theory and critical thinking, you’ll develop the skills to be an adaptable, articulate and creative practitioner. Draw inspiration from and gain expertise in:

digital technologies
traditional techniques
interdisciplinary practices
studio practice.

Draw on the expertise of our staff, who are active practitioners and leading researchers in their fields. You’ll also engage with the arts industry through visiting specialists and professionals.

Choose to undertake work placements in art institutions, with contemporary artists as well as at major community and cultural events. You can also go overseas on an optional international study tour.

Through this course, you’ll develop transferable skills in:

critical thinking
collaboration
experimentation
technique
visual analysis.

By coupling your major with units in other creative arts disciplines, you’ll expand your career opportunities in areas like marketing, media, and communications. Alternatively, work in arts and cultural communities when you graduate, or develop an independent studio career working towards exhibitions in commercial galleries or publicly-run arts spaces.

If you’re considering becoming a visual arts teacher, you can combine your art specialisation with further postgraduate teaching studies.

Career opportunities

Graduates are equipped with a dynamic skill set, ready for a career in the expanding arts industries. You may find work in roles such as:

artist
artist agent
gallery or exhibition curator
arts centre manager
art director
videographer
creative director
desktop publisher
illustrator.

For more information go to DeakinTALENT

Participation requirements

Reasonable adjustments to participation and other course requirements will be made for students with a disability. Click here for more information.

Mandatory student checks

Any unit which contains work integrated learning, a community placement or interaction with the community may require a police check, Working with Children Check or other check.

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

Course rules

Students must complete 24 credit points including:

10 x credit points of core units (9 units)
3 x course electives from list A
5 x course electives from list B (at least 1 unit at level 3)
6 x credit points of open electives (of which three must be at level 2 or 3)
no more than 12 credit points at level 1
AAI018 Academic Integrity (0-credit-point compulsory unit)

Course structure

Level 1

ACA101

Art and Performance: Roles of the Artist

ACA100

Art and Performance: New Directions for Creative Practice

ACV101

Contemporary Art Practice: Body

ACV102

Contemporary Art Practice: Space

Course structure

Course Electives

Complete three 1-credit point units chosen from the following course electives list A:

ACG103

Design Skills

ACF103

Writing with the Camera

ACP109

Improvisation: Principles in Action

ACP103

Foundations of Acting and Performance

ACI101

Analogue Photography

ACI102

Digital Photography

IND101

Introduction to Aboriginal Studies

Complete five 1-credit point units chosen from the following course electives list B with at least one level 3 unit:

ACV210

Integrated Practice 1

ACV214

Art and Technology

ACI201

Alternative Imaging

ACI204

Contemporary Documentary and Narrative Photography

ACI202

Digital Imaging 2: Advanced

IND201

Aboriginal Knowledges and Experiences: Historical Journeys-Contemporary Perspectives

ACV310

Integrated Practice 2

ACV311

Visual Arts History and Theory in the Expanded Field

ACI301

Experimental Photography and Creative Practice

ACP323

Out of the Box: Theatre in Alternative Contexts

ACC317

Communication and Creative Arts Internship A

Complete six electives, of which at least three must be 2nd or 3rd level

We suggest students complete at least 4 units in a subject area different to their degree, preferably a linked sequence of study in the same area. This choice can include units from any degree in the University but is best chosen from the subject areas in the Bachelor of Arts (https://www.deakin.edu.au/course/bachelor-arts). We recommend students complete at least two more course elective units listed above.

Course structure

Level 2

ACV205

Contemporary Art Practice: Pluralism

ACV206

Contemporary Art Practice: Abstraction

ACV207

Materialising the Image: Visual Art and Photography Since 1989

Course structure

Level 3

ACV307

Contemporary Art Practice: Research

ACV312

Contemporary Art Practice: Production (2 credit points)

Work experience

Elective units may provide the opportunity for Work Integrated Learning experiences.

Other Course Information

Assessment
Assessment within the award of Bachelor of Creative Arts varies from written assignments and/or examination to practical and technical exercises and performance. In some units assessment may also include class participation, online exercises, seminar exercises and tests.

Course duration - additional information

Course duration may be affected by delays in completing course requirements, such as accessing or completing work placements.

Research and research-related study

Independent research components are embedded across a number of units.